The 2022 Audi Q4 E-Tron Has a Wild Heads-Up Display and 250 Miles of Range

The Volkswagen Group's MEB platform will underpin all sorts of EVs from the company. Here in the U.S., the Volkswagen ID.4 was the first MEB car to hit the market, and next comes something a bit more luxurious, the 2022 Audi Q4 E-Tron. It's a $45,000 SUV sized between the gas-powered Q3 and Q5, and it's set to compete with the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach E.

Though the Q4 shares its platform with the VW ID.4, you wouldn't know that just by looking at it. This car is distinctly Audi, the big single-frame grille up front—which is just a design motif here—and sharp, muscular fenders. Audi will offer two versions of the Q4 E-Tron as well, a regular SUV and a sloping-roof Sportback which offers a lower drag-coefficient, and therefore, better range.

Audi will offer the Q4 with two drivetrain configurations; the base 40 model has a single 201-hp motor driving the rear wheels; the 50 Quattro has electric motors on each axle making a total of 295 hp. Both models will be powered by a 77-kWh battery, and the estimated range for the base car is 250 miles. Audi hasn't yet released an estimated range for the all-wheel-drive Q4, or the Sportback, which will only be offered with the dual-motor configuration.

The Q4 E-Tron will offer three levels of user-selectable regenerative braking, but Audi engineers say that for maximum efficiency, drivers should use the predictive regen feature, which takes topographical and GPS info into account. Using an AC plug, the Q4 can charge at up to 11 kW, and at up to 125 kW using a DC fast charger. Handling should be good too, because the big heavy battery sits low between McPherson-strut front and multi-link rear axle.