Bada Bing

I test drove one about 10 days ago and really liked it. The size is perfect and my dealer is willing to offer what I consider a decent lease deal on a 2023 Prestige trim. My two areas of concern were the relatively modest 236-mile range and less than neck snapping acceleration. Yesterday news came out that the 2024 VW ID.4 with the 82 kW battery is getting a significant power boost (from 201 to 282 hp for RWD and from 295 hp to 330 hp for AWD), along with a yet to be specified range increase and interior updates (12.9" infotainment screen with backlit slider controls) and new available features on the top trim (like ventilated front seats and HK audio system. Now, I consider the Q4 to be infinitely better looking than the ID.4 inside and out and doubt I will go for a 2024 ID.4 when it goes on sale in early 2024, but I am disappointed that the Q4 is not getting the power and range updates for the 2024 model year. Most likely the same powertrain updates will make it to the 2025 Q4 but will not work with my lease end date of March 2024 for my current S4.

I realize that the EV landscape is changing fast and progress will happen at faster pace with EVs compared to ICE vehicles but I don't want to pay a premium for an Audi over an ID.4 when it is inferior to the cheaper VW under the skin from day one of ownership.

Alex1

Maybe is better to wait for the new Q6 etron, the interior was revealed today: https://insideevs.com/news/684799/20...enger-display/
You will have for sure a better range on Q6.

JNealCox

Most likely. However, the Q6 will be at a different price point.

Bada Bing

Q6 will likely offer > 300 miles range since it's on the more efficient 800V architecture. I expect pricing to be closer to Q8 than Q4 but the main issue for me is timing (March 14, 2024 lease end date). I suppose I can extend my S4 lease a few months and wait for the Q6, but I think I will definitely be on the hook for new brakes and a new set of tires. My tires are already in bad shape and my brake pads are marginal, which is why I was looking at potentially turning in my S4 a few months early now. My Excess Wear and Tear package covers worn out tires but not brakes if the warning light goes on.

grue

I'd kinda been assuming that I'd replace my Q4 with the Q6 when I'm ready for another car (probably around 4 years of ownership of the current one), but upon seeing that interior, I guess in ~3 years I'm going to be looking at what BMW and M-B and so forth are doing.

Audi is going the wrong direction with touch controls for me, one of the main reasons I bought the Q4 was the physical controls for HVAC and the doors and all that. The touch buttons on the wheel are VERY marginal… not as bad as the ID4's, but inferior for the end user in *basically every single way other than ease of cleaning* to Audi wheels with real buttons and scrollers.

Between that and the absolutely, ungodly astonishingly crappy job they've done with the software on the Q4… nope. Not happening, guys. Life's too short to simp for companies and accept inferior products and experiences because of "brand loyalty".

getmoving

Two words: Price Point. EVs are ludicrously expensive because their batteries are ludicrously expensive. Everything else suffers to bring the cost down to something the market will kinda bear ( with more than a little whining... ). I'm not sure when this situation will change, but I'm not holding my breath. More like holding my nose.

But really, the Q4 isn't that bad, and it's way way better than the ID.4. It's easy to get spoiled by the driving experience. It's kinda hard to go back to one of the old-fangled ICE cars with their engine noise, flakey transmissions, and annoying hesitation ( especially at high altitude ). But don't even get me started on the "T brand" that builds cheap cars and sells them at a ridiculous price while bragging about their profit margin. As noted by P.T. Barnum, "There's a sucker born every minute."

wstevecollins54

Again, it’s hard to understand why the VW ID4 would receive all these upgrades while the supposedly premium brand Audi Q4 would not. Most manufacturers would do it the other way around and make the upgrades to their premium vehicles. Audi makes it hard to justify the premium price, not to mention the $7500 tax credit that the VW is entitled to. However, I do agree that other than the enhancements, the Audi is a superior vehicle. Just to be transparent, I did have a Q4 ordered last fall, but range anxiety and availability of charging stations down Florida where I stay during the winter made me change my mind and I went with the Q5e which was still eligible for the tax credit before it ended in the spring. When the lease expires in 3 years, I will definitely go with an enhanced Q4 with more power and better range. Perhaps Audi will build it in Mexico or Tennessee and be eligible for the tax credit.

Bada Bing

Even though the 2024 Q4 changes have been announced and the updates are pretty minor (adaptive cruise control standard on all trims), the 2024 model still does not appear on the Audi USA website yet. It's a long shot but is it possible that they will delay the 2024 Q4 model to incorporate the ID.4 power unit updates? 330 hp and 30-40 miles more range and I am sold.

sbt007

The lack of neck-snapping acceleration is on purpose. They tried to keep it the same as ICE cars and provide a smooth takeoff. Whether that was a good idea is debatable. I don't mind because it still has plenty.
The power boost in ID.4 seems to suggest new motors?

Q4 has the same 82 kWH battery, so unclear how the ID.4 will find more range. The Q4 actually gets more than EPA in summer (at least my experience). Maybe they are replacing the ID.4 numbers with optimistic values and also tweaked the software to use more of the battery at the expense of longevity.

getmoving

2024 ID.4 is supposed to have a new rear motor, and it is claimed to be both more powerful and more efficient. Hence the "anticipated" improved range.

As for current Q4's acceleration, I find it quite satisfying and I don't feel the need to have my old neck snapped on take-off. It's worth noting that there is a setting to dampen high-speed acceleration in the interest of efficiency, and that is enabled by default. Some reviewers seem ignorant of this. It will give full power if you really stomp it at highway speed with this enabled, but if you turn the setting off the vehicle is much more responsive with out needing to floor it.