• Slick, expensive-looking cabin
• Thankfully has physical heating controls
• Some fixtures not quite up to Audi standards

How is the quality and layout?

The Q4’s cabin is very, very Audi. By that we mean it’s quite a dark, Germanic cabin with red and silver highlights. You can lighten things up with some brighter colour options for the seats, but overall it still feels very familiar if you’ve just stepped out of, say, a Q3 or a Q5.

Overall quality levels are high, and for the most part the cabin looks slick and expensive, but the worrying thing is that it doesn’t take much digging to find some cheaper panels, which is a bit un-Audi. There’s also the lingering question of whether it’s that much better a cabin than you’d get for less cash in a Volkswagen ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq. To be honest, while there is a qualitative advantage to the Audi’s cabin, the margin is not that big and we’d argue not worth the expense.

The little lozenge shaped gear selector sits on its own little shelf, which juts out from the main dash. It looks good, and it feels pleasantly tactile when you use it, but it’s so much less space-efficient than the VW ID.4’s gear selector, which is mounted up on the side of the instrument panel, behind the wheel. You do feel as if the Audi’s little shelf is a bit of wasted space.

Base models get a round steering wheel, with two distinct geometric spokes and multi-function buttons, but you can spec that up to a more distinctive wheel that’s been flattened at the top and bottom, in a racing car fashion. It’s a slightly odd wheel to look at, but does feel rather good in your hands.

Infotainment and tech

The Q4’s cabin gets two big screens – a 12.3-inch one in front of the driver, which functions as the instrument panel, and a 10.1-inch screen in the centre of the dash (an 11.6-inch screen is optional), angled towards the driver, which runs the infotainment system. At which point we have to say well done Audi, as it has decided to ignore its colleagues across the hall at VW and fit some proper, separate, physical heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls. These are mounted below the screen, and are far easier and quicker to use than the on-screen and touch-sensitive ‘slider’ controls used by the ID.4.

There’s also an optional head-up display, which projects speed, sat-nav and driver assistance warnings onto the windscreen. It’s a good setup, but perhaps a little on the small side given that Audi proclaims it as an ‘augmented reality’ system.

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The rest of the infotainment system is very good, with a reasonably logical menu layout and big, haptic buttons (which make a little clicking sensation when you push them) that makes things a little easier to find and use. As ever, though, there are some fiddly items. Try finding the button for turning down the screen brightness at night, for example… It helps that there are some handy shortcut buttons at the side of the screen, or of course you can try using voice control (which as always with such systems is a bit hit and miss).

Each Q4 comes with connected satellite navigation, which gives you such information as live traffic data and parking availability, and you get a 36-month subscription to Audi’s online and live services. You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus regular Bluetooth connection. There are four USB-C sockets (two front, two rear) for charging and connecting devices.

For a little more you can upgrade the Q4’s sound system to a high-end Sonos version, and for that kind of money, it’s well worth doing.

Comfort

• Excellent front seats
• High-end leather options
• Three-zone climate control standard

Front seat comfort is a high point of the Q4. It has truly excellent seats, and sporty S line models get gorgeous high-backed bucket seats that can be optionally trimmed in a diamond-quilted leather upholstery. Quite decadent, really. As standard, you get four-way lumbar support adjustment and heated front seats.

The heating can be optionally upgraded to a ‘heat pump’ system that uses waste heat from the battery pack to help run the cabin heating and air conditioning. It’s a pricey option for basic models, but well worth having as it saves a bit of battery range on cold days, and heats up the cabin super-fast. Pre-conditioning – where you can set the cabin to be warmed up and ready to go when the car is charging – comes as standard. You also get a front-centre armrest on all models.