A to BEV vs. Cool: Ugly Babies & Boring Q4s
ooooIYKYK, ISSUE #oo1o
Nobody likes to hear their baby is ugly. That goes double when it's family making the accusation. Watch a politician speak out against their chosen party and the accusations of villainy quickly ensue. I'd argue these can be signs of fixation and group think that undermines organizational effectiveness, but at the moment I'm speaking vaguely. Proper diagnosis requires specifics and nuance. Still, I'm about to call a baby within the family ugly and that may not go over well.
Behold, the plight of the Audi Q4 e-tron. So, let's dig into the specifics and nuance.
Is the Q4 e-tron ugly? No, I'm not being that literal. Yes, it is a decidedly boring product that sticks out for these qualities within a range that tends not to be decidedly boring. The Q4 suffers from being a budget-focused crossover EV at a time when EV skepticism (and even outright rejection) seems at an all-time high. Crossovers of whatever drive type tend to be a gateway to commoditized A-to-B appliances, often aimed at consumers who just don't care about cars beyond a basic need for transportation. Finally, budget for a premium brand that has been known to lead with technology and inspire with fantasies of motorsport dominance in exotic far-off locales isn't exactly playing to type.
No. It's not that the Q4 is ugly. It's that it's boring and even Audi doesn't seem to care that much about it beyond the people who made the choice to create a crossover on the internal Volkswagen Group MEB architecture and push it out into the lineup with little thought towards how compelling it might be. I say "little" here because the lack of burning passion to create something cool isn't all-encompassing and I want to come back to that.
I stumbled across this thread in my feed last week. To me, it perfectly summarizes the plight of the Q4 and, at times, the Audi brand in general should people of similar leanings carry more sway. The post in question was made by an Audi brand enthusiast and shared in an Audi brand enthusiast group organized by an Audi brand enthusiast club. In as much, it's a mix of Audi's greatest fans and likely their most intimately informed critics.
The tone of the post is most interesting. It's not that there's disdain for the Q4. That's important to remember. Even still, people don't know what to make of it. The sum of its execution isn't poor product, but rather that this product as it sits lacks authenticity. Its mission seems only to raise its hand and be present in the commodity A-to-B EV segment.
Is there an S line? Turns out yes, but would you have known if I hadn't told you? Would you have cared?
Is there an SQ4? No, but nobody seems to care. Ditto on an RS Q4.
And when I say nobody, I mean nobody on that thread above, and from what I can tell nobody inside Audi either. The EV die-hards got what they wanted, their Model Y competitor. The performance side of the company (I'm totally guessing but it seems pretty obvious) likely sees the more budget-minded MEB platform and EVs as a whole and resent them because they seem forced and far from ideal from which to spawn performance cars. The Q4 is no Porsche-developed-platform sport sedan with six figure sticker, and it's worth noting that even RS e-tron GTs find themselves challenged when it comes to resale value... like literally the entire EV segment.
This is all a shame because Q4 is actually good product. The Audi design team deserves a lot of credit here. They took their job seriously, creating what I'd argue is by far the best looking MEB-derived product to date. No, it's not as fun nor backed with legacy good vibes as the Volkswagen ID Buzz, but it looks quite good while folding in brand cue easter eggs such as the rear window bisecting spoiler (looking at you C3 200 Avant) without being kitschy or retro. But, however good it looks, it also gets overlooked because of its plight.
When the Q4 first came out, I attended its press launch as a journalist. On the test drive I was actually impressed. The Q4 felt lighter on its feet than other Audi EVs, and a recuperation setting on the transmission switchgear allowed you to more closely mimic one-pedal driving.
What's one-pedal driving? Like the Q4, I believe the value of one pedal functionality is misunderstood. Drivers of EV brands such as Tesla and Rivian familiar with the function will tell you it is when the car shifts directly to energy recuperation as you feather down and off off the throttle. This induces braking and allows operation of the car largely without need to hit the brake pedal and thus only using one pedal in casual everyday driving.
In their always logical way, German engineers at the Volkswagen Group have foregone one-pedal driving in favor of algorithmically determined execution of recuperation. They say it's more efficient and that may be so, but it's not more fun.
What's fun got to do with it? One pedal driving is effectively torque braking. For those more familiar with selecting your own gears, it is like driving around in a lower gear without shifting up. On a tight winding road like Tail of the Dragon, you keep the car in a gear that gives you both maximum power delivery while also substantive torque braking as soon as you come off throttle in the curves. Feather in braking as needed for speed or chassis control. One pedal driving can do the same thing without hitting any redline, which is what I quickly learned when I drove that test Q4 into some canyons.
Of course, the Q4's R mode isn't exactly one pedal. Further, R stands for RECUPERATION and not RACING. Okay, sure, but manual transmissions were once the budget or efficiency option and today they're reserved for the most enthusiast-oriented drivers' cars... if not track cars. I'd argue one pedal could and should be looked at as a performance feature.
Hyundai's already figuring that out with their Ioniq 5N. And it's with the 5N I wish to draw a comparison. For starters, Hyundai broke the jellybean mold by designing an angular car that is both appealing and fresh in its rejection of today's ubiquitous teardrop form.
That the Hyundai also heavily resembles the Lancia Delta Integrale seems pretty obvious to me at least. In fact, it's that appeal which makes me desire one... as someone who's literally never owned a Hyundai. And while I haven't bought one yet, I have noted their propensity to hold their value on the used market. I've even photoshopped what I'd want to build - white on white "spiderweb" wheels like Lancias in the day, and just a hint of Martini Racing flair. Honestly... someone such as Liberty Walk or Khyzyl Saleem needs to do a box flare solution for this car stat.
That's the remarkable thing about the Ioniq 5N really. It is an entry market crossover, and an EV... and yet it's still engaging... still fun. One could argue it's just another sport-badged model in a larger brand lineup, but that'd sell it short. Hyundai leads with the Ioniq 5N. They do so with exuberance and without concerns whether they'll appear foolish to some while they figure it out. Are the gears a gimmick? Is the synthesized exhaust note option cheesy? Some will inevitably say yes, but it seems pretty obvious that Hyundai is all about jumping into the pool and learning at a time when no one else really knows either... and in that there's authenticity - authenticity I'd argue that harkens the birth of quattro.
Now take the N designator. That'd be S or RS in Audi speak and it's clear here that Hyundai dove into the project most authentically. Handling dynamics were key, and so was pushing the envelope of what we expect from a performance EV. Synthesized gears and engine notes may seem gimmicky, but these things are also part of a language... a way the car and the driver communicate. This is far beyond one input - one pedal. There's intimacy here, learning how to dance and knowing how to lead into difficult moves, or sticking to the moves within your dance partner's repertoire... say the repertoire of a heavy EV, albeit with a low center of gravity.
It's here I feel the need to mention our lizard brains. A designator for the shortcomings of our biological makeup, the intention is to point out the communication or rather the pace thereof. An EV with no gears that arrives at 60 mph in obnoxiously little amount of time and even less sound allows for little to no communication with the driver. You're along for the ride, and that's not very engaging.
Like the people in the thread above, it seems there's no real engagement at all with basic EV products. Why should a basic EV driver care? They can get from point A to point B just fine and that's all that matters to them. That's transportation at its most commoditized. But, I'd argue... that's not Audi, where merely forgettable A to B transportation has never been the plan.
I prefer the engaged experience. When I returned from that Q4 launch back then, I found myself pleasantly surprised by what I'd experienced. The Q4 I drove wasn't a be-all end-all driver's car, but it hinted at what could come and was packaged in a way I appreciated - great proportions, handsome Audi styling (albeit in a forgettable specification) - a small and relatively nimble chassis. In the right specification, it'd make a great daily driver.
I fired up photoshop and imagined my own "budget" build again here, using a standard color (black), and adding minimal changes like a lowered suspension and Rotiform Aerodisc wheels. I still love the look, and may build one at some point.
I shared the images (the black example above) with that Facebook Group, and the reaction was entirely likes. A handsome car, in the end, is a handsome car. The substance behind that, of course, is also the magic. It was cool, and a cool car is a familiar thing, not just to the people in that group, but to anyone who views cars as more than a commodity. Turns out the baby isn't exacthat is the Q4 isn't ugly and could be cool, but for that to change we all need to care.
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09-11 – FFSA GT Championnat de France, Circuit Dijon-Prenois, Prenois, France – GT3, GT4
09-11 – GT World Challenge Asia, Pertamina Mandalinka International Circuit, Indonesia – GT3, GT4, TCR
09-11 – IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge WeatherTech Sportscar Championship of Monterey, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, USA 🇺🇸 – TCR
10 – Audi Club Wisconsin Teen Car Control Clinic, Milwaukee, WI 🇺🇸 – Teen Driving Clinic
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