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Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2021 12:03 pm
by chrisridd
Hi,

We're looking to get our first EV and an Audi Q4 is on the list (also Tesla, EV 6, Mach-E). Test drive is a couple of weeks away...

To avoid being blinded by flannel from the Audi dealer, I've been looking around a bit and am consequently a bit confused! I wonder if anyone could comment on these dumb questions?
  • does it get similar OTA updates like the VW MEB cars, eg improving the maximum fast charge rate?
  • is the iphone app (MyAudi?) any good?
  • is Audi as bad as software as VW? :lol:
  • does it automatically set seat position, climate, music, regen etc levels based on the driver?
  • what's it like to live with - are there any niggles that you wish Audi would fix?
Thanks for any answers!

Chris

Re: Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:49 pm
by Tony
I think there's a lot of us still waiting for it to arrive!

From what I know (in-laws have Audi's) the software is a lot better then VW, probably not as good as Tesla but if you're looking for more of a car with tech as opposed to tech with four wheels (Tesla) it's good.

It should get updates over the air like the VW, same platform etc.

The seat adjustment question is possibly, but I would guess it's an extra as Audi love to add on extras.

Hope that helps.

Re: Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:46 am
by fobong
I think electric seats (possibly with memory? not sure) are edition 1/vorsprung only - I went for ed 1 to get them. No idea when I'll get the car though!

Re: Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:17 pm
by Edam77
I have the edition 1 and it has seat memory for 2 settings, it's not automatic you hold down a button on the door. The my Audi app is more limited at the moment that it was for my Q3, i.e. can't send destinations to the car or remote lock, you can set it to heat up which is useful. They are due to update the car software anytime now (we shall see) which will give more functions and allow you to have users. They do OTA map updates, not certain if car software will be though. The infotainment is same as in other Audi's, I like it but not tried the others.

Re: Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 3:35 pm
by Mml2435
I’ve owned a Q4 35 for about 3 months now and I have mixed feelings. It drives well and is nicely built, looks good, nicely proportioned and has a lot of plus points. But the tech is disappointing. From my perspective, the tech is fairly important in a car like this, which I used for a school run and town driving car, as the tech adds a lot of convenience and enjoyment. It’s not a particularly fun drive (not nearly as sporty as a Tesla), just comfortable and relaxed, so in in-cabin features with the technology do make more of a difference to me in a car like this, at least to me. To answer your questions (to the extent I can):
- I don’t know about OTA updates. I’ve not seen any evidence of having received one in the weeks I’ve owned it. I assume I’d need to go to a dealer to get updates, but don’t know.
- myAudi app is crap. Very few functions. Cannot schedule charge. I try to pre-heat car in the morning and only works about 50% of the time and gives random errors. Cannot set up other users. Overall it’s a huge weak point. Tesla app is vastly better (I also own an 5 year old Model S and the tech is still miles ahead, particularly the app). I’ve emailed and talked to Audi a few times and they are pretty much useless. Had I known that the features would be so limited I would looked at other options. Tesla Model Y would have been my choice, but not available at the time I needed a car. If you don’t care about these sorts of features then no big deal, but if you do then it will come as a disappointment. I have no idea if these things will be fixed with software updates. Nobody at Audi seems to be able answer any questions and they seem clueless (see the app thread on this forum).
- The Audi MMI is ok. I mostly use AppleCarplay. But even that only connects 50% of the time wirelessly and I need to go into the menus to reconnect it when it fails. A pain in the butt, but manageable. And every time I turn it on the car I get a privacy warning that I need to dismiss manually - you can’t permanently disable it as it’s not possible to login as a user on the MMI, unlike other Audi models. Again, Audi support is useless on this issue and so I just need to live with it. Not the end of the world, but annoying and shouldn’t be like that.
- I don’t know about driver based seat positions and settings. My car is more basic and doesn’t have electric seats. Audi’s optional extras are ridiculous and it’s so hard to figure out what you get as standard and what you don’t get without closely studying the spec sheets. I wanted a backup camera but needed to also buy Sonos speakers in a pack in order to have it - makes no sense, and how is a camera not standard? Feels like Audi’s trying to fleece its customers with weird package combos. Once you get what you want, you end up with other crap you don’t need, and pay more than you should. As I said, the car currently doesn’t allow different users to log in so I imagine that it would not be possible to have automatic set ups change based on the driver. Tesla has all that stuff as standard and has done for years.
- To live with, it’s fine. Again, a bit boring to drive (maybe the 40 is a bit sportier, but probably not by much) but a good school run car and everyday town driver. Comfortable, quiet, good visibility. The exterior size is perfect for me and very roomy inside. The tech is just annoying and shouldn’t be that way. So I don’t regret buying it, but if availability wasn’t an issue and I had had the pick of Model Y, Ioniq 5, and all the other competitor cars at the time of purchase, I probably would have gone with something else. If Audi fixes all this software then my score probably goes from B to A- overall for the car. But I’m not holding my breath that they will actually fix these software issues…

Re: Q4 questions from a non-owner

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:50 pm
by hugodoodle
I hopefully pick-up my Q4 50 Quattro next week, which will be a bit quicker than the 35, but nevertheless I know it will be a few levels in terms of overall quality below my 4 year old A5. However the benefits of buying an EV through my company, were too large to overlook.

I don’t believe there are many other options in the market for a premium mid-SUV EV - the Q4 tries to fit the bill, but does under sell the Audi brand - it’s clearly not a finished product and Audi have cut costs on the interior finish, but I decided to go for it anyway.

The Tesla is a far better product technically, but the fit and finish all round is appalling and the minimalist interior is not a compromise I’d accept. As first adopters, we have to compromise somewhere and it really depends what you prioritise in a vehicle.