Long hill: How far can the Audi Q4 e-tron run

Can the Audi Q4 e-tron drive to the Grand Glockner Mountain, austria's highest peak, with a full charge? Can this electric car ride freely on mountain roads at high altitudes? Through the test drive, we have experienced its great strength.

Well, that's a good start! I fully charged the 77 kWh battery, and this Audi showed a range of 445 km, but it did not recommend Kaprun, 416 km away, to me as the first charging point for the trip. What a conservative guy. I simply ignored the "nearest along the way" halfway charging advice it offered, as I knew Kaprun had the best fast charging pile in Europe, which could be charged via a water-cooled cable with a charging power of 150 kW. I want to drive there in one go. That's what I expected from this car, which costs more than 70,000 euros. If it can't do it, then its image in my mind will definitely be discounted.

Departure departs at 4:15

Of course, sometimes some compromises have to be made. The outside temperature in Stuttgart was 18°C, so I turned off the air conditioning. This leads to more range. I was travelling from Nike Qatar to Plöchingen with a speed limit of 80 km/h, so I should be able to save a lot of electricity at the beginning of the journey. Barely consuming much mileage before reaching the Plöchengen crossroads made me optimistic about the long trip. I think I can be friends with this Audi.

The Swabian Jura stands far ahead of us, and yes, it's not yet the Grand Glockner. We also have to overcome altitudes of 500 metres above sea level from Stuttgart to the European watershed. In addition, the Audi I drive is running on the A8 motorway at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The remaining range on the dashboard disappears as quickly as a leaking water tank. After driving 72 kilometers at high speed, the 140 kilometers of cruising range had disappeared, and I only stepped on the accelerator a few times. Is the display of the car computer accurate? Leave it alone. Ironically, when I was running at 120 kilometers per hour, I was freezing and shivering because I couldn't turn on the warm wind, because I forgot my jacket in the back seat, which was stupid.

I was constantly thinking about whether I could have a new strategy that would allow me to complete this mission perfectly. But who wants to drive at just 100 km/h? Why not try energy recovery while the vehicle is going downhill? Two hours later, just before I arrived in Munich, I discovered a terrible situation: there were still 234 kilometers to reach my destination, but the range was only 202 kilometers. It's nerve-wracking. One thing was clear to me: if I didn't reserve at least 5% of my battery before entering the 5.2 km long tunnel near Zell am See, my car would most likely stop.

The lesson of the Ilschenberg trip was that I should have gained some kinetic energy by energy recovery as the vehicle went downhill. Damn it! There is a red flash shining on me, is it too fast for me? Although it is necessary to drive fast, it should not be too fast. Because, not only will the speed camera capture the speeding vehicle, but it is also an electric car! Too fast a speed can quickly drain the battery. Therefore, when the vehicle is headed in the direction of Kufstein, we intend to carry out energy recovery appropriately.

The vehicle begins to turn before it is about to reach the border. All roads leading to Kaprun go through country roads. The Audi battery in the bumps is still 28% charged, and the vehicle should be able to travel 136 kilometers. And I'm 100 kilometers ahead. So it wasn't as bad as expected, and it seemed to be able to reach its destination successfully.

As I crossed the border, the official in charge of customs clearance looked at my car with a look of admiration: "This is the new Q4 e-tron, right?" I'm still seeing a real car for the first time! "Yes, I'm going to drive it up Glockner Mountain Road," I said with a smile. Well, that's the first thing I said today. He waved me over. Admittedly, I was a little worried before that because I forgot to bring my own vaccination certificate. Drive comfortably in picturesque scenery and save as much electricity as possible, as this is the only way to keep me charged enough when I arrive in Austria. Before I was about to reach Zell am See, the battery showed only single digits, but I managed to get through the tunnel with this 7% charge, which was amazing! Next up were the two roundabouts, and in the distance I saw the most fascinating fast charging pile in the world. I attached the vehicle to the charging pile and gave it a beautiful meal! And for myself, it's time to relax with a cup of coffee and pretzels.

Reach Edelweiss Peak

An hour later, the 77.6 kWh battery was full again. Turn on the air conditioning, adjust the vehicle to sport mode, fold the entire row of seats forward, and I'm looking forward to the 36-kilometer mountain road to Edelweiss peak with a great view there. At 2,572 meters above sea level, is this 2.3-ton Audi up to the task? The vehicle recovers energy when cornering, and then accelerates with full power. Its performance is truly amazing, because it is not only smooth, but also as fast as lightning and as quiet as a whisper. If it weren't for the more than 200 cyclists breathlessly pedaling toward the top of the mountain, it would be really hard to realize how difficult the road is. At least I didn't realize it at all. One thing is clear, though, that there's no better way to do it than this powerful electric car, both on the way up and down the mountain.

Audi came very easily to the Fuscher T rl Monument, and we drove on the left side, the wheels pressing over the last pebble to the observation deck. Hard tires and springs make the entire body make a clanging sound. The noise from the pebbles is hellish, and it's a bit of a fly in the ass on today's journey. I set off at 11:30 a.m. until the vehicle reached the top of the mountain, consuming only 26% of the electricity. I was very fortunate to meet my colleagues from MOTORRAD magazine there, who are doing the Alpine Masters here. We also saw a man carrying a fat marmot on his shoulder. The weather was getting warmer and the cyclists were leaving. I charge for free at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-H he, but it doesn't charge much because the charging power of the charging pile is lower here.

Audi gets 6% of the energy when driving downhill, in fact, we can usually train ourselves to control mechanical braking. When passing through hairpin corners, the vehicle not only gives me an exciting sense of handling, but also is able to recover energy for the vehicle in an almost weightless state. All in all, it was truly an unforgettable day. Next, I parked Q4 in the hotel's parking lot. A full day trip to the mountains consumes only half the battery. Conclusion: This mountain is not difficult for this electric car, and its excellent performance is indeed unexpected.

The return trip the next day should be more comfortable, as I can not only turn on the heating function of the vehicle without any worries, but also drive quickly. After all, the power of this electric car with a maximum output of 220 kilowatts cannot be underestimated. However, when it sped at 180 km / h, the battery quickly ran out. So I connected the e-tron to the Ionity charging station near Augsburg. In just 15 minutes, I can fill it with 24 kWh of electricity and take the time to drink a cup of piping hot coffee. The rest of the trip was very easy because I could confidently and boldly step on the accelerator to accelerate. It takes 4 hours and 35 minutes to get from Kaprun to Benztown, and I think this distance is perfect for a travel-driven electric car. At least this Audi is an excellent choice.