What's the difference?
Here’s a fun fact.
Audi has only ever offered two rear-wheel drive (RWD) production cars in its entire 116-year history… the spectacular R8 supercar and the electrifying e-tron GT.
Now there’s this, the Q4 e-tron – a small-ish medium-sized SUV electric vehicle (EV), and Audi’s overdue response to the BMW iX1 and iX2, Polestar 4, Volvo EX40, Mercedes EQA and, of course, the Tesla Model Y.
Overdue? It’s been in production since March, 2021, making it very, very late to Australia.
But, you know what? You might be very glad the local team waited, because this MY25 update might be the premium medium electric SUV to buy right now.
To find out, read on.
Okay, this is getting crazy. It feels like barely a week of 2024 is going by without another value-focused, pure-electric SUV hitting the Australian new-car market.
And this is the latest, the Chery Omoda E5, a compact, five-seater with the performance and range to challenge some other relatively recent arrivals.
It joins the internal combustion Omoda 5, variations of which have proliferated in the roughly 18 months it’s been on sale here.
This is CarsGuide’s first look and we’ve assessed everything from value and practicality to safety and driving performance. So, stay with us to see if this EV could be your entree into the world of battery-electric SUVs.
Audi is famous for sticking doggedly to front-wheel drive and quattro AWD, but clearly, when it puts its mind to it, the few RWD machines it has produced over its 116 years have been exceptional.
While not as exciting as the R8 or as supersonic as the e-tron GT, the Q4 e-tron is an impressive machine. Thoroughly engineered and thoughtfully designed to be a friendly, refined, comfortable, safe and capable family SUV, it deserves to be on your shortlist.
With a couple of choice option packages, the base 45 seems remarkably complete, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the hot-shot 55 quattro as well. Either way, Audi seems to be on a winner.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
The Chery Omoda E5 gets solid ticks for value, practicality, performance, efficiency and a great ownership promise.
But its suspension compliance isn’t in line with class standards and some of its safety assist features aren’t as refined as they should be. Both of which matter in a car likely to be used by families day-to-day. Its price and specification are strong drawcards and that will get it over the line for many. But we think this Omoda E5 would still benefit from some judicious fine-tuning.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.