In the April 20th edition, colleagues from “Auto Bild” conducted a competition between three German compact-class electric SUVs: the Audi Q4 50 e-tron Quattro, Mercedes EQB 350 4Matic, and BMW iX1 xDrive30. These vehicles were put to the test, and surprisingly, the most affordable car emerged as the winner among the three.
In terms of system performance, all three models were closely matched, ranging from 215 to 230 kW. However, when it came to top speed, the Mercedes lagged behind its competitors by 20 km/h, reaching only 160 km/h. It’s worth noting that all test vehicles featured all-wheel drive. In terms of dimensions, the EQB proved to be the largest at 4.68 meters, followed by the Q4 at 4.59 meters and the iX1 at 4.50 meters.
The Audi emerged victorious in terms of range, thanks to its larger net battery capacity of 76.6 kWh, enabling it to cover 502 km. The Mercedes, with a battery capacity of 66.5 kWh, achieved a range of 410 km, while the BMW, with a battery capacity of 64.7 kWh, achieved a range of 430 km. In terms of WLTP consumption, the BMW had a slight advantage over the Audi, consuming 17.3 kWh compared to Audi’s 17.5 kWh, with the Mercedes trailing at 18.7 kWh. However, it’s worth noting that the Mercedes had a lower charging capacity of 100 kW, while BMW and Audi promised 130 and 135 kW, respectively.
The Auto Bild test produced varying consumption values, with the iX1 exhibiting the smallest deviation of 31 percent, while the Q4 showed the largest deviation at 38 percent. The determined range fell between 300 km for the Mercedes and 395 km for the Audi.
Auto Bild evaluated the vehicles across seven categories, ultimately awarding the Mercedes the top position in the “Body” and “Connected Vehicle” categories. On the other hand, BMW excelled in the “Comfort,” “Drive,” “Driving Dynamics,” and “Environment” categories. Both Audi and the BMW iX1 shared the victory in the “Cost” category, earning 583 out of a possible 800 test points. The Audi Q4 secured second place with 572 points, closely followed by the Mercedes EQB in third place with 561 points. The competition among these rivals was highly competitive.
Auto Bild commends the Munich native as the “deserved winner,” stating, “Not only is it a more modern and powerful car, but it is also more affordable.” The tested prices for the cars were 63,130 euros for the BMW, 65,060 euros for the Audi, and 66,218 euros for the Mercedes. The BMW provided superior handling and driving pleasure compared to its rivals. Testers praised the safety features of the Mercedes, while the Audi Q4 was described as functioning well and received the highest suspension score among the three cars.