You won’t overlook the new Audi Q4 e-tron for a BMW or Mercedes at a glance, will you? At the front, there’s a huge grille with the four rings located just in the middle, flanked by thin headlights and large air intakes. You can customise the daytime running lights with four distinct patterns, too – maybe you need your Audi Q4 e-tron to stand out from your neighbour’s…

The SUV and Sportback versions look pretty similar down the sides too except for the sloping roofline on the latter, which also gets a split rear window. The back of both cars is dominated by a huge LED light bar, and you’ve got a choice of alloy wheels from 19- to 21-inches in size.

There are two battery options for the Audi Q4 e-tron. First up is the Q4 35 e-tron with a 52kWh battery that delivers 212 miles of range in the SUV and 217 miles of range in the Sportback. Both these cars come with a 170hp electric motor that sends power to the front wheels, and they’ll both accelerate from 0-60mph in 9 seconds flat.

You can also get a stronger Audi Q4 40 e-tron with a 77kWh battery and a 204hp electric motor. The SUV model has 323 miles of range, while the Sportback version is expected to manage closer to 328 miles (more than any other Audi Q4 e-tron model.) Both versions will accelerate from 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds.

At the top of the Audi Q4 range is the Q4 ’50’ e-tron with dual motors and four-wheel drive. This version comes with the same 77kWh battery as the Q4 ’40’ e-tron, but SUV models have 303 miles of range and Sportback versions return 309 miles.

Both versions of the Audi Q4 ’50’ e-tron come with a 109hp electric motor driving the front wheels and a 204hp electric motor driving the rear wheels. In total, this four-wheel-drive setup produces 299hp and allows them to crack the 0-60mph sprint in 6.2 seconds.

All versions support 125kW fast charging, which can add 80 miles of extra range in about 10 minutes. Being an electric car means the Audi Q4 e-tron has a flat interior floor – just the thing for carrying three long-legged adults in the back.

In terms of design, recycled materials are used for a number of upholstery options and you get a rather funky-looking squared-off steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons rather than ones you can physically click. Boot space comes in at 525 litres for the SUV, but the Sportback can only carry 520 litres of stuff as a result of its sloping roofline. That’s around 135 litres less than you’ll fit in the full-size Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback.

All versions of the Audi Q4 e-tron get a 10.1-inch infotainment system as standard, with higher-spec cars pairing that up with an 11.6-inch digital driver’s display. All support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay too, so you can link up your smartphone and use your favourite music=streaming and navigation apps through the car’s built-in screen. There’s augmented reality technology ready for the head-up display too, which works alongside the navigation to beam helpful direction arrows directly at the turnings you need to take. It’s a bit like playing a rally game with the corners indicators shown on screen, albeit less confusing and probably quite a bit slower…

The new Audi Q4 e-tron will go on sale in June, with deliveries to follow later in 2021. Audi hasn’t confirmed how much it’ll cost yet, but it could set you back from around 36,000 euros for the entry-level Q4 35 e-tron SUV and 38,000 euros for the Sportback. Top-spec Q4 50 e-tron models could cost more than 50,000 euros.