Is This The Best Electric Car Showdown Yet?
Hi there. Welcome back to the channel and this morning something a little bit special. Something that we’ve been planning for three years. This is Alan. His channel is Eden Reviews and he’s got lots of great stuff on there. A lot of it about this car, the Q4 RON. And we’ve been planning on social media or on Messenger for the last three years to do a joint review comparing these two cars because underneath they’re pretty much the same. And Allan’s car is actually about to go back because what have you got instead now? I’ve got an ID buzz, which is phenomenal. Go and check out his videos on that. And so, we actually suddenly had a bit of a panic and realized we had to get this video done now. So, that’s why we’re out here. It’s kind of 5°. It’s quite chilly. It’s chilly. And we’re going to do a little bit of a deep dive. Allan will do a video on his channel as well, and it’ll be kind of his thoughts about the Enyak, maybe. and I’ll have a look in his car, give you my thoughts, and then we’ll maybe just sort of draw some conclusions about comparing the two and how similar they are, how different they are. They are. Yeah. Yeah. Sound good. Excellent. Right, we’ll dive in. It’s so cold. Right. So, this is probably where the biggest differences between these two cars are because in terms of battery, motor, all that sort of stuff, they are near enough identical. Albeit mine’s got the newer motor. But if you bought a Q4 today, it would have exactly the same as my car. But in here, Alan and I were just discussing this. This is um this is much more like another Audi. Any other Audi? Um it’s all very nice. It’s kind of I don’t know. What do you call this? It’s it’s a bit sort of it’s shin. It’s not quite piano black. Piano gray. It’s kind of like industrial. It says what’s a forbr technique. It really It sort of It says Audi, doesn’t it? It’s a really nice mix of physical controls, and I love the fact that your um climate control down here. You’ve got proper old-fashioned buttons. I don’t have an issue using the ones on the screen, but I guess um you know, you could you could operate these without even looking at them. You’ll know exactly which ones to to go for. Of course, the the drive selector is identical. It’s just all encased here. Um it’s a bit more open down here, so it’s near enough the same space, I would imagine. I haven’t got a tape measure out, but you know, the Scoda has got this all enclosed, and you’ve got the the infamous cup holders. Now, this will be one for all the Scoda owners who moan about the cup holders. Ours are too small. Allens are too big. So, there’s a standard coffee cup, and it’s rattling around in there. And we should maybe try that in the Enyak in a minute. Um, the Enyac cup holder would fit that no problem at all. So that probably tells us you really can’t please all the people all the time. Um there’ll be those who’ve got cups that are too small and those have got cups are too big. But that’s um it’s just it’s the same space used in a different way. One thing that really every Scod owner would love to have, can you see it down there? A 12vt socket for us that has to be in the boot. Why is that? Because clearly Audi can manage it. So what’s the story? But if you’ve watched my video recently when I was in the Czech Republic in the Skodica Rock, you will have seen that I really like the driver cockpit and the Audi here is very much uh in that style. I think maybe the Cor might even have been slightly bigger, but it’s that lovely driver information screen in front of you and it’s got lots and lots of information. And Alan, do you want to do me a little um guided tour? Left hand screen has the traffic options, driver assist stuff, long-term memory doesn’t have a since charge or since start me longterm memory. The shortterm can be reset for a journey. So that effect start charge option ranges on there is audio options on there. So there if your phone’s connected on there and then the map that you can have that direction, right? So you can have in effect two different satnav screens on two different. You can also have that screen on with the Audi nav shown that map whilst you’ve got a different map shown on this screen from Android Auto. Oh, so you could have like Google maps or ways on there. Oh, right. This particular one doesn’t have the software let you put the the ways map on the central on the driver screen, but you can’t have the one on there at the same time. What you can’t do is set different destinations on them both and have a conflict. They won’t bring you back. Yeah, it’s clear enough to stop that from happening. That’d be really good though because sometimes I find system actually is much clearer at showing the traffic disruption and so on than than Google. Um I like Google for navigation but actually the car system is really good. So I have to flick between the two. So that that would be really really useful actually. I use that if I’m going to be navigating on my Google map onset screen. I use that one to look ahead to see what traffic is. Zoom out. Yeah. See the ranges of that. And these are these aren’t well they are haptic but I can hear you clicking as well. So haptic but they click. So you can click or swipe. So it’s funny they I used to be a clicker but now I’m a swiper. Yeah. So I think what the designers have done is the Volkswagen guys seem to have kind of gone what can be as really wacky and funky as possible. Certainly when the IT3 first came out, all that orange and white interior, they they clearly just thought, how can we be really cutting edge and and radical here, funky? Yeah, Audi have clearly gone for don’t scare the Audi owners off. Make it look like a normal Audi, but a little bit technical, a little bit advanced and cutting edge, but not too cutting edge. It’ll be all right down the Golf Club, maybe. And then Skoda’s somehow gone in between and and it’s um it’s like a Skoda but it’s it’s also a bit more I guess maybe the same as Audi in that they’ve tried not to spook people too much but they’ve they’ve gone a bit further than Audi. I think they’ve got the the bigger 13in screen in the middle but this I think the combination of the two um so the central screen is smaller but the driver screen is bigger is a really really nice compromise. I think I’ve said this in a few of my videos. I think Volkswagen have made an EV. That’s a Volkswagen. Audi have made an Audi that happens to be an EV. They’re not scaring anybody off in the showroom. It’s an Audi. It just happens to be electric. Yeah. And I think probably have kind of done the same sort of thing. Um so it’s it’s really interesting. I mean it it does feel you know you sort of think Audi is a real premium brand. Everything in here does feel really good. But the one thing I’m finding interesting is that it’s not that much more premium if at all than the Enyak. So definitely not. I don’t know if SHOD still position themselves as being the budget brand of the family, but um they certainly used to be. And everything in here, a lot of it is really familiar. I flip it around. Yeah. So things like this are all very familiar. The switches and so on. Um very very familiar. the the lighting switch down here. Yes. And there’s a random bottles in there somewhere. It’s a really good That’s a really good bottle holder there. On the Enyak, it’s it’s further down into the into the door pocket. But yeah, everything feels really really familiar and and actually um on a recent video I was just explaining that um on a recent video down in Manchester, I had a Porsche Tan at the start of the video as a little bit of a joke. Um it was a friend’s car, but when I sat in that the switch gear in a Porsche tan, which is what £100,000 plus was identical to both this car and the Scott sitting next to it and that’s um you know they start at sort of 30 32,000 I think of the grants nowadays anyway. It’s it’s a lot less than a tan. So um yeah, it’s really really interesting to just compare. I think this combines the things that I like about the petrol scoders and I did a video recently saying why on earth can’t I have a nice driver’s display like this on the MEB platform? Surely it’s possible and this car is the MEB platform and it’s got it. So come on, why can’t we have this? So let’s have a look at the central infotainment system here. Give us a quick tour. So this is a bit smaller but as said before you can take some of the stuff and put it on the virtual cockpit. So you can customize what’s on here. I just have the radio and smaller. I don’t normally have this open. Yeah. So shortcut runs to the home and that’s all there is on the home screen. Far less options on here. I don’t have phone connect there. Yeah. And you can go in your car options here. Drive select which mirror select button. Yeah. So the same as mirroring settlement there again. Yeah. Media and radio doesn’t do All right. So that’s that’s your volume down there. down there. Hang on a minute. The camera didn’t focus down there, right? Yeah. So, the volume volume circum and you can swipe or you can click. So, it does click. Oh, it does click. Yeah. But for a different function for mute and skip tracks. Okay. But really easy to operate without even looking at it. Yeah. So I don’t have the satellite radio options. In fairness, the Skoda didn’t have the satellite radio option or rather the internet radio options when in 2021 when this car came out either. So that’s obviously something they’ve they’ve added on later. Um maybe Audi have too. There’s a media option when you got your phone connected or if you want to watch videos off USB USBC there that will mirror the on Apple just using copy and paste screen pretty similar to and are you able to um if you’re planning a route are you able to filter by certain kinds of charger network or are you So yeah I Are you the same as us? You’re stuck with ionity or everything, which is pointless, but it’s looks pretty. It doesn’t help your with your navigation at all. No. In fact, I find on Google Maps, which is the way we would have to do it, you have to turn that off. Um, if you Well, you don’t have to, but for clarity, I find it better being turned off. Yeah, it looks if you’re just doing your daily driving, it looks nice. Yeah, but Yeah, it’s something we don’t get. So, obviously that’s what you’re paying the extra for. Yeah, we won’t get to Manchester very similar voice to We’re going to arrive with minus 67%. Okay. Should give us Oh, so you have to you have to click click an extra button to make it charge or if we sat there it will recognize that we’re not get there. Normally it pops up to say you’re not reaching in. Oh, there we are. Okay. But you can’t you can’t Yeah, that’s I think it’s a pound a kilowatt hour now. Yeah, it’s crazy. But you can’t filter and tell I only want certain charges. No, I I’ I’d only ask because it’s something that um it’s something that SCOD have been getting a lot of stick from owners about that they want to be able to filter. So, it was interesting to to see whether Audi was ahead, but it looks like it looks like it’s the very very same system. Yeah. Just packaged in a slightly different way. Yeah, I’m not sure. Yeah, other stuff is in here. There’s legal you can pay for themes so you can pay 14 picture in the background of your screen. Um I don’t have the fancy interior plain white lights no colors but I do have the option to check the weather. I imagine it’s probably using the same network that is because it won’t have separate plans for for all the different brands. It’s not something I felt to check when driving. Yeah, it’s there. Not sure why it’s there, but have decided that people want to see whether strange, isn’t it? Okay. Which Okay. Yeah, maybe if you were couldn’t be bothered waiting to find a news station on the radio. It does seem slightly pointless, but yeah, I’m sure. Yeah. Maybe for sitting that charging station. I don’t know. And And how do you find what’s the efficiency like on this? Is that uh the we down here this morning? It was sitting about 4.2 miles. Yeah. mine then yesterday on the way back from Manchester no traffic with the heat on it really warm and it was 3.2 miles per hour. So about 240 miles if we’re full charge, right? It’s not as efficient as an and it is running on 20 I think. So the ply scorpion seem to be slightly less efficient. The brides originally, but Bridgestones wear out. Bridgest replaced after 13,000 miles. The rear PL lasted 20 30,000 miles out the front. So yeah, big difference, but I think there’s a marginal loss in efficiency. Yeah. Yeah, I think the 20 in definitely just from speaking to friends who’ve got the 20in tires or wheels, they um they certainly chew up a little bit more power, but this morning she’s saying 4.2. I was on 4.1. So bigger. Yeah. And I mean mine I do notice mine is more efficient than the old motor. So that should should help as well. But yeah, I think um overall interesting you say 240 because the the longest I’ve managed to drive and it was last October was 298 miles. Um and I deliberately uh this is a comment for anyone who goes on about range of EVs. The car did 298 miles, but I had to stop three times. So I drove from Kderminster, which is south of Birmingham, back to Livingston, just outside said Edinburgh. And the car did it without stopping, but obviously I made it stop because I needed um food or toilet break or coffee or whatever. Um just a sort of leg stretch to to break the fatigue, but I deliberately didn’t charge and it did 298. But it was a bit um a bit nerve-wracking at the end because I think I arrived back with 1%. So it’s not what you want to do. The most I’ve had a charge on this was 289 miles, but that was not insane. But yeah, 20 289 five or six miles range remaining was the best WLTP 306 or something. Yeah. So it’s it’s marginally less than the equivalent in would have been at that time. Okay. And another question that I get quite a lot and comes up in all sorts of EV groups, you don’t actually have a home charger. No, no, public charging. So you’ve managed to survive what, three, four years now? Yeah. Yeah. This is four years in had a BMW for six months before. Got this. I’ve got this and I’ve got 90 bus and it’s all public charging at the moment just on the local center charger which is whatever. Yeah. So yeah, I’m playing not expensive compared to motorway charging but I’m not on cheap electricity and it’s still cheaper than cars I’ve had before. I did have a a BMW 520 diesel, which was pretty efficient on motorway and you could get easily 7 or 800 miles of range out of tank, but it’s cheaper to use on public charging. Yeah. And you can’t drive 700 or 800 miles and Yeah. In one go. It once did 700 miles in a day and there was a lot of stops. Yeah. The car the car didn’t need refueled. The car was brilliant on the motorway made for multiple things. Do you find That’s turning into an Allen interview, not an not an eniaak and a Q4 thing, but it’s interesting to talk um and compare experience. I find driving that I am less tired, less stressed than because I do still have a diesel vehicle. We’ve got a camper van. Um I find that I on a long journey will arrive less fatigued, less tired than when I’m driving a diesel or a petrol vehicle. Yeah, I’d say the same. Um and I’d say the same for I don’t know why passgers as well. So, not not the Audi back to my ID boss down to London with five teenagers, four teenagers and yeah, no problems ever complaining about that. Whereas, I think it would be a different story than a nice vehicle. Just there’s always that kind of background noise that you’re not really aware of, but it’s there. And I think EVs just feel a bit because it’s a bit quieter. Everything’s a bit smoother. That’s timing. Yeah, could be. Maybe it’s a a sort of temptation in the ice vehicle to try and push it on and push it on. Maybe sort of hold on rather than going to the toilet brick when you you probably should just try and push it and you maybe just end up driving more hours continuously than you than you do in interesting. So obviously if you look across the Volkswagen group, there’s a whole range of different price points going from at the lower end. You’ve got Kra is now the sporty brand. Volkswagen is your sensible middle of the road, but Audi Audi’s premium. Okay, that’s what they’re positioned as. And you’re paying for that premium quality. So, is it actually worth it? What do we see? Okay, so let’s have a look at the outside. And actually, what do you see about this? Well, I think they’ve done a great job because, okay, they’ve got the fake grill, the same as the Scoda, although that’s now been done away with on the the new tech deck face, but actually it looks just like any other Audi. I think I when I see these on the road, I have to actually do a second look and is that an EV or is it not? And this one hasn’t got the green stripe, so you it’s it’s kind of a stealth car, but actually um it’s really only this grill that gives it away. Okay. And then obviously we’ve got the Skoda. You’ll have seen this in lots of my videos. Again, fake grill. Um, so this doesn’t look like every other SCOD that’s out there. These did have a distinctive look. The new ones even more so with the tech deck face where it’s really really kind of like a I think it’s inspired by the visor on the Mandalorian helmet from Star Wars. That’s what the designer told us. But I think they both look really really stunning cars. Audi probably a little more like a conventional Audi. It’s kind of the same as the interior. They’re not trying to scare any Audi existing customers off. Whereas this one, it’s maybe gone a little more out there from the the normal uh existing Scoda range. And Volkswagen, they went completely futuristic with the ID range. So interesting to see the different approaches. And then obviously the other thing on these the first generation of the ENAC was the crystal face that was available as an extra. And I’m going to overlay some footage here that’ll show another friend that we bumped into earlier. He’s got the crystal face. You can’t really see it in the footage, but it does illuminate and at night it looks really distinctive. Would I pay extra for it? I don’t think so. Right. So, another area of difference between the two cars is the boot. Now, obviously this is the SUV or I think they call it the estate version of Skoda nowadays and I’ve got the coupe, but this is 550 L in the boot of the uh Q4 and on the uh estate or SUV version of the Enak 580. So, that’s quite a bit of a difference, but actually this is still a really really big boot. And obviously this has got the fixed parcel shelf which is exactly the same as the one in the Enyak coupe. Whereas in the Enyak estate or SUV, you’ve got the retractable one that’s just folds away which is is a lot more practical actually. And just looking at the difference, I think this is kind of although this is the SUV version, it’s kind of um midway between the Enyak Estate and the Enyak coupe in that this is sloped more but not quite as much as the Enyak. And then this is maybe something where you would expect that Audi would be giving you more, but actually they give you less. So there are luggage hooks. That’s one little luggage hook there. It’s not at all like the the luggage hooks that we get in the Skoda Simply Clever system. Okay. So, where is the premium in Audi? It has to be under the bonnet, right? Because in the Scoda, you have got a manual strut, an oldfashioned strut that you have to pop into the bonnet. Surely the Audi for all that extra money. No. Oh, no. It’s a manual strut as well. Although it’s a different manual strat with a different position cuz they’ve had to do something different. Everything else looks really familiar but subtly different. Right. So, it’s absolutely freezing. I think that’s enough talking about cars for one day. We’re going to get back inside and head on our way when it’s nice and warm in our cars up. Alan, it was a real pleasure to meet you and really interesting to see just how different these cars are at the same time being the same. Yeah, absolutely. so much that’s really similar. So much that’s identical and yet some interesting choices. Some really good points, some really good points, some bad points, some bad points. So, I guess it’s kind of it’s good to have choice, right? Yeah, that’s what it’s all about. Excellent. Right, I’ll see you in another video very soon. [Music]
The Skoda Enyaq and the Audi Q4 etron – two very similar cars at very different price points. What are the big differences? For four years Alan from @edinreviews and I have been promising to do a head to head comparison of our cars – now at last we have done it.
For charging away from home I use the Octopus Electroverse charging card. Sign up via this link for a free £5 credit on charging https://electroverse.octopus.energy/sign-up/magic?referralCode=aglow-prawn-796
I also charge at home using Intelligent Octopus Go, this EV tarriff gives me off peak energy at 7p per kWh for the car and the whole house. It makes charging the Enyaq really cheap. If you’re not already a customer sign up using this link for a £50 credit on your next bill https://share.octopus.energy/aglow-prawn-796
And finally the most asked question on this channel – the phone holder in the car is this one https://amzn.to/4aqWac0
