Which Is the Better SUV?

It’s a sign of the times that nearly every luxury brand offers some sort of EV, and it’s no coincidence that most of these new entries take the form of compact crossovers—one of the most popular segments in all of autodom. The Audi Q4 e-tron is the third EV from the German automaker, while Lexus’ new RZ for 2023 is the first electric model from Toyota’s luxury spinoff.

Since these two models have similar specifications, price ranges and missions, we decided to pit them against each other to see which one has a better chance of entering this increasingly crowded segment that also includes vehicles such as the Genesis Electrified GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQB and Tesla Model Y.

Price and Position

While the 2023 Audi Q4 e-tron starts at just $50,995 to the 2023 Lexus RZ’s base price of $59,650, the as-tested versions of the two are much closer in price. In 50 Quattro Prestige form, the fully loaded Q4 you see here costs $66,190, while the RZ450e Premium (a step below the top Luxury trim) comes in at $63,415. As you’d expect from a premium SUV like this, both come with all-wheel drive, all kinds of driver assistance and infotainment features, and niceties like a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof.

Both of these vehicles have cheaper analogues. In the case of the Lexus, the Toyota bZ4X rides on the same platform and uses a similar battery pack. The RZ is at least more powerful than the Toyota and comes standard with dual-motor powertrain, all-wheel drive, and the interior is laid out differently than the bZ4X. The Audi shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen ID.4 and offers nothing different in terms of driving, with the same 201-hp single-motor and 295-hp dual-motor configurations and 77.0-kWh battery pack.

Lexus has done a better job differentiating the RZ from its mainstream siblings than the Audi. The RZ’s exterior styling is distinctive and upscale, while the interior features soft synthetic leather, beautiful aluminum trim and a dashboard layout that’s completely different from Toyota. The Q4 e-tron looks and feels too similar to the ID.4 on which it’s based, from its awkwardly tall proportions to its substandard interior materials that don’t meet typical Audi standards. We’re not fans of the textured plastics found on the dashboard and door panels, and we found the overall vibe to be sour, especially in our test car’s black interior color scheme.

2023 Audi Q4 50 e-tron Quattro
HIGHS: Responsive handling, superior range, spacious rear seats.
LOW: Awkward styling, less luxurious interior, not very fast.
VERDICT: Despite its solid EV bones, the Q4 feels too much like an ID.4 clone.

How They Drive

We also found the Lexus to provide a more luxurious driving experience than the Audi. The RZ is very quiet and smooth, with a quiet cabin and a cosseting ride quality. More road and wind noise enters the Q4’s interior at speed, and the ride is firmer. The issue is that the Q4 e-tron corners well, with minimal body roll, responsive steering, and a desire to change direction that the Lexus lacks. On our test track, the Audi edged out the Lexus in both skidpad and braking performance, with a 0.01-g advantage on the skidpad and a slightly shorter stop from 70 mph in 167 feet, four feet better than the Lexus. This is especially noticeable, as the Audi does it with all-season tires as opposed to the summer rubber on the Lexus.

The Lexus, however, is the faster of the two. It hits 60 mph in a brisk 4.6 seconds, while the Audi takes exactly one second longer to reach that speed. Neither feels lightning fast, but the Audi’s superior throttle response in real-world driving helps compensate for its lack of acceleration. We were disappointed with the configurability of regenerative braking in this vehicle. Both offer varying degrees of regen, but the car’s top setting isn’t as aggressive, and one-pedal driving isn’t possible.

Range and Charging

Both Audi and Lexus have relatively small battery packs, so they won’t provide nearly as much driving range as some of their rivals. The RZ Pack is very small, measuring 63.4 kWh of usable capacity, and it can’t crack 200 miles according to EPA estimates, with the model tested here and the optional 20-inch wheels rated at 196 miles. Meanwhile, the base version with smaller 18-inch wheels is rated at 220 miles. Our real-world 75-mph highway range test recorded a more disappointing result of just 120 miles, which meant charging stopped frequently during road trips. The Audi, with its 77.0-kWh battery, does better, achieving a real-world result of 190 miles compared to an EPA range of 236 miles. Both are capable of DC fast charging up to 150 kilowatts, less than what some competitors offer.

2023 Lexus RZ450e
HIGHS: Comfortable ride, quiet cabin, premium interior materials.
LOW: Sad real-world highway range, sluggish throttle response, poor regen.
VERDICT: Lexus builds a nice luxury SUV but forgets to focus on EV basics.

Neither the RZ nor the Q4 e-tron represent the state of the art among luxury EVs. Competitors like the Genesis Electrified GV70 offer at least the same or more driving range, faster charging and better acceleration. Neither Lexus nor Audi would be our first choice if we were shopping this segment. But if we were to choose between the two, we’d go for the Lexus because it’s at least more reliable as a luxury vehicle. While the Audi handles better and offers more real-world range, the Q4 is too similar to the Volkswagen equivalent to warrant paying thousands of extra dollars for a premium badge. It’s a better EV than the RZ, but not better overall. If Lexus can figure out how to improve the RZ’s electric platform—namely a bigger battery pack and faster charging—it could be even more of a contender.

Senior Editor

Despite growing up on a steady diet of Honda and Toyota base models—or maybe because of it—Joey Capparella cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been a part of Car and Driver team since 2016 and currently resides in New York City.