The Audi e-tron Sportback has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ID.4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.
To allow off-road and deep snow capability, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the e-tron Sportback. But it costs extra on the ID.4.
An active infrared night vision system optional on the e-tron Sportback helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The ID.4 doesn’t offer a night vision system.
The e-tron Sportback offers an optional Top View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The ID.4 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.
Both the e-tron Sportback and the ID.4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.
The Audi e-tron Sportback weighs 1089 to 1195 pounds more than the Volkswagen ID.4. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.