Compare the2024 Audi Q4 e-tron SportbackVS 2023 Subaru Solterra

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Solterra doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q4 e-tron Sportback and Solterra have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q4 e-tron Sportback has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Solterra’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Q4 e-tron Sportback and the Solterra 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q4 e-tron Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Solterra has not been fully tested, yet.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Solterra’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Solterra’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 1 place higher in reliability than Subaru.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors produces 80 more horsepower (295 vs. 215) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 249) than the Solterra’s electric motors.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback can travel longer on a full charge than the Solterra on a full charge:

The Q4 e-tron Sportback has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The Solterra doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

For better stopping power the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Solterra:

For better traction and acceleration, the Q4 e-tron Sportback has larger rear tires than the Solterra (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s 235/50R20 front and 255/45R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Solterra Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s tires are lower profile than the Solterra Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q4 e-tron Sportback has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Solterra Premium.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback is 3.9 inches shorter than the Solterra, making the Q4 e-tron Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q4 e-tron Sportback. The Solterra doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Solterra doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback has a 2646 lbs. towing capacity. The Solterra has no towing capacity.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Subaru. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 13% lower rating, Subaru is ranked 16th.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Solterra doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s power window, power lock and power mirror switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Solterra’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Solterra Premium’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Q4 e-tron Sportback has a standard rear wiper. The Solterra doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q4 e-tron Sportback Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Solterra doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Solterra has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Solterra Limited/Touring.

The Audi Q4 e-tron outsold the Subaru Solterra by almost four to one during 2022.