Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ariya are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Ariya 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 Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Ariya Platinum+ has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ariya has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ariya’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ariya and the Q4 e-tron Sportback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ariya its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q4 e-tron Sportback has not been fully tested, yet.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Ariya 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q4 e-tron Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q4 e-tron Sportback ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ariya for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Nissan will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Ariya’s reliability 14 points higher than the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 41 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 27 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Audi.

The Ariya’s optional electric motors produces 40 more horsepower (335 vs. 295) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors. The Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+’s standard electric motors produces 94 more horsepower (389 vs. 295) and 103 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors.

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the Q4 e-tron Sportback:

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

For better stopping power the Ariya + e-4ORCE’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Q4 e-tron Sportback:

The Nissan Ariya has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Q4 e-tron Sportback. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q4 e-tron Sportback (255/45R20 vs. 235/50R20).

The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s optional 50 series front tires.

The Ariya has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

The Nissan Ariya may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 550 pounds less than the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Ariya Platinum+ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Ariya has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q4 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat folded (59.7 vs. 54.4 cubic feet).

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Q4 e-tron Sportback, the Ariya Platinum+ has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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

Both the Ariya and the Q4 e-tron Sportback offer available heated front seats. The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Ariya Platinum+ keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s ProPILOT Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Q4 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The Ariya is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Ariya and the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ariya first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q4 e-tron Sportback isn’t in the top three.