Compare the2024 Ford Mustang Mach-EVS 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 Mustang Mach-E 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 Ford Mustang Mach-E has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

With its standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

The Mustang Mach-E has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Mustang Mach-E has a standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Mustang Mach-E’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 Mustang Mach-E 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 and rear cross-path warning.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Mustang Mach-E 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.

There are almost 10 times as many Ford dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Mustang Mach-E’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

The Mustang Mach-E’s standard electric motor produces 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (387 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors. The Mustang Mach-E ER’s standard electric motor produces 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (387 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors. The Mustang Mach-E eAWD’s standard electric motors produces 30 more horsepower (325 vs. 295) and 161 lbs.-ft. more torque (500 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors. The Mustang Mach-E ER eAWD’s standard electric motors produces 70 more horsepower (365 vs. 295) and 161 lbs.-ft. more torque (500 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors. The Mustang Mach-E GT Performance/Rally’s standard electric motors produces 185 more horsepower (480 vs. 295) and 361 lbs.-ft. more torque (700 vs. 339) than the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s electric motors.

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

For better stopping power the Mustang Mach-E GT/Rally’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Q4 e-tron Sportback:

The Ford Mustang Mach-E 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 Mustang Mach-E GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q4 e-tron Sportback (245/45R20 vs. 235/50R20).

The Mustang Mach-E GT’s 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 Mustang Mach-E offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Mustang Mach-E’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the Q4 e-tron Sportback (117.5 inches vs. 108.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Mustang Mach-E is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 500 pounds less than the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The front grille of the Mustang Mach-E uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Mustang Mach-E has .4 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Mustang Mach-E has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q4 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat up (29.7 vs. 26.1 cubic feet). The Mustang Mach-E has a much 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).

The Mustang Mach-E uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Q4 e-tron Sportback uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Mustang Mach-E’s exterior PIN entry system. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Mustang Mach-E’s standard Intelligent Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Q4 e-tron Sportback only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Mustang Mach-E’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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Mustang Mach-E has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q4 e-tron Sportback only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Mustang Mach-E’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 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 Mustang Mach-E is available in both rear-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 Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Mustang Mach-E third 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.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Mustang Mach-E as the 2021 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Q4 e-tron Sportback has never been chosen.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E outsold the Audi Q4 e-tron by almost four to one during 2023.