New Audi Q4 e-tron vs new Mercedes EQA: practicality

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

The Audi Q4 e-tron is the bigger car (it’s 123mm longer, 12mm taller and 88mm wider than the Mercedes EQA), so you won’t be shocked to hear it’s also more practical. That said, you won’t really notice if you’re sitting in the front, where both cars offer even tall people plenty of leg room and space above their heads.

In the back, the differences are more obvious. Six-footers will still fit easily in both, but the Q4 has a few more centimetres of leg room and slightly more head room. Rear passengers also enjoy a more comfortable seating position in the Q4; the high floor in the EQA forces your knees up higher than you’d like.

Neither car has any clever tricks, such as sliding or reclining rear seats, although the rear seatbacks in the EQA do split and fold in a 40/20/40 arrangement. That allows you to carry a passenger on either side of the car and slot something long and thin in between them from the boot. The seatbacks in the Q4 split and fold in a more traditional 60/40 arrangement.

Both cars have a powered tailgate as standard, but once opened you’ll find a lot more space in the Q4’s boot. Its load bay is significantly longer and taller, so it’s hardly surprising that it can swallow more carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf. We managed to fit in seven, against the EQA’s five.

There’s a small amount of underfloor storage in the EQA for the charging cable but no height-adjustable boot floor. You can have an adjustable floor in the Q4, but you’ll have to add the Function Package (£325).

Boot space

Audi Q4 e-tron

Boot 520–1490 litres Suitcases 7

Mercedes EQA

Boot 340–1320 Suitcases 5

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