New Nissan Ariya vs used Audi Q4 e-tron interiors

Interiors

Driving position, visibility, build quality

Some electric SUVs place you in a fairly low, hatchback-like driving position, but not the Nissan Ariya and Audi Q4 e-tron. In these two cars, you sit as high as you would in any large SUV.

As a result, visibility is reasonably good in both cars, but it's better in the Q4; the Ariya's coupé-like shape blocks more of your rearward view. 

You might expect the Q4 to feel classier inside, too, but in reality there's little between the cars in this respect, with both featuring lots of high quality materials. In fact, if anything, the Ariya has the edge, even having soft-touch plastics on the doors, instead of the harder stuff Audi has used here.

On the other hand, the Q4's physical climate control buttons are more user-friendly than the touch-sensitive ones in the Ariya; Nissan provides haptic feedback, but you still have to look away from the road to find the correct area of the dash to hit in the first place.

Infotainment systems

Nissan Ariya

Although the Ariya is a brand new model, its 12.3in touchscreen infotainment system already feels dated. Yes, its menus are fairly simple to navigate, but the system is slow to boot up and hesitant to respond to inputs, plus its pixelated graphics are mediocre at best. It proved glitchy on test, too, with the Media function failing to load a couple of times. The standard audio system could do with more punch, and the speakers sound muffled.

Audi Q4 e-tron

As touchscreen systems go, the one in the Q4 isn’t bad; we certainly prefer it to the Ariya's set-up. It responds fairly quickly to prods and the operating system is user-friendly. If you love listening to music on the go, you’ll want to seek out an example that's had the £1295 Comfort and Sound Pack fitted, because it includes a more powerful Sonos sound system.

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