Audi Q4 e-tron vs BYD Sealion 7
Why is the Audi Q4 e-tron, the 2nd bestselling EV in the UK? Don't the buyers know about alternatives that are insanely faster, cheaper and more feature-packed than the Audi? Or do they just care about looking posh? The Australians seem to be more rational, with their second bestselling EV being the BYD Sealion 7. To see how the Audi fares in the Australian market, please follow the link in the pinned comment. Coming back to old blighty, the BYD Sealion 7, is the quicker, cheaper, more feature-rich than the Audi, any which way you look at it. The bare-basic Q4, with its wheezy little 150 kilowatt motor, and a disappointing, 63 kilowatt-hour battery, is not even worth talking about. The two-ten kilowatt Q4, starts at forty-six thousand British pounds, which is downright pathetic. Because the five hundred and twenty three horsepower variants, of the BYD Sealion 7, also start at the exact same price!
Now, before you believe the brand-snobs, arguing that the Audi's horsepower is adequate for British roads and so on, bear in mind, that Electric SUVs like these two, weigh over two tons.
Which is why, you will feel a noticeable difference, while pulling an overtake, every time, dozens of times per day, between these two cars. Even the way you plan your overtakes, in these two cars will drastically differ over time, and how safely you execute those overtakes, will differ even more. When it comes to these portly water-buffalos, more power is equal to better safety, not the other way round. Don't forget, that the humble little Polo GTi, is quicker than the Audi, and yet, costs fifteen thousand pounds less. Plus it weighs around nine hundred kilos less than the Audi. That gives the Polo an insane advantage over the Q4 in terms of handling and driving pleasure. However, the Polo GTi also pales in comparison to the MG4 X-power, when it comes to sheer acceleration. The MG, in fact, can effortlessly outrun a Porsche nine eleven, which of course, retails for upwards of a hundred grand. Given the inadequacy of EV charging network in the real-world, it makes much more sense to go for a plug-in hybrid over a pure-EV right now. And here again it is BYD, with their Seal U DM-i, particularly, the all-wheel-drive model, which is good for three hundred and nineteen horsepower. It retails for ten thousand pounds less than this mid-spec Q4, accelerates quicker and comes with Ventilated front seats, that are absent in this Q4. Then again, a simple, petrol-powered Golf GTi, can decimate the BYD as well as the Audi in terms of performance. In fact the Golf GTi can even match the real-world acceleration of the top-spec Q4, that is priced at a ridiculous, fifty two thousand quid. Fourteen thousand more than the Golf GTi. And that Golf GTi handles so much better than the Audi, that it can easily run the proverbial rings around it. But the story doesn't end here. There is one wild card, that can completely change the way in which cars are used, thanks to it's unsupervised self driving ability. That is the Model 3. If the conniving politicians allow it, it can do things for you that no other car on the market can do. Like driving your kids to school, or carrying your drunken derriere from the pub to your home etc. If you are a die-hard optimist, go for the Tesla, and vote-in the right candidates, for the most utopian outcome. If you are a realist, just enjoy a Golf GTi for a few years, and let the autonomous vehicle regulations get sorted out organically and then make the switch.