Which Is the Higher SUV?

It’s a sign of the times that nearly every luxury brand offers an EV of some sort, and it’s no coincidence that many of these new entries are taking the shape of compact crossovers—one of the most popular segments in all of autodom. Audi’s Q4 e-tron is the third EV from the German automaker, while Lexus’s new-for-2023 RZ is the first electric model from Toyota’s luxury spinoff.

Because these two models have similar specs, price ranges, and missions, we decided to pit them against each other to see which has a better chance at making inroads in this increasingly crowded segment that also includes vehicles such as the Genesis Electrified GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQB, and Tesla Model Y.

Price and Positioning

While the 2023 Audi Q4 e-tron starts at just $50,995 to the 2023 Lexus RZ’s base price of $59,650, the as-tested versions of these two were far closer in price. In 50 Quattro Prestige form, the fully loaded Q4 you see here costs $66,190, while the RZ450e Premium (one step below the top Luxury trim) came in at $63,415. As you’d expect of premium SUVs like these, both were equipped with all-wheel drive, all manner of driver-assistance and infotainment features, and niceties such as heated steering wheels and panoramic sunroofs.

Both of these vehicles have cheaper analogs. In the case of the Lexus, it’s the Toyota bZ4X that rides on the same platform and uses similar battery packs. The RZ is at least more powerful than the Toyota and comes standard with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain, plus its interior is laid out differently than the bZ4X’s. The Audi shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen ID.4 and doesn’t offer anything different in terms of its drivetrain, with the same 201-hp single-motor and 295-hp dual-motor configurations and a 77.0-kWh battery pack.

Lexus has done a better job differentiating the RZ from its mainstream sibling than Audi has. The RZ’s exterior styling is distinctive and upscale, while its interior features soft synthetic leather, nice aluminum trim, and a completely different dashboard arrangement than the Toyota. The Q4 e-tron looks and feels too similar to the ID.4 on which it’s based, from its awkwardly tall proportions to its subpar interior materials that don’t meet typical Audi standards. We weren’t fans of the textured plastic found on the dashboard and door panels, and we found the overall vibe to be dour, especially in our test car’s black interior color scheme.

2023 Audi Q4 50 e-tron Quattro
HIGHS: Responsive handling, superior range, spacious rear seat.
LOWS: Awkward styling, less-than-luxurious interior, not so quick.
VERDICT: Although its EV bones are sound, the Q4 feels too much like an ID.4 clone.

How They Drive

We also found the Lexus to provide a more luxurious driving experience than the Audi. The RZ is impressively quiet and smooth, with a hushed cabin and cosseting ride quality. More road and wind noise enters the Q4’s interior at speed, and its ride is firmer. The tradeoff is that the Q4 e-tron corners well, with minimal body roll, responsive steering, and an eagerness to change direction that the Lexus lacks. On our test track, the Audi edged out the Lexus in both skidpad and braking performance, with an 0.01-g advantage on the skidpad and a slightly shorter stop from 70 mph of 167 feet, four feet better than the Lexus. This is particularly notable, since the Audi did so wearing all-season tires versus the summer rubber on the Lexus.

The Lexus, though, was the quicker of the two. It reached 60 mph in a brisk 4.6 seconds, while the Audi took precisely one second longer to reach that speed. Neither feels lightning-quick, but the Audi’s superior throttle response in real-world driving helps make up for its acceleration deficiency. We were disappointed in the regenerative-braking configurability in these vehicles. Both offer multiple levels of regen, but neither car’s top setting was particularly aggressive, and one-pedal driving is not possible.

Range and Charging

Both the Audi and Lexus have relatively small battery packs, so they won’t provide nearly as much driving range as some of their competitors. The RZ’s pack is particularly tiny, measuring 63.4 kWh of usable capacity, and it can’t even crack 200 miles by the EPA’s estimates, with the model tested here and its optional 20-inch wheels rated at 196 miles. Meanwhile, the base version with smaller 18-inch wheels is rated at 220 miles. Our real-world 75-mph highway range test recorded an even more disappointing result of just 120 miles, which will mean frequent charging stops on road trips. The Audi, with its 77.0-kWh battery, fared better, achieving a real-world result of 190 miles against an EPA range of 236 miles. Both are capable of DC fast-charging at up to 150 kilowatts, less than what some rivals offer.

2023 Lexus RZ450e
HIGHS: Comfortable ride, hushed cabin, premium interior materials.
LOWS: Pitiful real-world highway range, sluggish throttle response, weak regen.
VERDICT: Lexus builds a nice luxury SUV but forgot to focus on the EV basics.

Neither the RZ nor the Q4 e-tron represents the state of the art among luxury EVs. Competitors such as the Genesis Electrified GV70 offer at least equal or more driving range, faster charging, and better acceleration. Neither the Lexus nor the Audi would be our first choice if we were shopping this segment. But if we were choosing among these two, we’d select the Lexus because it at least is more credible as a luxury vehicle. Even though the Audi handles better and offers more real-world range, the Q4 is too similar to its Volkswagen equivalent to warrant paying thousands of dollars extra for a premium badge. It’s a better EV than the RZ, but not better overall. If Lexus can figure out a way to improve upon the RZ’s electric platform—namely a bigger battery pack and faster charging—it could be much more of a contender.

Senior Editor

Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.