Dear Munro Team - a quick quality suggestion: Please consider filming details like what Sandy was pointing to in the car (infotainment system, buttons) from the passenger seat, or using B-roll. It was very hard to see what Sandy was referring to from this filming perspective. Thank you so much for all the amazing content, and keep it up!!😊❤

7:00 "If you want an ID4 and you want to pay a lot more money, buy an Audi". 😅

It's a Volkswagen thing for sure. I recall having the Touareg and discovering new functions each week as a new switch or paddle function was discovered! I think it's a German obsession with aircraft cockpits, they love the idea of a million switches to play with and the stripes on the shirt that say you can operate it! :D

Nothing but respect for Sandy and his team. Love when Sandy gets on a roll.

This is why the Munro team has so much integrity - they call it how they see it. Thanks Sandy, Cory and the entire team at Munro for keeping the auto industry honest, REGARDLESS of the player.

Munro needs a "Sandy Score". I'm guessing the E-tron gets a solid one-star!

Your work is always appreciated, Sandy and Team.

I love the q4 and all the real buttons instead of screen menus 😊

Greetings from Neckarsulm Germany, right beside the Audi Factory 🙋🏻‍♂️ Sandy you are so right. Got a lot of friends that work at Audi. All of them can see and feel everyday that the brand is heading in the wrong direction. So I bought a M3 Tesla and that raised some eyebrows here 😂 Keep Up the good work. Hope VW is waking up ASAP.

I remember and this was 20 years ago I went outside my office for a smoke break there were of course cars parked all over but my attention was drawn to 3 identical white cars parked side by side. I wandered over thinking this was some sort of sales promotion or even just a batch of people who had rented 3 cars the same from a car hire rental even when I got close they all looked the same make and model. It was not until I actually got close and walked around the cars that I saw that these identical cars were from three different manufacturers and the only way to tell was looking at the badges.

Having had a lower spec Q4 40 rwd for over a year I’d say it’s not at all difficult to adapt to. I’ll preface this by saying mine doesn’t have the HUD or regen paddles. Also I’m in Scotland lol. The column stalks as far as I can tell are standard Audi. Left for indicators, high beams and flashing; right for wipers front/rear and screen wash with one click up putting the wipers into Auto where they will stay until you move it again. The extra stalk on the left is Audi’s standard cruise control and works the same as their ICE cars. There are buttons on the steering wheel but no more than my old F10 BWW, or our i3. They can be used as haptics by sliding or you can click on them like normal buttons. I’ve very rarely hit the wrong button, and no more than I’ve done in BMWs with traditional buttons. The instrument cluster uses Audi’s standard Virtual Cockpit which lets you configure and resize various options, but speed, estimated range and battery percentage are always visible. The MMI screen has buttons for home (if you want to use apps etc), radio, media, phone and nav. These shortcuts are always visible and are fairly intuitive. One of the main reasons we went for the Q4 is that the HVAC controls are physical buttons mounted on the dash. No faffing about on screens/menus and no space wasted on the screen for them so the centre screen can be smaller. It also has 4 electric window switches on the driver’s door where VW have gone for 2 in the ID4. The only thing that someone jumping into the Q4 May find different from a regular ICE car with a traditional auto box is B mode. In D the Q4 will coast if you lift off in order to conserve speed. You can also set it to auto regen in D and it will slow for speed limits, roundabouts and junctions. B switches the regen to its max setting (remember some don’t have paddles for this). Unfortunately it doesn’t give full one pedal driving, but it’s pretty close and I rarely have to use the brakes in B mode. It would be nice to have the option to come to a complete stop, surely Audi could have built this in? As it is it behaves like a ICE auto and slows to a creep. If you do use the brake to stop completely you can “hard” press the pedal and it will hold you. Audi have played the game a bit here- anyone who’s trading a recent Audi will have nothing to fear in the Q4. It’s not a bold, crazy electric car with an Audi badge, it’s just an Audi that’s electric! As for price the 50 model (I’m assuming that’s what you have there?) seems too close to the Model Y especially after the price cuts. Mine was under £10 a month more than the ID4 and Skoda Enyaq with the same drivetrain, and the UI stuff seems much better. It’s not perfect but it’s been a great car for me. I’ve done a stack of videos if anyone is interested in what it’s like to live with. Just watch them in a mirror or the steering wheel will be on the wrong (right) side😂😜🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The sadness and disappointment instead of anger was very evident in Sandy's voice and face.

The amount they charge for the Q4 is INSANE. B is the regen mode afaik. Also "ID" and "Audi" sound identical when Sandy says them 😂

Can you imagine picking up one of those for rent at an airport and trying to figure it out as you jump into airport/freeway traffic?

"Holy Doodle!" I'm stealing that expression 😂 Recently found your channel. Love it!

That’s great - you were so sad at the end - you’re just being honest and telling it like it is and it frustrates the heck out of you to see these large companies doing it sooo badly! 👍🏻

Love ya sandy. Well said. Just to add, maybe the B mode is the one pedal drive mode you were looking for. That’s what it was on my plug-in Prius.

VAG have been doing this for years - their whole line up (in the same class) is the basically the same car with every increasing trim , engines and badges . Soda, Seat, Cupra, VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini. The 'B' mode is the brake regen driving mode.

This is why I watch this channel!!! Every other channel wants the sponsorship and the money and other stuff that car companies throw at them so they can say good things about their cars, but this channel keeps it straightforward and quite frankly doesn't car about none of that!!! Keep up the great work!!!

Sandy, you're like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino who wield engineering as his weapon of choice. You tell it like it is and the subscribers appreciate the candid perspectives. On a separate note, you might appreciate comedic timing of the mid video ad being an Audi one for the very vehicle you're talking about.

I own a BMW i3 for nearly four years now, and a (real) E-Tron and BMW iX3. I hate one pedal driving, and I love the sailing mode in the larger vehicles. The iX3 is also full OPD, when I switch it to B, but never do this. So I like to have the choice with a lever and no manufacturer that forces me to OPD

No apologies. We need people like you to call it as it is.

It's refreshing to hear an honest review that is not tainted by the need to please advertisers. I quit reading the car magazines eons ago when I discovered that they never found a car thay didn't like due to the ad on the next page.

That was one of those: 'How do you really feel' moments. Thanks for the first impression review.

Sandy, I love your videos and wisdom. As an automotive professional grow up in Detroit worked in VW in China for 8 years. The B mode is for one pedal driving. Agree with you on what Q4 Etron really is. Never try to fool a customer especially an informed customer.

It's amazing that some legacy auto makers that have been around since before our grand parents were born might disappear just because they are stuck in a rut of old ideas.

I decided 18 BUTTONS on my Audi steering wheel wasn't enough, so I bought some epoxy and just glued my keyboard to it. 🤣

I love my Q4, some things could be improved, but from my perspective it was an easy car to get used too and the build quality and interior are far superior.

Sandy sounded so disappointed at the end lol

I laughed as soon as I saw the steering wheel. That's a lot of buttons!

Thank You all for the great videos. Sandy help me choose a car. I am super happy I found Your channel before the purchase.

This was built for the European market were people are more reluctant to change, especially ICE car owners so in order to transition to electric cars big manufacturers have to do it gradually. That’s why they have all those buttons and controls… so normal people can switch to these without re-learning how to operate it.

THANKS SANDY,SUE and ALL THE MUNRO TEAM…for pointing out the obvious,things that need to change 🤗🤷‍♂️ 💚💚💚

Don't apologize for others' letdown. It's on them. They need to own it and either listen, learn, or go through the hard lessons.

I love how you are so honest…great video

Sandy Munro: a normal consumer like all of us but with a genius engineer mind with the ability to explain things in a simple understanding way. Thnks Munro and Associates for the enlightenment before I spend tons of money on something.

I'm a bit biased since I have a Q4, and some of Sandy's complaints are somewhat true. This vehicle wasn't built as a "Tesla killer". It's a transition vehicle to help all the old farts who have been driving Audi for decades get into electric. All the stalks and buttons are what you'll find in every newer Audi. BTW: B mode is full regen (Braking) mode. Almost one pedal, but unfortunately won't completely stop . In D, you can increase/decrease regen, or completely coast, using the paddles.

Dad: You've behaved badly, Audi, but I'm more disappointed than mad.

Audi's in general have a way to make you feel like you're in an Apollo capsule, flipping 15 switches to get a gallon of milk from the store.

Another great video, thank you.

Never seen B on the shifter? It's been around for a million years. My gen3 Prius had it, and probably the same was true for gen1 and gen2.

Thanks Sandy for an honest opinion! This is the type of info that is extremely helpful to people.

Thanks Munro team for the video and analysis

B stands for brake and allows one pedal driving. You know that Sandy.

I like more buttons and less screens. This car can probably do one pedal driving, just put it in the proper ‘gear’ like you do on a leaf.

Well, B is the regen mode like in pretty much every other car. The wiper is on the right lever like on pretty much every other car I've driven so far. Heads up display might not be optimal but at least exists unlike in the Ts. So I find your comments quite exagerated. Is the Audi Q4 overpriced ? Yes probably. Is this a spinof version of the ID4 ? For sure but nothing new here, VW group has been doing this for pretty much 20 years now and with success. (Same with Stellantis and RN by the way). The MEB is a good first attempt at mass electric vehicle production, not perfect of course but who is ? Last but not least, this is primarly targetting the european market not the US with its compactness and it's impressive turn radius very convenient in cities.

It's the Codger Corner! Sandy stumbles and bumbles and stutters his way through!

The “B” on the shifter is likely the hyper regen mode (1-pedal mode). Good observation on the HUD, I wonder if it’s user configurable. And I totally agree with making the vehicle interfaces as intuitive as possible, but there will always need to be some level of onboarding when folks purchase new vehicles.

Sue has a doctorate in engineering? Need to hear more from her on technical stuff. She normally talks about aesthetics and usability.

Don't forget that this is a Škoda Enyaq too! So three-in-one, but that one actually looks a tad different from these two :)

Recently drove the e-tron 55 and previously tried the Q4 50, great cars and drive and liked the physical buttons on and the interior in general. Driven an electric car for 8 years, does not like being locked to one pedal driving. Driving mostly country roads and motorways, a pedal feels like driving with the handbrake on. With my current electric car Skoda Enyaq 80x, I can choose between D and B, drive with D and can manually control the regeneration via a paddle behind the steering wheel (same system on Q4). If I drive in town, I switch over to B mode. The Skoda Enyaq shares the same platform (MEB) as the AUDI Q4. I don't see the problem with this, it is also common among manufacturers to keep costs down. The new Jeep Avenger, which has been voted car of the year here in Europe 2023, also shares a platform with, among other models, a Opel Mokka E and Peugeot 2008e. Just as I enjoy driving practical family electric car, I cherish every time I drive my factory original 1980 Jeep CJ7 with AMC258 and T5 manual.

BTW read the owners manual in the glove box plenty of good info.

Dear Sandy, The ”B” on the drive mode selector is for the regenerative braking (one pedal driving) mode. This is now a standard on the most electric vehicles in Europe to make the switching between the modes more intuitive. The “D” therefor is for free rolling. Love your videos. Best regards from Sweden!

Very interesting, the new Audi sounds like my wife's 2017 eGolf. If you want regen, you shift to B. But it's not much regen in the golf, no kind of one-pedal driving. It sounds like Audi decided to make the anti-Tesla, with a million buttons etc.

Girls just want to have fun 😂 what a radio song 😂. Great video as always!

The B on the shift stick is the "brake mode", it allows you to drive one pedal while the D behaves like an ICE car. Good review though.

Sandy, you're a gentleman and a scholar. Clean, to the point and honest review, I love it.

Hello Sandy, here in Europe we have another MEB car, the Skoda Enyaq. Out of all the test drives this was the best one. Premium feeling interior, only a few buttons, very organized and cheaper than the ID. 4 too. Unfortunately not for sale in America but this is a great car for America.

B should be the OnePedalDrive-mode. :-)) I could be wrong but when i was test-driving the Seat mii electric i had to drive it in B for recuperation. Somewhere there was also a "hidden" procedure to adjust the recuperation. To master all challenges i had to read the instruction manual on the road. First time in years. Best wishes from Vienna, Franz

The honesty is just priceless. Thanks Sandy.

0:20 - From the side this cannot be an id.4 due to its SUV coupé style roof line. So it's an Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback. 4:33 - you could turn up and down the volume of the radio on the center console in this video right away. Yes, it is rotary logic. 5:07 - "I could not figure out, how to turn on the windshield wiper!" Really? There is a nice wiper stalk where it used to be for a million years: on the right hand side of the steering column. You can also set it to "Auto" there. Looks like you are getting old. 6:02 - B is "High brake energy recuperation" - it is like DRIVE but with more recuperation. You can use it for downhill-driving. This "Brake" mode is known from automatic transmissions for a long time 6:20 For one-pedal mode: use B. Energy efficiency and therefore range though will suffer from using B. So, D is the better option in general. BTW: VW/Audi already designed an updated user interface for MEB cars to be released in 2023. This video was nonsense, from my point of view. Simple rants, nothing of any value.

Thanks Munro !!!!

Now this is journalism, it's not always good but as a consumer I'm happy you folks around

If it's like the other cars I've been in, B is a mode that increases the regenerative braking and its amount is most probably controlled by the paddle shifters (Because why would there be a pair on an EV anyway?) That would solve the 1 pedal driving issue I guess But I agree, German EVs have mostly all been trash up to now. They tried to reinvent something they were doing good and just needed to be re-engined

As much as the other team members know their stuff, Sandy is way more fun to listen to. Give me a grumpy old man everyday please. So much more entertaining 😂

I don't have ID.4 or Q4 eTron but my impression from various forums is that the Audi variant has an infotainment system (and software overall) that actually works right and more buttons instead of everything on the screen - which a lot of people prefer.

"B as Brake mode". On the nissan leaf, B driving mode is the improved regenerative breaking. That's it.

B / D: The Prius started this I think, it was meant so you could break with the engine going downhill when re-gen would not be enough in order not to wear out or overheat the brakes. B is the "Brake" mode where the ICE would be coupled for engine braking, in D there would only be the bit of re-gen. The LEAF also has this (besides e-pedal, which also uses the brake pads), as do the electric BMW's. Only now it's sort of a mode to get more re-gen from the accelerator pedal instead from the brake pedal. It's pretty old fashioned, but also meant for old fashioned folks who don't like change and just want a car to keep on rolling when you let go of the pedal. I don't get it either....

On the Audi e-tron you can set recuperation to manual (MMI -> Vehicle -> Efficiency Assistant -> Recuperation). Then every time you start a drive, set recuperation to the max with the steering wheel recuperation paddles, and then it will regenerate every time you lift your foot off the “throttle pedal” and works as “one-pedal-driving.”

love the honesty

Outboard Marine Corporation did the similar thing back in the day with the Evinrude and Johnson outboard motors. The lower unit and many other parts were interchangeable, The big differences were the cover and the price.

Great Video, love it when Monroe and Associates calls out design and manufacturing pearls and pitfalls. Thank you for sharing . The “B” drive was a feature from , afaik , the Prius for ReGen charging , VW has one level of Regeneration setting in the ID4, It would be nice to have 2 settings like the Polestar or 3 choices toggles like Koreans/Other car makers for example.

Thank you Sandy! Yes, VAG has been increasingly shooting itself in the foot for 2 decades😂

Sandy you're wrong!! (I can't believe I'm saying this 🤭) B is Brake mode. (That's one pedal driving to you). Personally I don't like one pedal driving so I leave mine in D and use the flappy paddles to limit my speed down hill. I also like the predictive speed limiter and the way that the car slows down on it's own when you approach a junction or catch up with the car in front. So far I'm loving this car. P.S. I'm 62 years old and coming from a 6 year old Audi A3 I found everything quite intuitive. Keep up the great work that you do. I enjoyed the rant.😁

I have owned an Audi e-Tron since May 2022. It offers an option of controlling the vehicle more with your hands than feet. Thats where the paddles and levers come in. I only need to use the foot pedals at slow speed. It took about a week to get use to this option. Now it is second nature. Audi does provide an excellent user guide to its features. I test drove every EV available locally before making a purchase decision. The Audi e-Tron was the most comfortable by far.

Don't tell Sandy what e-Tron means in French (étron)... He would enthusiastically make a public appearance of it 🤣

“B+” drive mode is 1 pedal driving for Volvo, maybe similar here

You are right on the mark. This is my experience as well.

Love it, Sandy! I appreciate your candor even as someone who generally likes Audi. I also thought Audi learned this lesson when they made the Audi Fox, in the 80s, that was a VW Dasher with a different badge. Like you said, slightly better trim and a lot more expensive.

I have a Chevy Bolt (with a B) and a Rivian R1T. Personally, I find the Bolt is way more ergonomic and have given the "cyber truck" (as my kids call it) to the crew and I'll just keep on enjoying the Bolt. Really? two clicks on a touch screen to change the A/C fan speed? And the 1 pedal driving is just better.

When Sandy goes “Why?” and “Holy doodle!” - you know he is not happy… 😂

The 1998-2003 Toyota RAV4-EV had a PRNDB -- B for regen braking, D for coast. It was also not a full one-pedal driver, although the regen was pretty strong.

The B stands for breaking.. It’s the regen mode for one pedal driving. It actually works way smoother then shifting between 4 different levels on Korean cars.

The B mode is regenerative braking mode - same as the ID4. It does have the regenerative one-pedal driving with the "B" instead of "D".

ID.4 also has B and it also doesn't offer one-pedal driving. Honestly, I quickly got used to it.

Sandy complains about what B does in the drive selector. Seconds later, he complains that the car doesn't do one pedal drive. Sandy, those two things are connected. 😆

Hahaha. I love you Sandy. B gear is Regen brakes, one pedal driving.

The wiper control is on the steering wheel stock where it is on most cars, not in the screen menu.

I can imagine that some customers might prefer physical buttons and stalks over cheaping out and putting everything in the screen.

B is regen Mode, Im surprised that the Munro team did not know that. Make you wonder what more they are not aware off ;-)

You are absolutely right

The thing I really like about Sandy - he tells it like he sees it.

A friend has an Audi EV and is very disappointed, in the shop all the time.

"B" stands for the "break" or in German "Bremse" driving mode. That enables one pedal driving. Other brands sold in Europe have the same functionality.

B is the "brake mode/one pedal drive mode" in the VW EGolf. Probably implemented it the same way in the new ETron.

You should have mentioned that the HomeLink buttons have disappeared so now instead of pushing a button you have to go through a procedure on the screen to open your garage door. When you pull out of the garage you have to shift out of reverse to be able to see the screen. I've seen reviews where the owner carries their garage door opener to make it easier to open and close. Don't know what they were thinking on that one.

For decades Germany used to be the benchmark - then something happened and for decades they’ve been slipping. Germany really quit being innovative and doesn’t seem to mind. The people that comprised the engineering/design and culture of building first rate automobiles are long retired, gone. To be competitive, it will take relearning what excellence is committing to it and struggling to the top.

The B is regenerative breaking mode, which will give you the single pedal driving. It’s labeled like that on the Leaf as well.

For those still wondering, B mode is "engine Brake" aka regen braking for going down hills and not having to keep the foot on the brake. In my experience, it's not as strong a regen as one-pedal driving and won't make you come to a stop and hold like one-pedal would. It has been seen on leaf, soul, e-golf, and other compliance or transition vehicles.

Holy Doodle!