Compare the2025 Honda PrologueVS 2025 Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Prologue are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Prologue has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda Prologue achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback has not been tested.

Both the Prologue and the Q4 e-tron Sportback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Prologue 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q4 e-tron Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q4 e-tron Sportback ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prologue’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 69 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Audi is ranked 7th.

The Prologue can travel longer on a full charge than the Q4 e-tron Sportback on a full charge:

The Honda Prologue has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Q4 e-tron Sportback. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the Prologue has larger standard tires than the Q4 e-tron Sportback (255/60R19 vs. 235/50R20). The Prologue Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q4 e-tron Sportback (275/45R21 vs. 235/50R20).

The Honda Prologue’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Prologue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Prologue can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Prologue’s wheelbase is 13.1 inches longer than on the Q4 e-tron Sportback (121.8 inches vs. 108.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Prologue is 3.8 inches wider in the front and 4.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

For greater off-road capability the Prologue has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q4 e-tron Sportback (8.1 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Prologue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Prologue has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Prologue has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q4 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat folded (57.7 vs. 54.4 cubic feet).

The Prologue’s standard Push Button Start and Smart Entry allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Q4 e-tron Sportback only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Prologue’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Prologue Elite keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Honda Prologue has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the infotainment. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Audi charges extra for Homelink® on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Prologue has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Prologue Elite has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Prologue is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q4 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Honda Prologue outsold the Audi Q4 by almost three to one during 2024.