The new TaylorMade Qi4D driver looks fantastic and delivers the perfect blend of speed and consistency. But there’s one problem and it’s putting me off.
The TaylorMade Qi35 was, by almost every measurable metric, a superb driver. In testing, it sat right at the top of our best drivers test rankings, producing elite levels of forgiveness, consistency and ball speed. On paper, it did exactly what TaylorMade said it would do.
And yet, it never quite won everyone over.
Despite its performance, the Qi35 divided public opinion more than any recent TaylorMade driver and perhaps more tellingly, some of TaylorMade’s biggest stars – including Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – opted to stick with the previous model. For many golfers, that raised a simple question: if it’s that good, why aren’t they playing it?
From a commercial perspective, the Qi35 was actually a success, outselling its predecessor, the Qi10, year-on-year. But perception matters, especially at the top end of the market, and heading into 2026 it felt like TaylorMade needed a driver that could unite elite performance with tour validation.
That’s where the TayloMade Qi4D comes in, and it hit the ground running.
We saw the three best players in the world adopt the TaylorMade Qi4D drivers late in 2025, prior to launch, paving the way for a driver release that looks set to go a lot smoother than last year’s Qi35.
On paper, the Qi4D should be a slam dunk – you can read the full tech story here. It looks outstanding, produces some of the most consistent data I’ve ever seen, and now carries serious tour credibility. And yet, after extensive testing, I’m still not completely convinced it deserves a permanent spot in my bag.
That contradiction is exactly why this driver is so fascinating. Let me explain…
TaylorMade Qi4D Driver
The holy grail of spin consistency
Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features
Pros I haven’t hit a more consistent driver ever from a data point of viewThe best driver ever made for golfers who strike it low on the facefar more flattering shelf appeal and profile at addressThe perfect amount of adjustablity Cons I cannot get on with the feel of this club, many other brands feel a lot better
Looks
Technology
Performance
Overall
RRP £549.00 / $649.00 Lofts 8º (RH), 9° / 10.5°/12° (RH/LH) Head Size 460cc Standard Shaft Length 45.75 Stock Shaft Options Mitsubishi REAX MR,LR,HR Stock Grip Golf Pride Z-Grip Black/Silver New, slimmer profile More loft optionsCustom fitting revolutionary shaft procedure 60x Carbon face
Looks/Design – 5/5
What you’re seeing in the entire TaylorMade Qi4D driver family is an amalgamation of Qi10 and Qi35, creating a driver that has tour and amateur feedback to give golfers what they want. Foolproof, some could say.
The TaylorMade Qi35 core head sat quite close to the TaylorMade Qi35 Max in design, with a large footprint to max out the MOI in their quest for inertia. Although the quest for inertia continues in 2026, the MOI has actually gone down to push the boundaries of other key elements.
This redesign wasn’t purely from a feedback perspective. The design has been re-engineered to increase ball speed, hence the slightly smaller profile. This pushes the TaylorMade Qi4D closer to the TaylorMade Qi4D LS in terms of profile down at address, but still offers a healthy amount of forgiveness for a core model (more on that later).
The carbon in the face and head of all TaylorMade drivers stays consistent in 2026, with a darker carbon face and overall aesthetic seen in all TaylorMade Qi4D drivers. The darker carbon agrees with the profile of the TaylorMade Qi4D – speed, stealth and elegance, all rolled into one. There’s a subtle nod to the old R7 era too, which long-time TaylorMade fans will appreciate.
Looks are subjective, and there may be a select group of golfers who don’t like this darker, sleeker look. But in my opinion, the Qi4D’s blend of elegance and modernity makes it the best looking driver of 2026.
Tech – 5/5
The headline technology story for Qi4D isn’t flashy – but it might be one of the smartest moves TaylorMade has made in years.
Rather than reinventing the head, the biggest leap forward comes through the shaft offering.
Over 20 years, TaylorMade have captured data from over 20 million driver shots. TaylorMade identified closure rate as a key differentiator between players. By using the rotation rate of the player from data in the downswing, TaylorMade can match golfers to an exact stock shaft profile, helping them hit the middle of the clubface and swing as efficiently as possible with the right setup in their hands.
This is an enormous step towards providing a better custom fitting for every golfer. Custom fitting will always vary based on the person fitting you, and some can be better than others. With this process in play for every TaylorMade driver, it ensures that the consumer won’t walk out with the wrong driver specification, no matter the store.
These shafts have all been leveraged using Mitsubishi Chemical’s material expertise and production process, creating 3 different shaft profiles: MR, HR, LR.
Beyond the stock shafts, there will be other aftermarket options available. I tested the stock Mitsubishi REAX shafts but ended up in a Fujikura Ventus VeloCore+ Red 7X – the same shaft I was fitted for last year.
The 60x Carbon Twist Face has been refined for distance in 2026. The Qi4D driver face features a new and improved roll radius, meaning you’ll see more consistent spin across vertical impact locations. Typically, shots struck low on the face see higher spin than optimal, with high-face strikes seeing lower spin than intended. With this simple geometric refinement, spin should stay a lot more consistent, leading to more distance.
Alongisde these changes, TaylorMade have kept their tour proven technologies in the TaylorMade Qi4D. The cut-through Speed Pocket protects ball speed and helps with the low-face strikes, whilst advanced CAD modelling creates a design with performance, speed, and stability.
Performance – 4.9/5
I have tested the Qi4D driver in a variety of settings, gathering on-course and launch monitor findings over the last month.
What I can say, hand on heart, is that this driver head, alongside the TaylorMade Qi4D Max, is one of the most impressive drivers I’ve tested in recent years. I didn’t particularly note any speed revelations with the TaylorMade Qi4D, but one key number left me speechless during launch monitor testing.
The consistency in spin from a vertical perspective is quite simply frightening. From my testing at Custom Golf Works using my custom Fujikura Ventus Velocore+ Red 7X, I hit a variety of drives in different locations and could not get the spin to fluctuate from than 600 revs.
This consistency in spin led to the most consistent distances of any driver I’ve ever tested.
From a static, data-driven point of view, I cannot fault this driver.
And on the course course, results were similar. My miss is predominantly low on the face, so the new technology certainly suits me. I was hitting poor strikes that still carried 280 yards, due to the optimal spin rate across the face vertically.
DriverClubhead Speed (mph)Ball Speed (MPH)Spin Rate (RPM)Launch Angle Carry (yards)TaylorMade Qi4D129.7184.122887.2301.9
This is by far and wide one of the best drivers I’ve tested to date from looks and performance. So, what’s the problem?
Feel. I’ve used The TaylorMade Qi35 and the TaylorMade Qi10 over the last two years and loved the performance and feel. For some reason, the TaylorMade Qi4D feels different – and not in a good way.
The best way I can describe it is muted. Almost dead off the face.
I experimented with weights, lofts, and even different heads across the range, but that sensation never really changed. For a driver that performs this well, it’s a surprising drawback.
Of course, feel is personal, but I have received similar feedback from multiple colleagues who have also tested the Qi4D. Some golfers will love the quiet, dampened feel. Others, like me, crave more feedback at impact.
Purely on feel, I’d rank at least five other brands ahead of TaylorMade for 2026. That disconnect between performance and feel is the sole reason I’m torn on the Qi4D.
Final Verdict – 4.9/5
There can be no denying that the TaylorMade Qi4D driver will be very hard to beat in 2026. The data shown throughout my testing genuinely blew me away, and I am certain this will perform very well for a huge number of golfers. A lot of amateurs predominantly miss low on the face, and this driver seems to make this mishit a non-issue.
My only qualm with the driver is feel, which is a personal opinion, so I urge you to test this model out and decide for yourself.
If feel is high on your priority list, you need to test it yourself. But if consistency, stability and distance control matter most, the Qi4D deserves to be right at the top of your list.
Will it stay in my bag despite my dislike of the feel? Watch this space…
