Audi Q8 E-tron review: Vorsprung durch voltage
The Audi Q8 E-tron is the German premium brand cleaning up. That’s the environment, of course, courtesy of its zero tailpipe emissions and the carbon-neutral Belgian factory it’s built in. But also, Audi’s model name hierarchy: this electric SUV is a revised and rechristened version of the former Audi E-tron – because the ‘E-tron’ moniker is now applied to every Audi EV.
Back at the Audi E-tron launch in 2018, some of us drew parallels with the original Audi Quattro. Audi has made lots of quattros, but only one Quattro (with a capital ‘Q’). The E-tron wasn’t good enough to become iconic, though. Its range was rather pitiful, at easily less than 200 miles, despite its hefty batteries. Not clever, when Tesla can offer at least 50 percent more.
So Audi has turned the original E-tron into the Q8 E-tron, and created a new range-topping electric SUV in the process – reflected by prices that kick off at £67,800. The ‘55’ version I drove costs from £77,800, while its chief rival, the ugly and alarmingly ill-proportioned BMW iX, starts at £69,905.
Bigger batteries
Despite essentially being five years old, the Q8 is a distinctive-looking machine. A hefty front-end overhaul provides some added presence, helped by a full-width version of Audi’s singleframe grille, an integrated light bar and cool 2D version of the ‘four rings’ logo.
It has far more impact and becomes a bit of a head-turner with big alloy wheels and gloss black trim. Stick with traditional door mirrors rather than the optional rear-view cameras, though. They are virtually useless: the tech simply isn’t ready yet.
Inside, it’s screen-heavy, but Teutonically solid, even if the haptic touchscreens don’t respond as quickly as your smartphone, needing more of a finger-jab than seems polite. You can now use the ‘Hey Audi’ voice assistant, but of course, nobody will.
Bigger batteries bolster the car’s appeal. There are two sizes; the 50 E-tron (if only Audi could clean up its bizarre, indecipherable numerical badges next…) now has an 89kWh battery, while the 55 E-tron offers a whopping 106kWh. For comparison, a standard Tesla Model 3 has an estimated 58kWh battery.
SUV or Sportback
This means the Audi can now travel up to 330 miles between charges. There is a Q8 Sportback version too, with a swoopier, more aerodynamic rear end for up to 343 miles of range. That’s much more like it. The bigger battery can rapid-charge at up to 170kW as well, going from 10-80 percent in 31 minutes. You’ll be in and out of one of those fancy new public charging stations before you know it.
The two motors of the Q8 50 E-tron produce 340hp, for 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds. All you need? Well, the Q8 55 e-tron’s 408hp only cuts the 0-62mph time to 5.6 seconds, but it comes with that bigger battery and 50 miles of extra range. You’ll probably be tempted to fork out the extra £10,000 (yes, adding range is an expensive business).
There’s also an even faster and pricier SQ8 e-tron, with three motors and a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds, but that’s not here yet. I didn’t feel short-changed in the 55 E-tron, though. Like all EVs, it accelerates quickly, but there’s an added layer of Audi sophistication here that appeals. I’ve said before that ‘Audi-ness’ will only be enhanced by going electric, and this is further proof.
Air suspension is standard, so the awful ride once synonymous with big-wheeled Audis is replaced by fluid absorbency. Yet it’s not over-soft or squidgy and, with crisp and tight steering, it drives in a clever and appealing way. It definitely has more character than the old Audi E-tron. See, EVs don’t have to be anodyne, after all.
Brand designs
It’s a pity it still doesn’t seem very efficient. The range has been improved simply by bolting in bigger batteries, rather than boosting how many miles it can cover for each kWh of electricity. On a reasonably brisk test drive, I barely managed two miles per kWh. I run a long-term Kia Niro EV and that travels 70 percent further for every pricey kWh of electricity.
Even so, the E-Tron goes further between charges than it did, and that’s what matters most. It is also satisfying to drive, a refined thing to ride in, and looks good in a sector of decidedly mixed rivals. Among these, the Jaguar I-Pace is super but getting old, the Mercedes-Benz EQC is also aged and feels it, the Genesis Electrified GV70 awaits a dealer network, and the BMW iX’s superb cabin and drive are ruined by that exterior.
Will Audi clean up with the new Q8 E-tron? Well, it should do a lot better than before. Not least because people may now actually know what it is.
Richard Aucock writes for Motoring Research
Audi Q8 55 E-tron
PRICE: From £77,800
POWER: 408hp
0-62MPH: 5.6sec
TOP SPEED: 124mph
BATTERY SIZE: 106kWh
RANGE: 330 miles