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Audi Q8 e-tron

A Q8 YOU MIGHT RATE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Audi's e-tron large SUV has been rejuvenated in Q8 e-tron form. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 61

Audi delivers a much more credible offering to customers in the sector for full-battery large SUVs with this Q8 e-tron. It looks more sophisticated than its predecessor - and is, with greater range, a new charging system and an eco-trimmed cabin. Most customers will want the sleeker Sportback version, but here we look at this car in more practical SUV form.

Backgroundword count: 181

Audi doesn't like its products falling behind the technological curve but it's very first EV, the large e-tron SUV, quickly did following its introduction in 2018. Heavy weight, clunky looks and batteries that weren't large enough or dense enough all counted against the e-tron and its slightly sleeker showroom stablemate, the e-tron Sportback. More than a facelift was needed. More than a facelift is what we've got in the shape of this car, the Q8 e-tron. The fundamentals here are the same as those of the old e-tron SUV. And you can still have a swoopier Sportback version, though it's the standard SUV body shape we focus on here. The advanced tri-motor powertrain that featured on top of the range e-tron S models in the previous line-up has been carried over as well - to a meaner-looking SQ8 flagship model. More significant is that the twin electric motor quattro variants further down the range offer a much greater driving distance between charges of their much bigger batteries. Plus there are slight styling and trim changes too. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 324

The reason why not enough people bought the e-tron in its original form wasn't hard to fathom; driving range. The base '50' version could only take you 212 miles, less than some EV superminis. Forget all that now: the offending 71kWh battery of that old car has been junked in favour of the much gutsier 95kWh one of the base Q8 50 e-tron model that takes the car (a still not exemplary) 281 miles. If you want to do better, the pricier Q8 55 e-tron variant your dealer will prefer to persuade you into has a huge 114kWh battery capable of 330 miles between charges, which is much more like it. Both models still have a motor on each axle, hence the quattro four-wheel drive system designation. The rear one though, has been improved, now with 14 coils instead of the previous 12, which pushes power up to 340PS in the Q8 50 e-tron, 27PS more than before. The Q8 55 e-tron has the same 664Nm torque figure, but serves up 408PS. If you want more, you'll be steered towards the top tri-motor SQ8 model, basically the old e-tron S, which means you get an extra motor at the back. With that, there's 503PS and an enormous 973Nm of torque, powering the car to a top speed of 130mph. Across the range, sprightly performance depends on selection of a 'Dynamic' drive mode that rather decimates the quoted range figures; to get closer to those, you'll need to keep more regularly in the drive select system's 'Auto', 'Comfort' or 'Efficiency' settings. Air suspension is standard with all Q8 e-tron variants and the ride height can be adjusted, with the 'Efficiency' mode lowering it by 27mm and 'Off-road' mode (yes, there is one) raising the car by 52mm. The steering's still Q5-derived, while much of the suspension uses Q7 bits. As with other electric cars, the low centre of gravity should help in reducing body roll.

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Pictures (high res disabled)

Statistics (subset of data only)

Min

Max

Price:

£67,800.00 (At 18 Nov 2022)

£114,500.00 (At 18 Nov 2022)

Insurance group 1-50:

44

50

Max Speed (mph):

124 (Q8 55 e-tron)

0-62 mph (s):

5.7 (Q8 55 e-tron)

Electric WLTP-Rated Driving Range (miles):

281

Length (mm):

4901

Width (mm):

1935

Height (mm):

1629

Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Hybrid, Plug-in, Electric & Hydrogen

Performance
60%
Handling
60%
Comfort
80%
Space
70%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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