84
355
1 speed, Automatic
Electric
All Wheel Drive
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Audi Q8 E-tron competes in the Upper Midsize Premium SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2023 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, Upper Midsize Premium SUV owners rated their vehicles in 10 primary categories.
Listed below in descending order, you'll find their preferences, from what they like most about Upper Midsize Premium SUVs to what they like least:
In the 2023 APEAL Study, the Audi E-tron ranks ninth out of 13 Upper Midsize Premium SUV models.
Photo: Ron Sessions
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a 2024 Audi Q8 E-tron Prestige quattro equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $91,590, including the $1,195 destination charge.
Photo: Ron Sessions
As it has in recent years as the E-tron, the Q8 E-tron continues to coddle interior occupants in a roomy, luxurious cabin. All-day comfortable power-adjustable, heated, leather-covered front bucket seats are standard fare. Premium Plus and Prestige trims add 3-stage front-seat ventilation.
Prestige trim also brings buttery Valcona/Milano leather, pneumatic leg and lower torso side bolster contour adjustments, power-extendable thigh supports, and rolling seatback massage functions. All trims get a heated, power-adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The driver faces Audi's Virtual Cockpit Plus 12.3-inch high-definition configurable display showing vehicle speed, remaining driving range, and other essential information. Controls for changing the display layout and scrolling through trip data are on the left steering wheel spoke.
The 40/20/40 split bench rear seat handily accommodates three adults with plenty of headroom and legroom. A flat floor imparts a feeling of spaciousness.
All trims get a choice of three different open-pore wood accents on the dashboard. Prestige trim adds wrapped leather surfaces on the dashboard, armrests, and the center console.
One of the more admirable aspects of the Q8 E-tron is that it doesn't force the driver to learn how to get in and drive. For example, the interior door handles are electric but work conventionally with a simple pull to open the door.
All primary controls are in their expected locations and operate conventionally. That goes for the console-mounted digital shifter, which works fore and aft, the pushbutton start/stop button, and the steering-column mounted wipers and light switches. Audi even kept the steering column stalk controls for the standard cruise control. Even the audio system has a conventional rotary volume knob.
The only outlier is the separate 8.6-inch lower touchscreen dedicated primarily to functions for the standard 4-zone automatic climate control, seat heating, and available front-seat ventilation. However, that is also dirt simple to operate.
Storage is as generous as it looks. The console features two recessed cupholders covered by a tambour door, an open bin for small items and the available wireless charger/signal booster, and a covered storage bin under the center armrest. The glovebox is large, and spacious bottle holders are in the doors. There's also a bonus storage bin on the dashboard to the left of the steering column that looks only large enough for a remote key fob or pack of mints at first but is surprisingly forearm-deep.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Q8 E-tron has two center touchscreens: an upper one measuring 10.1 inches for audio, phone, and navigation functions and a lower one spanning 8.6 inches for climate control and drive-mode selections.
In the upper screen, the driver can have as many as three panels open simultaneously, such as for radio, phone, and navigation. The system works wirelessly with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Before pairing my Samsung 5G Android phone, I tried Audi's native voice control to see how it fared, finding and navigating to a local antique mall for some holiday shopping. After three unsuccessful attempts with that point of interest, I paired my phone. Then, I repeated the voice search using Android Auto's excellent and continuously updated Google database, which found and navigated to the establishment without the need to look up and communicate its street address. Once paired with my phone, I could use the Audi MMI system to make and receive calls and stream music from my Pandora account.
There are, however, also good reasons to use the Q8 E-tron's embedded navigation system. One is the included E-tron route planner, which can seamlessly navigate to charging stations along the way.
Regardless of the audio source, the Q8 E-tron's Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound system delivered an immersive surround-sound audio experience.
Photo: Ron Sessions
As with many of today's luxury electric vehicles (EVs), the Q8 E-tron is no lightweight, tipping the scales at nearly three tons. However, the generously proportioned 2-row, 5-seater doesn't feel lethargic mainly due to the instantly available torque of its electric powertrain, but also courtesy of quicker-ratio steering, updated software that makes the steering feel more direct with improved driver feedback, and more rigid front axle bearings that deliver a more precise on-center response implemented for the 2024 model year. The result is a roomy upper midsize SUV that drives smaller than it looks.
The luxury focus is still there. With a supple 4-wheel air suspension and variable dampers that continuously adjust each wheel for road input in real-time, the Q8 E-tron rides like the premium conveyance you'd expect it to be, but with a bit more skill and tenacity on the curvy bits. If one really wants to go overlanding, the Q8 E-tron will oblige with nearly 3 inches of body lift in Offroad drive mode—one of seven available with a tap of the lower screen.
The massive 4-wheel disc brakes help to slow the electric SUV without drama and, in everyday driving, provide a firm top-of-pedal feel and well-blended deceleration from the friction brakes and regenerative braking system. The latter is adjustable in three levels via steering wheel paddles, but not to one that enables one-pedal driving. Still, the middle and most aggressive settings can be a big help in constant stop-and-go driving.
At day's end, the whisper-quiet whirr of the electric powertrain and the light-switch-quick instant torque under any driving situation leave lasting impressions. In regular driving, the rear axle motor is the prime mover, with the front axle motor (and AWD) kicking in primarily for low-traction situations, more aggressive throttle applications, or when the driver places the transmission shifter in "S" mode. According to my stopwatch, stomping on the right pedal will bring the Q8 E-tron from rest to 60 mph in just over 5 seconds.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Audi equips the 2024 Q8 E-tron with a competitive array of standard safety and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). These include:
Additionally, Premium Plus and higher trims add a surround-view camera, which is a big help when maneuvering a large SUV in a crowded cityscape.
Prestige trim content brings Intelligent Park Assist, which can semi-autonomously maneuver the vehicle into or out of perpendicular or parallel parking spaces, operating the SUV's accelerator, steering, and brakes.
Prestige trim also adds a head-up display projected onto the lower portion of the windshield in front of the driver, imparting key information such as navigation instructions, speed-limit sign information, a digital speedometer readout, and active adaptive cruise control settings.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The squareback Q8 E-tron offers a generous 28.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 56.4 cubic feet with the 40/20/40 split bench back seat folded down. Due to its fastback roofline that arcs down at the rear, the Q8 Sportback E-tron offers a substantial but slightly less 27.2 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 54.5 cubic feet with it folded down.
A power-operated liftgate eases access to the cargo area. Recessed wells and nets are in the cargo hold's rearmost corners for gallon-size liquids. Under the cargo floor is a deep well large enough to carry a laptop bag, camera case, purse, other small valuables, and the AC charging cable.
There is also a reasonably good-sized front trunk or "frunk." This compartment is handy if you cannot easily access the one under the cargo floor when the cargo bay is full. The frunk can also easily accommodate the AC charging cable, groceries you don't want rolling around, a briefcase, laptop bag, purse, or small valuables one might want to keep out of sight.
The squareback version of the Q8 E-tron has an EPA-estimated 285-mile driving range (up from 226 miles for the 2023 model), an 81-MPGe combined EPA rating, and a 41-kWh per 100 miles efficiency rating. Due to slightly more favorable aerodynamics, the Sportback version of the Q8 E-tron improves those numbers to 296-300 miles of range (up from 225 miles for the equivalent 2023 E-tron S model) and 86-87 MPGe.
Due to a lack of available DC fast charging when the Q8 E-tron arrived for my test drive, I resorted to 120-volt AC home charging, which brought the test vehicle from an indicated range of 80 to 234 miles in three days (72 hours), at which point the vehicle stopped the charging procedure. The vehicle then used a mere 34 miles of indicated range to drive 79 miles. If the test vehicle was indeed fully charged to the claimed maximum 285 miles of range after three days of AC charging despite what the driver's display indicated, then it used 86 miles of range to drive the 79 miles, which is more likely.
The 2024 Audi Q8 E-tron now offers a competitive driving range with that provided by the better upper midsize premium SUV entries.
In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) testing, the 2024 Audi Q8 E-tron scored 5 out of 5 stars overall, with 5 stars for side impacts and rollover resistance and 4 stars for frontal crash performance.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2024 Audi Q8 E-tron and Q8 Sportback E-tron Good ratings for small- and moderate-overlap frontal and side impacts. It also gave the vehicle a Superior rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention and an Advanced rating for night-time vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention. The 2024 Audi Q8 E-tron (including the Sportback) is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for the 2023 calendar year.
Audi prices the 2024 Q8 E-tron from $74,400 to $88,200 and the SQ8 E-tron from $89,800 to $98,600. The destination charge is an additional $1,195.
In the JD Power 2023 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Cadillac XT6 ranks highest in the Upper Midsize Premium SUV segment. The BMW X5 and the BMW X6 are the next highest-ranked models.
In the 2023 APEAL Study, the BMW iX ranks highest in the Upper Midsize Premium SUV segment. The BMW X5 and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport are the next highest-ranked models.
Other electric-only competitors to the Audi Q8 E-tron include the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X.
For 2024, Audi's flagship SUV EV gets a much-needed refresh, bringing it greater driving range, greater efficiency, faster charging, and sharper handling. It's pleasantly quick and quiet, offering a sumptuously outfitted cabin and, in Launch Edition trim, muscular-looking. You could say it's the EV that doesn't look like an EV. Whatever that means.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
