Last year, back in November 2022, the Audi e-tron was curiously renamed Q8 e-tron for the mid-cycle refresh of the all-electric sport utility vehicle. Manufactured in Belgium with battery modules and cells from Hungary, the mid-size luxury crossover will arrive in North American showrooms in the summer as a 2024 model.
The largest electric utility vehicle from Audi retails at $74,400 excluding the destination charge, whereas the coupe-styled Q8 Sportback S line e-tron quattro (now that’s a mouthful!) costs $77,800 in the United States. The Q8 e-tron twins will be joined by SQ8 e-tron performance variants in due time, also as 2024 models.
Slotted above the Q4 e-tron, which rocks the MEB platform of the Volkswagen ID.4, the Q8 e-tron is built around the MLB Evo platform. Of course, Audi had to modify it a lot for all-electric applications. On the other hand, the MLB Evo is shared with the combustion-engined Q8 that costs $72,800 for the 2023 model year.
Both the regular-bodied and coupe-styled crossovers are packing a massive battery with 114 kilowatt hours to its name and a net capacity of 106 kilowatt hours. Maximum charging on DC is 170 kW, as opposed to 150 kW for the pre-facelift models, which means that 31 minutes are required to recharge from 10 to 80 percent.
Audi further improved the rear electric motor with 14 windings instead of the old 12, thus improving efficiency with a stronger magnetic field. The Ingolstadt-based automaker is referring to its electric all-wheel-drive systems under the quattro moniker, which is a little misleading. The all-electric quattro is joined by a multi-plate clutch version for transverse applications (think A3), a self-lock diff version (used in the Q8), and ultra.
The Q8 e-tron’s front motor fires up in slipper conditions or when switching the shifter into sport mode. If you drive it like a senior citizen going to Sunday church, expect no more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) of range for the slightly more aerodynamic Sportback version.
It may not seem like much, and it most certainly isn’t. For instance, Tesla lists the Model X with an EPA-estimated 351 miles (565 kilometers) with the standard 20-inch Cyberstream wheels. Opting for 22 inchers also means the range drops to 332 miles (534 kilometers).
Adaptive air suspension is standard in the Q8 e-tron, and by its nature, said suspension can vary the ride height by almost three inches, depending on the driving scenario. Four-zone automatic climate control with a heat pump is also standard, as are the eight-way power adjustable contour seats wrapped in leather upholstery, panoramic glass roof, and the hi-def digital instrument cluster.
Something the Q8 e-tron for the U.S. market does not have is digital mirrors. Only actual mirrors are legal in the United States for the time being, which is why the U.S. model features a worse drag coefficient than the Euro model pictured in the main photo and gallery.
Slotted above the Q4 e-tron, which rocks the MEB platform of the Volkswagen ID.4, the Q8 e-tron is built around the MLB Evo platform. Of course, Audi had to modify it a lot for all-electric applications. On the other hand, the MLB Evo is shared with the combustion-engined Q8 that costs $72,800 for the 2023 model year.
Both the regular-bodied and coupe-styled crossovers are packing a massive battery with 114 kilowatt hours to its name and a net capacity of 106 kilowatt hours. Maximum charging on DC is 170 kW, as opposed to 150 kW for the pre-facelift models, which means that 31 minutes are required to recharge from 10 to 80 percent.
Audi further improved the rear electric motor with 14 windings instead of the old 12, thus improving efficiency with a stronger magnetic field. The Ingolstadt-based automaker is referring to its electric all-wheel-drive systems under the quattro moniker, which is a little misleading. The all-electric quattro is joined by a multi-plate clutch version for transverse applications (think A3), a self-lock diff version (used in the Q8), and ultra.
The Q8 e-tron’s front motor fires up in slipper conditions or when switching the shifter into sport mode. If you drive it like a senior citizen going to Sunday church, expect no more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) of range for the slightly more aerodynamic Sportback version.
It may not seem like much, and it most certainly isn’t. For instance, Tesla lists the Model X with an EPA-estimated 351 miles (565 kilometers) with the standard 20-inch Cyberstream wheels. Opting for 22 inchers also means the range drops to 332 miles (534 kilometers).
Adaptive air suspension is standard in the Q8 e-tron, and by its nature, said suspension can vary the ride height by almost three inches, depending on the driving scenario. Four-zone automatic climate control with a heat pump is also standard, as are the eight-way power adjustable contour seats wrapped in leather upholstery, panoramic glass roof, and the hi-def digital instrument cluster.
Something the Q8 e-tron for the U.S. market does not have is digital mirrors. Only actual mirrors are legal in the United States for the time being, which is why the U.S. model features a worse drag coefficient than the Euro model pictured in the main photo and gallery.