Large, powerful electric luxury SUVs with acceleration times of less than 5 seconds and ranges of 300 miles or more are now ubiquitous.
That certainly wasn’t the case in 2019, when deliveries of the Audi E-Tron began, or in 2017, when Siegfried Pint, Audi’s head of powertrain and chassis development, promised me that E-Tron’s three-motor system would corner it, “like a hound chasing a rabbit.”
While many of the E-Tron’s first-mover range and performance numbers fell behind with the introduction of all other luxury electric SUVs, the 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron The SUV and Sportback are catching up with the Jones – with a larger battery, quicker handling and even more attention to aerodynamics.
Luckily, none of these tweaks stood in the way of the three-motor Halo, and last week I was finally able to get acquainted with what Pint was talking about – on a challenging canyon road route in Southern California.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
It got even better. As I set out in the SQ8 E-Tron, the skies opened up in a torrential downpour, leaving the canyon routes with a level of slickness that warrants caution regardless of vehicle.
But I quickly discovered that the SQ8 E-Tron’s system was ready to give it all the throttle it needed with whatever traction the tires could get – and stay pretty decent at it.
The 2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron has one motor for the front wheels and two motors for the rear wheels. The rear wheels are not mechanically connected to each other. In total, the system produces 396 hp and 718 lb-ft of torque – 94 hp and 228 lb-ft more than the Q8 E-Tron.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
SQ8 E-Tron party trick: More dancing than dashing
Audi claims the SQ8 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds – compared to 5.1 seconds for the Q8 E-Tron. It’s fast, but in a world full of 2.5-second demands on model speed, there’s another way: it dances surprisingly fast in the curves.
The arrangement allows the two rear motors to effectively push and pull in corners, delivering up to 162 lb-ft more to the outside rear wheel than the inside, while at the same time the friction brakes act on the front, inside wheel to support cornering. And it can respond in about a fifth of the time that such a system needs with an internal combustion engine. This means you still get uninterrupted propulsion while the vehicle is given a push in the direction you direct with the steering wheel.
Audi SQ8 E-Tron three-motor system
This is more than a party trick. All in all, the system makes the E-Tron feel incredibly fast, yet almost unsettlingly drama-free. Perhaps most notably, this makes the E-Tron drive like a far lighter vehicle than its 6,118-pound curb weight suggests.
The SQ8 E-Tron uses the same motors as the SQ8 E-Tron, and Audi emphasizes that its asynchronous (induction) motors are also an advantage in this configuration, as they have virtually no drag when not needed. The SQ8 is rear-wheel biased as standard, but the engine configuration allows Audi to operate the SQ8 as a front-wheel drive vehicle under certain light load conditions, maximizing efficiency and saving the two rear engines for off-the-line launches. additional traction and performance situations.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
Range and efficiency of the Audi AQ8 E-Tron
Driving about 70 miles – aggressively and quickly, uphill and downhill, at times testing the limits of traction – the SQ8 E-Tron claimed to average 1.7 miles per kWh. In such an extreme scenario, that would mean a real-world range of around 180 miles. With 20-inch wheels, the SQ8 E-Tron achieves a range of up to 253 miles, but with my test car’s 22-inch 5-arm wheels with a titanium finish and sticky Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 rubber, the EPA drops -Rated at 218 miles.
These numbers all refer to the Q8 E-Tron range’s approximately 20% higher battery capacity compared to the E-Tron – from 84 kWh usable (95 kWh gross) to 106 kWh usable (95 kWh gross), thanks to a higher cell energy density and a new cell configuration within the modules. Taking into account sophisticated aerodynamic efficiency and other technical optimizations, these models offer at least 20% more range than before.
It is worth remembering that performance models will never reach the range of other versions in the range, and this is exactly close to that Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV (235 miles) and BMW iX M60 (274 miles) – although the three-motor Tesla Model X receives a 311 mile rating.
You can opt for a dual-port charger on the E-Tron and upgrade the onboard charger to 19.2 kW for easy overnight full charging if you have access to an 80 amp charger at home or work have. A mobile charger is included with all SQ8 E-Trons. And when it comes to fast charging on the road, the E-Tron reaches a peak power of around 170 kW and goes from 10 to 80% in around 31 minutes – with two years of Electrify America charging and Plug & Charge functionality.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
Steering, braking, dynamics: everything as it should be
The SQ8 E-Tron also adopts the Q8 E-Tron’s excellent braking system, which accesses the entire 0.3g of recuperation with the engine system and only passes to the brake pads to brake harder or handle the last few centimeters of a stop.
With a quicker steering ratio as well as some changes, particularly to the tuning of the front suspension, all Q8 E-Tron models already feel livelier in everyday traffic than their Q8 E-Tron predecessors – from parking lots to weekend driving on country roads.
The SQ8 E-Tron offers Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual modes, and I spent most of my time in the Dynamic setting, which allows for the full 496 horsepower and a bit more flexibility offers motors for traction and rotation from the rear – although still fully switched on with the support of the stability control system.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
What the Q8 E-Tron is still missing is communication back to the driver. Everything is so well dampened that it’s almost an experience of faith when you push the Q8 very hard. It consistently delivered grip and stability to an absurdly high level, but it was really hard to tell when the limits were reached, as is the case with many other performance vehicles.
And what seemed like a hurdle at first turned out to be an advantage after some time behind the wheel on all roads other than the canyon roads. Its super-damped interior with double-pane acoustic side glass is, according to Audi’s internal measurements, quieter than the flagship A8 sedan – and yes, that’s for a performance model.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
Cabin comfort is also great all around. The SQ8 E-Tron models feature upgraded quilted leather upholstery and square carbon dashboard trim, but it’s the excellent seat padding that becomes noticeable after some time in the driver’s seat. The back seat is also adequately sized for an adult, and if you fold down the rear seatbacks, there’s a flat cargo floor with plenty of storage space for small pieces of furniture. Note, however, that the Sportback’s roofline, sexy as it may be, sacrifices some cargo height and tapers slightly at the rear doors to allow for more headroom when entering and exiting. And if we get into details, the shifter still feels like a design studio outtake.
Among the E-Trons, the SQ8 looks very similar to the Q8 on the outside, just beefed up a bit, with a 1.5-inch wider track, slightly more commensurate body width, larger grille openings, and a matte metal material for accents with just the right touch of shine.
2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron
Good with the price and range of the SQ8 E-Tron? Then it’s easy
The 2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron is expected to launch very soon and starts at $90,995 for the SUV or $93,795 for the Sportback, both in Premium Plus trim. If you upgrade to the Prestige version, you get LED matrix headlights, soft-closing doors and a head-up display, among other things. My test SUV SQ8 E-Tron Prestige brought in a total of $102,345.
If a triple-digit price or the lower reviews don’t convince you, the SQ8 E-Tron is a gem that won’t disappoint. It’s a reminder that the one with the highest numbers isn’t always the best, and sometimes it’s all about how fast you can speed through all the corners along the way.
Audi’s commentary from back then, before all the ridiculous and long-lasting electric SUVs, now seems prescient. There may be rabbits in the front, but Audi has a very good hunting dog.
