Another week, another electric Audi car. Immediately after driving the eye-catching Audi e-tron GT during mid-term, I was back in another Audi last week, the Q8 e-tron 50 Quattro S-Line.
I think all the family preferred the Q8, mainly for its comfort and chunky looks. Of course the Q8, which has got a mild make-over, is a completely different type of car to the Audi e-tron GT. While the GT version was Tango Red, the Q8 came in a Daytona Grey colour which was much more discreet. Also getting into and out of the Q8 was also much easier than the GT version.
The e-tron GT version of the Audi was very classy sports car and I would say that ‘chunky’ is a good way to describe the Q8 e-tron, which is a rival for the Mercedes GLE coupe and the BMW IX.
If you are wearing your Audi anorak you will notice that Audi has replaced the old version’s grille with a new front panel; some versions get a light bar that spans the gap between the headlights. There is also a new flat logo, and the bumpers have been restyled to improve the car’s aerodynamic performance.
I like cars with a high-driving position and the Q8 is certainly in that category. With 340 brake horse power, there is plenty of power under the bonnet, but in a car like this it’s all about relaxing and enjoying the views of the countryside as you drive along. However, if it’s stats you are after you can get from zero to 100km in just over four seconds.
The cabin is impressive with generous space and ample head and leg room for front and back seat passengers. This is a big car in every way, but the air suspension system means it rides remarkably well over all road surfaces.
The interior is fairly dark and a black roofline doesn’t help. However, there is a touch of red stitching on the seats, doors and flat-bottomed steering wheel, which does improve the décor. You also get plenty of storage places in the cabin.
Boot space is impressive with 569 litres of space and at the front there is a ‘frunk’ where you can store various items. There is plenty of room in the boot for the charge cables, so you probably could put smaller items you want to hide into the ‘frunk.’
The official range for the version of the Q8 I drove is 452km but that’s probably only attainable in perfect weather conditions; it’s probably closer to 370km in winter time. With 21-inch 5-arm Aero design wheels in Black Metallic it was very impressive.
The Audi Q8 e-tron is available in various models. The Advance 50 quattro starts at €86,400. Prices for the S-Line version that I drove start at €95,895 and when you add in a plethora of extras, the price of the car as tested was €102,649. Road tax is €120.
The Q8 is gorgeous and if I was lucky enough in the morning to have enough cash to buy an Audi GT or a Q8, then it would be the latter for me. But maybe that decision has a lot to do with age – my age!
