Already four years that treads our roads. Four years of making fun of his name. Four years waiting for Audi to modify its e-tron a little, and not just the surname. Because precisely in the VIP space of large electric SUVs, the battle is now raging. In order for the rings not to be left behind by BMW and its IX, there was an urgent need to update its e-tron, the oldest of the band.
The term update is also much more appropriate than restyling, as the outward signs of transformation are subtle. However, they have the merit of existing. So the front is somewhat modified, and the optics are better integrated into the continuity of the grille which, curiously, seems less aggressive. The lights and the LED bar that embraces the entire tailgate have also been slightly retouched at the rear. Changes that obviously affect the Q8 e-tron, the classic SUV version, but also the Q8 e-tron sportback, which is nothing more than its “coupé” version, and obviously the sporty one of the range: the SQ8.
The interior has changed little. Only change, some dashboard materials differ and are now made from recycled materials. The screens are always three in number. The first offers digital meters, the second, 10-inch displays the data ofinformation, and the third, located just below the central screen, is used to regulate the air conditioning. The famous camera mirrors are also still in play. But the big changes are under the hood, or rather, under the floor. Because since the birth of the e-tron in 2018, batteries have made great progress, engines and even the autonomy of cars.
Then the basic Q8 e-tron (version 50) which offered only 440km of peace of mind to its pilots updated to reach the round figure of 500 km. And for good reason: the battery size went from 64 kWh to 95 kWh. The power of this version is also undergoing an increase, as it goes from 340 to 400 hp. The more powerful version sees its range increase from 580 to 600 km, with its battery now reaching 114 kWh, instead of 95 before. The sporty SQ8, which also inherits the larger battery, retains its original 500 hp. All these new models benefit from loads up to 170 kW.
This evolution also benefits from an engine update, at least of the second block located at the rear. Still asynchronous, it now has 14 coils instead of 12. The advantage? Offer better torque, without consuming more electricity. The SQ8 version still has three engines, one at the front and the other two at the rear.
A sharp price increase
Obviously these various changes necessarily affect the weight of the machine and its price. And if on the overweight side it has not been communicated for the moment, at least the strike price of what is no longer the e-tron, but the e-tron Q8 is known: it starts from 86,700 euros. A significant gap since it was exposed, before this restyling available in the first quarter of 2023, at 78,800 euros.
