Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 (A) First Drive Review

This is the new Audi Q8 e-tron. Well, 'new'. Despite the name, this isn't actually a new model. In fact, this is a facelift of the original e-tron SUV, a car that has proven to be quite the success for the Ingolstadt brand, selling over 150,000 units worldwide.

Complicated? Perhaps.

Now, it's been updated in several subtle but important ways to augment its all electric family-centric SUV formula.

All in a name

We have to of course start with the name - Q8 e-tron, as well as Q8 Sportback e-tron. To be clear, this isn't in any way related to the petrol powered Q8. The reason it now bears the Q8 moniker is to better organise Audi's overall model lineup. In the near future, all the even numbered models will be all electric models (as the brand moves to fully electrify its lineup). We have already seen the Q4 e-tron, the Q6 e-tron is likely to be launched in the near future, and the A6 e-tron will likely come not long after. 

Nomenclature aside, the car doesn't look drastically different from before. At the front, there's a redesigned grille, with the surrounding elements stretching towards the head lights. Also, the car now bears the new 2D Audi logo up front, and also has an illuminated light bar just above it.

What you can't really see, but actually quite important, are the aerodynamic enhancements. With functional air ducts on either side of the grille, as well as revised airflow management through the front bumper and under the car, the Q8 e-tron is now more aerodynamically efficient than before.

Inside, there's really nothing to highlight because it is exactly as it was before. That's not a bad thing, of course. The interior remains sophisticated, premium, comfortable, and still easy to use. There will be a few more trim options availale to customers, but it's still a fundamentally recognisable Audi cabin.

All in the game

On the Autobahn, the car feels exactly as it did before. Long-legged, comfortable, plenty of power, and stable even when closing in on its 200km/h limited top speed.

The most significant improvement to the car is completely under the skin. More dense battery cells mean that even with the same physical footprint, the battery now has a total capacity of 104kWh in this 55 variant.

Coupled with the aerodynamic improvements, as well as a more efficient electric motor that can produce the same power using less energy, the car has a rated total range of 580km.

That's optimistic, of course. I managed 22.8kWh/100km over three days of driving, which translates to 456km on a single full charge. Audi claims a 32% improvement, and compared to the 324km we managed when driving the orginal e-tron SUV in Singapore, that's actually a 40% improvement.

Of course, this number will fluctuate depending on driving styles and conditions (lots of highway driving here in Germany versus plenty of city traffic in Singapore), but I think its reasonable to easily expect a 20% improvement in real world efficiency.

That, ultimately, is what matters. At this point, range is still a key driving factor of EV adoption. More range just translates into more usability and day-to-day viability for a greater number of potential drivers.

It is worth noting that during my time in Germany, the battery never really dipped below 50% before we got to the next destination (and charging station). 

However, that should be the way most EV drivers use their cars - charge it whenever possible, rather than waiting till you're worryingly low. 

The car has also been made more dynamic that before. The quicker steering ratio is notable, as the car feels slightly more lithe and less big than before, but this is ultimately still not a sporty SUV. It's designed to be practical, comfortable, functional, and it is all of those things.

One other improvement is the increased in charging power, now maxing out at 170kW. What this actually means (without having to dive into charging curves) is that the car is able to charge its larger capacity battery at the same rate as its predecessor (with its smaller capacity battery).

Much more of the same

It's worth pointing out that I drove both variants of this car (this Sportback, as well as the SUV), but besides the body difference and slight boot space disparity, the cars were both identical in spec and equipment, so it's not worth belabouring the point of two cars.

When it's launched in Singapore in early Q3, both body styles will be offered, with two battery capacities. It's globally dubbed the 50 and 55 variants (which probably doesn't mean much to most people), but simply put, one has a 89kWh battery, and the other a 104kWh battery. There will also be a higher performance SQ8 e-tron to come. 

Across the two variants I drove in Germany, the same things are true - while the changes may not seem significant on the surface, dig a little bit deeper and the important changes become chiefly relevant. According to Audi, this is what customers wanted - more range, more range, more range.

It might seem somewhat counterintuitive, but most of the changes to this updated Q8 e-tron range have been made to effectively keep the car as 'same' as before, with the singular headline detail of having greater range.

And, sometimes, it's really just as simple as that.