Magic mirror: Audi Q8 e-tron
The Audi’s range of electric cars is expanding. This time, I tried out the Q8 e-tron, which comes with a larger size and a massive battery pack. One of its unique features is the absence of traditional rearview mirrors.
The name ‘Q8’ can be misleading because this car isn’t an electrified version of the gasoline/diesel Q8. Instead, it’s the post-facelift version of the Audi EV marketed as the e-tron since 2018. As a result, it’s smaller than the internal combustion engine Q8, which explains why it appeared relatively compact compared to my expectations based on its name.
With its nearly 5-meter length and 2928 mm wheelbase, the Q8 e-tron is by no means small. In most situations, the interior space is more than sufficient, and its slightly smaller size is advantageous for navigating narrow streets and parking. Both front and rear passengers can travel in maximum comfort, and the luggage compartment remains spacious (and easy to load) despite the relatively low floor due to the spare wheel and charging cable storage underneath. The latter can even fit in the front trunk.
Driving the Q8 is a similar experience to the previously tested Audi Q4 e-tron : extremely calm, relaxing, excellent suspension, and very quiet. I intentionally tested the car on a relatively poor-quality cobblestone road, and it felt like driving on smooth asphalt - only the tire noise increased slightly, and the vibrations hardly reached the cabin. The S Line seats not only look stylish but are also comfortable. It’s evident that this car was crafted by a manufacturer with decades of experience in premium vehicles; the use of quality materials and assembly precision is apparent. This aspect doesn’t emerge solely from the catalog data; it becomes clear only when you actually try the car.
The headlights are impressive, creating almost daylight-like illumination at night without dazzling oncoming traffic. The Q8 e-tron features Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities, tracking the vehicle ahead both in urban and highway conditions, maintaining speed, but it doesn’t perform autonomous lane changes.
The car’s uniqueness lies in the camera-based system that replaces the traditional side mirrors with mini screens located on the front doors. At first glance, it’s unusual. Even after getting used to it, I see less in these screens than in the familiar mirrors, and during parking, I trusted my own eyes more than the display—perhaps the brief time spent together wasn’t enough to fully adapt to this novelty. However, it’s no secret that external mirrors significantly contribute to a car’s aerodynamic drag. According to relevant measurements, the premium-priced camera system saves 1 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers compared to traditional mirrors, which explains its rationale.
The infotainment system serves as an excellent example of Audi’s capabilities when they put their mind to it. It’s fast, easy to use, and the capacitive touchscreen requires some adjustment but lacks the sluggishness and clunkiness seen in MEB platform-based cars. Perhaps the secret lies in selecting the components from the top shelf? In any case, the system pleasantly surprised me, and Apple CarPlay worked seamlessly (even wirelessly). Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the Audi app this time due to a missing code required for pairing my phone with the car.
The instrument cluster is typically Audi, providing abundant information, and overall, there’s a nostalgic abundance of physical buttons on the dashboard, steering wheel, and center console. Personally, I like it, although others might feel differently.
The car boasts an unusually large net 106 kWh battery pack. This is evident in its weight (2.5 tons empty) and its range. Even with a measured 26.5 kWh/100 km consumption on the highway, it achieves 400 km, while 500 km is easily attainable in city and country road driving. The official WLTP range of 582 km requires very conservative driving.
The 400-volt system doesn’t promise exceptionally high charging speeds; the factory data indicates 168 kW. However, when I connected the properly prepared and nearly empty battery to a fast charger, it initially started at just 130 kW. Nevertheless, this value gradually climbed to 160 kW, and stayed around there for long. Consequently, charging from 10% to 80% barely took longer than 30 minutes.
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I recommend this car to those who want a really premium SUV with a traditional interior (meaning plenty of physical buttons), are content with a slightly smaller size than the largest SUVs, and appreciate a quiet ride.
Next week, I’ll review an electric car from a manufacturer that hasn’t been featured in the series yet: Ford, and their Mustang Mach-E.
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Sources of images, graphs and charts: [1] Carsized.com
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer and are not supported by any OEMs.