2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron Road Test: Updated (and Renamed) EV Makes a Great Day Trip

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SEA RANCH, Calif. – Take a deep breath. Move the electronic shifter to Park. Be comfortable. Enjoy everything else about the Audi Q8 E-Tron 2024 besides driving it.

The road ahead may be spectacular, but it is also under construction. Automated red lights meter traffic at various one-way parts, which means you will inevitably have to wait for long periods of time. And worse than that, once underway, there will still be traffic ahead. Actually, “traffic” is too kind. There willpower be a succession of leisure vehicles in slow motion, which in my case at various points was a RAM ProMaster RV from bodybuilder Entegra that could been over 25 at one point, a 2003 Silverado HD with a camper mounted on the bed trailer an Airstream, and what the hell this was.

Such a pace is basically what you can expect your driving experience to entail as you traverse California 1 north of San Francisco. Its spectacular scenery rightfully draws a crowd, which means you’re stuck in that crowd. Learn to accept that, and you’ll have a much better time. Get behind the wheel of the Q8 E-Tron and you just might have the makings for one of the most enjoyable and memorable trips in recent memory I know I did.

Q8 E-Tron would be the new name for the electric SUV previously known as E-Tron (you can go deeper into the changes in our Q8 E-Tron and SQ8 E-Tron First Drive Review). Audi says this was to emphasize this particular vehicle’s status as a top-of-the-range car. bla bla bla, but come on, it’s to make it that much easier to tell it apart from the E-Tron GT, Q4 E-Tron, and whatever other E-Tron is coming up in Audi’s electrified future. That said, it is, in fact, a mid-cycle upgrade to the previous E-Tron, and not a new electric version of the Audi Q8. The two Q8s are different vehicles, albeit with similar footprints and features.

For the purposes of a journey Like this one on the coast and back from Healdsburg in the Sonoma wine country, the Q8 E-Tron is now good for 285 miles with its SUV body style and 296 for its “Coupe” body style which it has accounted for to date only about 10-15% of sales. That’s a substantial improvement over the outgoing SUV’s 226 miles thanks to a new, more efficient design. battery good package for 114 kilowatt-hours vs. 95 kWh. It also charges faster: a maximum of 170 kW still more or less compared to 150 in public fast chargers. AC home charging is an equally regular 9.6 kW or, with the optional second charger, a 19.2 kW which should future-proof your car for any advanced home chargers that come along (my latest generation Pulsar Wallbox achieves the same 11.5 kW as many of today’s other electric vehicles). All told, I would be back after a mostly leisurely but slightly more vigorous day of driving with 61 miles remaining. Good thing you have those extra 59 miles, huh?

In addition to the improved battery, those extra miles also result from the redesigned exterior’s aerodynamic improvements that reduce drag by 6%. They also improve cabin noise, which Audi says is as quiet or quieter than the A8. Or, if you prefer, the decibel measurement app on my iPhone registered an average of 44 dB during a steady two-minute cruise at 60 mph. That’s basically the same volume as an RS Q8… parked.

With that in mind and the Bundeswehr The troop transport was still waiting for the light to turn green, it was time to demo the Q8 E-Tron’s Bang & Olufsen sound system. Because, wow, it’s always good. The combination of a quiet car, soft-touch interior surfaces, and whatever magical speaker B&O cooked up results in the closest you can get to a lamination recording studio. I heard things for the first time on tracks I’ve heard countless times: the birdsong on Daisy the Great’s “Record Player” and the babble of water at the end of Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met.” I could hear Dua Lipa’s solo singing with Elton John on their quasi-duet of “Cold Heart,” and much more of Alanis singing backup for Dave Matthews on “Spoon.” I could swear the Beatles’ “Day in the Life” tambourine was literally in the car hitting the dead pedal.

While Bang and his friend Olufsen provided the soundtrack, California provided the visuals while I mercifully managed to shake the RVs on occasion in favor of a minivan or Tahoe. Up here, California 1 hugs the coast over gently rolling headlands that are still very green after winter’s many atmospheric rivers. Glimpses of white-sand cliffs and the beaches below appear in spots as the coastline twists, while the ocean below is a surprisingly almost Caribbean shade of turquoise (yes, we drove the white Q8 below, but the photos were taken of a blue one). . Though the pace remains leisurely, the steady cornering provides just enough driver input as I slip the smooth, consistently weighted steering back and forth. Altogether it was truly a joyous morning of driving and a feast for the senses: sound, sight and touch. And of course, the Q8 E-Tron also smells very good.

Stop for lunch is The Sea Ranch Lodge, or rather the soon-to-reopen hotel-adjacent ocean view restaurant located on the headlands overlooking the Pacific. Every interior inch of its modern 1970s architecture is clad in wood; If it weren’t for the California coastline peeking out the windows, I’d swear I’m in Sweden.

With some delicious grilled cheese consumed, I climb back into the Q8 E-Tron and start running through the Apple CarPlay music app for my next selection when I suddenly realize that no car has passed in the driveway. in a while. There must be a robbery. Abandoned CarPlay, I hit the shifter in Drive and pull up in the driveway to watch a phalanx of three more campers driving a downtrodden regiment of cars uphill: a sleek off-road Sprinter, a Tundra with a canoe on its roof towing a 15 foot caravan and, in the lead, that damn Entegra again. They really should have bought the Type S.

This was my chance. Sure, a electric bicycle I could outrun this parade, but I shoot it. Floor to floor, the Q8 E-Tron doesn’t have that snap we expect from high-powered electric vehicles. Yes, it’s got 408 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque, but it’s also expected to throw around 6,000 pounds out of a rolling studio—meaning an Audi midsize SUV. Interestingly, the power actually seems to increase progressively, well not as the revs rise, but that’s what it feels like. The faster you go, the faster the E-Tron is to pack up even more speed. It’s all accompanied by an electronic hum, which gets a bit louder in Dynamic mode, which sounds car-appropriate and doesn’t draw too much attention.

Although the road ahead is now clear, I maintain a moderate pace until the route turns inland and the road becomes even more winding. Time to see how Audi engineers managed to address the outgoing E-Tron’s biggest non-Q8 shortcoming: It was a limp, bouncy mess that made you conscious of every single one of that 6,000 pounds. Steering is quicker and 50% stiffer front control arm bushings have been added for better response, especially in the center. It’s still a bit loose in the center in Auto or Comfort modes, but in Dynamic, its extra weight in the center inspires more confidence. However, the extra weighting at delivery is less appreciated as it dulls some of the response and feels a bit unnatural.

The suspension retains air springs at each corner, but these, along with the stability control system, were retuned to improve body composure during handling, and it was a resounding success. You still feel its weight, but there’s a poise and athleticism here that was lacking before. The Q8 E-Tron slid through a long series of tighter turns through a winding river forest, back and forth, up and down, keeping pace and composure smoothly despite the speeds of 60 to 65mph. No screeching tires, no anxious interactions with stability control, and definitely no jumping. It turns out that the Q8 E-Tron now has some GT chops.

Arriving at 101 South, I load the Q8 E-Tron onto the two-lane divided highway only to discover in the right lane a infiniti g37 trope: slammed, carbon look hood, gas can exhaust, windows down, face on phone. The vaporizer must have run out of batteries. I try to hang back, but he slows too, subliminal tractor beam activated. Excellent. I can make my serene recording studio dirty with the can of farts for 40 minutes, or I can… Yeah, bye bye. This confirms the credentials of the Q8 E-Tron highway.

With its increased range and improved driving manners, the Q8 E-Tron is simply a phenomenal day-tripper. If you were to take a longer trip up the coast to Fort Bragg or Redwood National Park, you would definitely be in trouble with charges, but those types of trips are the exception, not the rule. Plus, it’s a safe bet that anyone who can afford this $92,390 Q8 E-Tron also has room in the budget and garage for a non-electric vehicle. Or just fly. Either way, there’s a good chance the ride won’t be as pleasant, even while sitting still.