MALIBU, Calif. – Again in Might, I took a calming scenic drive within the up to date and renamed Audi Q8 E-Tron, reveling in its plush trip and stupendous Bang & Olufsen stereo filling its cocoon-of-silence cabin. This primary drive of the 2024 Audi SQ8 E-Tron could be decidedly totally different. Because the added letter S would attest, the SQ8 E-Tron builds upon the bottom automotive with a better efficiency envelope and racier appears to be like accented by matte alloy mirror caps. Until you don’t need these, wherein case Audi will fortunately take a number of your cash to make them black … ‘trigger each little bit of trim needs to be black now. Vogue!
Fortunately, the actual story right here is “Motor!” Whereas the Q8 E-Tron has the standard all-wheel-drive EV setup of two motors – one powering the entrance axle and one other the rear – the SQ8 provides a 3rd motor to combine, upping mixed output by 94 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque within the course of. The 0-60 dash takes solely 4.2 seconds when the total drive of Increase mode’s 496 hp and 718 lb-ft of torque are utilized. Ludicrous it isn’t, however you do get that EV “snap” off the road that’s lacking within the extra sedate Q8.
That’s not the place the motor story ends, although. That third motor can be utilized to the rear axle, which means every wheel will get its very personal motor – every good for 185 hp, whereas the entrance one has 210 hp – and subsequently giving the SQ8 E-Tron a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. Identical to mechanical variations, the quantity of energy despatched by means of every wheel can differ; particularly, the skin rear wheel can spin sooner than the within to push the rear finish round a nook, not in contrast to how caterpillar tracks flip a tank.
On the tightest, twistiest roads of the Santa Monica Mountains, this torque-vectoring expertise could possibly be absolutely felt and appreciated. The rear finish rotates extra fortunately as a substitute of plowing and protesting, and you may positively keep a faster tempo than you’d count on in a midsize SUV weighing, gulp, 6,118 kilos. The SQ8 doesn’t really feel as hopelessly overweight as its mannequin line did when launched as merely the “E-Tron.” Enhancements have definitely been made to the general Q8 E-Tron household, with the SQ8 going past with the torque-vectoring rear finish, faster steering (14.6:1 versus 15.8), stiffer sway bars and entrance management arm bushings, revised damper tuning and 1.4-inch wider monitor. It unquestionably seems like a tauter, extra responsive selection than the Q8 E-Tron, however you continue to discover its hefty weight. The Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV was much more agile by means of the identical stretches of mountain highway.
After all, the general public who’ll purchase an SQ8 received’t dwell close to mountains or, not less than, received’t select to drive by means of them with any regularity. They usually in all probability received’t benefit from the truth that its torque-vectoring rear finish permits for some good, new-fashioned drifting. However that’s a part of the enchantment, proper? Luxurious vehicles are sometimes about paying extra for functionality, even for those who’ll solely be scratching the floor of that functionality. Not less than you’ll be capable of persistently admire the additional oomph when charging onto a freeway, or the torque-vectoring’s additional advantage in slippery circumstances.
Visually, the SQ8 is differentiated by larger entrance grille openings and enlarged fender flares wanted for that additional monitor width. “Selenite Silver/Alu-optic” trim is then utilized in abundance inside and surrounding the grille (the Q8 face has gentle grey trim contained in the grille and darker grey surrounding it) together with the decrease bumper, rocker panels, window encompass, decrease rear bumper valance and, per Audi S custom, the mirror caps. It’s loads — arguably an excessive amount of — but it surely additionally makes it loads simpler to identify an SQ8 versus its non-S sibling. Regardless of my earlier snarkiness, I may subsequently see how one would like the Black Optic package deal that turns all that silver stuff gloss black … besides that it prices $3,500. For black plastic. Even Audi’s personal designers and product planners aren’t too eager on this pattern, but when persons are keen to pay for it, why not, proper? Not less than the revised Audi brand with flat white rings not makes the all-black grille appear to be anyone made off along with your badge.
The inside will get S-specific sport seats with fastened headrests and diamond-quilted leather-based, in addition to a three-spoke sport steering wheel, prolonged leather-based on the sprint and doorways, “SQ8” embossed within the shifter/wrist relaxation, and a few lovely “Carbon square structure” inside trim that’s a delight to run your fingers throughout. The Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system that so impressed within the Q8 E-Tron comes normal even when I used to be too busy driving the SQ8 E-Tron with exuberance to note this time round.
Just like the Q8 E-Tron, the SQ8 will get a 23% bigger battery than its predecessor (referred to as the E-Tron S), with a usable capability of 106 kilowatt-hours. With larger energy comes larger vitality consumption, although, so EPA-estimated vary is much less with the SQ8: 253 miles with the usual 20-inch wheels and 218 miles with the no-cost-option 22-inch wheels. In our expertise, the previous quantity is completely adequate for an EV. The latter … um, you need to in all probability keep on with the 20s.
With each, you’re a charging max of 170 kW, an quantity that’s lower than another EVs, however Audi says the SQ8 is able to holding that most for longer. With a totally practical quick charger, it ought to take 31 minutes to go from 10-80%. For dwelling charging, there’s a 9.6-kW onboard charger normal, together with a twin cost cable, which means you don’t want a devoted dwelling charger – a 240-volt electrical outlet will suffice. That mentioned, you may go for a 19.6-kW second charger ought to your house be outfitted for such a firehose of electrons. You get a second cost port with that, too, which makes for fewer awkward parking jobs to line up with a charger.
Pricing begins at $90,995, together with the surprisingly cheap $1,195 vacation spot cost, for the SQ8 E-Tron’s SUV physique type. The SQ8 E-Tron Coupe begins at $93,795. That’s properly wanting the $111,950 AMG EQE SUV, however then the Mercedes is loads faster and extra highly effective, and, as I found, the sharper electrical SUV to drive. Audi’s S fashions have additionally by no means been supposed to align with such full-bore AMG steel – RS fashions are for that, and there’s no such factor as an RSQ8 E-Tron. As an alternative, the SQ8 aligns extra carefully on worth and output with the EQE 500 SUV, and though I haven’t sampled that, it doesn’t have a torque-vectoring rear finish nor the spicier styling parts. It does, nevertheless, appear to be a big blob of a hatchback. Benefit Audi.
Benefit SQ8 over the Q8, as properly. It begins at mainly the identical worth because the loaded Q8 I drove in Might, and for those who can dwell with out the flamboyant $2,000 massaging seats and $3,500 Black Optic package deal (severely individuals, that a lot for black plastic?), it’ll keep that approach. The third motor is definitely worth the trade-off.
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