Audi reorganizes its range of electric vehicles. The most luxurious and largest SUV from the brand with the four rings, until now known as Audi e-tron, adopts the name Q8 e-tron, the top of the range of the German manufacturer. It continues to be offered in normal versions, with more voluminous and spacious bodies, which are joined, as before, by the SUV Coupé style option, the Sportback. But the name is not the only thing that changes, since the model refreshes the aesthetics and increases the capacity of the battery, which allows it to increase autonomy by almost 25%.
The e-tron was Audi’s first electric vehicle, essentially a solid, well-built and well-equipped SUV, offered in two versions in which the regular is more voluminous and the Sportback is more dynamic and sporty, due to the steeper rake of the rear pillar. . . The new Q8 e-tron maintains this offer, but wrapped in a More appealing aesthetics and with a certain Q4 e-tron airthe other electric SUV from the manufacturer with more restrained dimensions.
More battery equals twice the autonomy
If aesthetics values the new Q8 e-tron, the SUV’s biggest gain was in terms of battery capacitythat allows to increase the autonomy, which until now was one of the weakest points of this proposal from Audi. The range is made up of the Q8 50 e-tron, the most affordable version, the Q8 55 e-tron (the intermediate version) and the SQ8 e-tron, the sportiest and most powerful, all of which are available with standard and Sportback bodywork.
Audi’s new top-of-the-range models are also evolving in terms of aerodynamics, as they see the Decreased Cx from 0.28 to 0.27 in normal bodywork and from 0.26 to 0.24 in Sportbackwhich will also help you travel longer distances with the same energy.
The interior of the new Q8 e-tron
The Q8 50 e-tron, as was the case in the previous version of the SUV, mounts a smaller battery, but its capacity went from the previous 64.7 kWh (71 gross kWh) to 89 kWh (95 gross kWh), 37.6% more???????? Hence, the previous autonomy has also evolved at the same time, going from 339 km between recharges to much more interesting ones 491 km (505 km in Sportback)????????
The intermediate version, the Q8 55 e-tron, also sees its accumulator capacity increased, with 106 kWh (114 gross kWh), instead of the previous 86.5 kWh (95 gross kWh). That is 22.5% more, which explains why autonomy has gone from 404 km to 582 km (600 km in the Sportback), a difference of 178 km between recharges that users will surely like. Remember that the Q8 e-tron, compared to the previous model, keep the drunk with 62 liters, but in the rear the trunk volume loses 31 litersremaining in 569 liters (528 liters for the Sportback versions).
The new top of the range, hitherto known as the e-tron S, now becomes the SQ8 e-tron, more along the lines of what is customary in this constructor. With the same power, the battery with 106 useful kWh (instead of 86.5 kWh) guarantees 494 km of autonomy, well above the 361 km (another 133 km) claimed so far.
Always 4×4. With two or three motors
All Q8 e-trons will mount two electric motors, one per axle, to guarantee all-wheel drive, which in the sportier versions adopts more sophisticated management with torque vectoring to improve handling. But there are differences, since the rear motor is still asynchronous, but it has more coils (14 instead of 12), which translates into obtaining more power or less consumptionaccording to the manufacturer.
The Sportback version of the Q8 e-tron
The least powerful Q8 e-tron is the 50, with the smallest battery (89 useful kWh, even higher than the largest accumulator previously used, which was 86.5 kWh) and 250 kW of power, which is equivalent to 340 hp and a torque of 664 Nm. Power is more than enough for the entry-level version of such a model: the more affordable current Q8 petrol and diesel offered 340PS/500Nm (Q8 55 TFSI), 232PS/500Nm (Q8 45 TDI) and 286 hp/600 Nm (Q8 50 TDI) –, so it should not have any difficulty in satisfying the user. The maximum speed is limited to 200 km/h.
The Q8 55 e-tron will probably be the most sought after version, keeping both engines and the same torque (664 Nm). However, the power rises to 408 hp, the same value that the previous Audi e-tron already benefited from which, if the self-limited maximum speed (200 km/h) does not change, guarantees that the 100 km/h will remain for back after 5.6 seconds.
The sportiest Q8 e-tron, the SQ8 e-tron, is the only one to install three engines, two of which are on the rear axle. Total power amounts to 503 hp and torque to 973 Nm, once again the same performance as the previous Audi e-tron S, which raises the top speed to 210 km/h, with a 0-100 km /h estimated at 4.7 seconds.
And for easy use on the go, the charging capacity of batteries in direct current goes from 150 kW to 170 kW, in accumulators with 106 useful kWh (The 89 kWh batteries remain at 150 kW), leaving the charging power in alternating current as standard at 11 kW, which can rise to 22 kW.
Orders, deliveries and prices?
Now that it can compete with German rivals such as the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE, both with a similar track (4.9 metres), the new Audi Q8 e-tron can be ordered from this month. The first units are expected to begin delivery to customers in the first quarter of 2023from February in the main markets.
The changes made to the rear engine make it more efficient, increasing torque or reducing consumption. See here the other technological assets of the Q8 e-tron
Germany announced prices starting at €74,400, referring to the Q8 50 e-tron version, a model that in Spain will be offered for €84,000. It is expected that between us the value will be slightly higher, due to the difference between the VAT of different countries. The Sportback version requires €2,500 more (in Spain), with prices in Portugal to be revealed later.
Source: Observadora
