Maybe it’s the nature of technology and the pressures of change, but tram seem to age faster than their now-dead ICE ancestors. Could it really be 5 years since WIRED first tried the Audi E-tron?
Most of. So it’s time for a major refresh, which this big Audi can really use as main rivals such as bmw ix and Mercedes EQE have since entered the fray. Note that both are clean, purpose-built electric cars that have little or nothing in common architecturally with their existing internal combustion cousins.
However, even though the Q8 E-tron is renamed to cement its position at the top of the electric vehicle lineup that includes Q4 E-tron and come Q6 E-tronit’s still based on the same platform you’ll find underneath the fossil fuel-powered Q7 SUV and the related Porsche Cayenne, both family vw.
Visual changes bring some EV features into Audi’s increasingly expressive design language, to the point where even non-brand fans can tell that change is happening. . There’s a new grille, a more prominent Audi logo and redesigned front and rear bumpers. A light bar now stretches between the headlights and features a new alloy wheel design.
The E-tron is also available as a Sportback, although I can’t help but think that all SUV-coupes are a bit special. WIRED will not trade the longer rear end and greater versatility of the conventional car for this supposed style statement.
5 years service
Photo: AUDI AG
More important are the technology upgrades. Five years is a long time in the world of electrification, and the energy density of batteries is always improving. The entry-level 50 version has available capacity increased from 71 to 89 kWh, while the 55 model (and the performance-oriented SQ8 E-tron) increases from 89 to 106 kWh, possibly more than the upcoming version. KIA EV9. Now we talk.
The engines have also been revised and the car’s aerodynamic efficiency has been further optimized. Audi claims range “up to 330 miles” for the 55, and DC charging speeds are also improved. These powers have increased from 150 to 170 kW, although that is still far from the 240 kW limit enjoyed by the excellent Genesis GV70 and others. The battery will charge from 10 to 80 percent in 31 minutes, but this time can’t beat the EV9’s 800V electrical architecture, which can do the same in less than 25 minutes.
The Q8 E-tron has also gained some dynamic improvements. The steering is quicker and more responsive, the suspension has been tweaked—all versions use air springs—and the stability and traction control algorithms have been tweaked. The 55 has a total of 402 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque, and it sits between the 335-horsepower 50 and the 496-horsepower SQ8. That gains a third motive.
Domineering, non-interactive
Photo: AUDI AG
The 55 twin engine is a car with a sense of authority that isn’t what you might call interactive. But then there’s no electric SUV that really lives up to the mission statement for fun — not least because, regardless of chassis wizardry or clever engineering at play, the E-tron weighs 2.5 tons. in the north and physics at work is immutable.
