2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron Sportback Review: More Range, More Money, Same Strategy

Electric vehicles may not quite be the status quo, but they're certainly not the curios they once were. The rapid pace of the EV category has meant decisions made only a few years ago can seem needlessly conservative today. Take, by way of example, the 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback.

Back in 2018, when it launched as the Audi e-tron SUV, the EV attempted to strike a careful balance in the automaker's range. On the one hand, its electrification was sufficiently unique as to carve out a distinct name rather than slot it into any of the existing lines. At the same time, Audi's strategy was straightforward: offer an electric SUV not too different from its internal combustion models, so as to make owners' transition less challenging.

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Today, the EV segment feels like a very different animal. Concerns around range anxiety remain prevalent, and electric cars are still often priced out of the realm of consideration for many would-be drivers, yet Audi's kid-glove approach no longer feels entirely required. As a result, the e-tron SUV — and its Sportback sibling — have been absorbed into what, arguably, should've been home all along: the Q8 series.

Audi's flagship crossover SUV nudged up against its Porsche Cayenne sibling when it debuted in 2018. While the freshly-rebranded Q8 e-tron may not share the same platform, it absolutely fits the ethos of tech-savvy, somewhat minimalist luxury.

That's all the more the case with this particular 2024 Q8 Sportback S line e-tron quattro in its Daytona Gray pearl effect paint. Combined with 22-inch wheels — part of the Launch Edition package which, along with a small handful of other extras, takes this EV from its $77,800 (plus $1,195 destination) base price to $95,990, all-in — it looks sober and a little menacing. Launch Edition spec also includes a body-color grille, together with black exterior trim, while the Prestige level brings Digital Matrix-design LED headlamps and projector lighting in Audi's Singleframe grille.

The Sportback body trades a little practicality compared to its SUV cousin, but also adds some extra range. Audi and the EPA quote up to 296 miles from a full charge of the sharply-sloped Q8 e-tron Sportback, whereas the more traditional SUV-shaped version is rated at 285 miles.

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Check the Ultra package, meanwhile — a no-cost option — and the EPA range climbs to 300 miles. To achieve that, though, Audi fits smaller, 19-inch wheels with an aero design, shod with low-rolling resistance summer tires. Obviously, if you want to hit that 300-mile estimate, you'll also need to temper how aggressively you drive, too.

The Q8 e-tron encourages a little playfulness, though not to an outlandish measure. With two electric motors — one for each axle — there's 402 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque in Boost mode, effective for a few seconds. That'll send the EV from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

The rest of the time, you get 355 horsepower and 414 lb-ft. They're certainly not shameful numbers, though they're far from the electric excesses that we've come to associate with overpowered luxury EVs. As a result, the Q8 e-tron Sportback whooshes forward with a familiar urgency but doesn't ever get into outrageous territory. Will it rearrange your organs in the process? No, but that's probably not such a bad thing (and your passengers will probably agree).

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If you do need more power, meanwhile, the 2024 SQ8 e-tron Sportback brings three electric motors and — in Boost mode — 496 horsepower to play with. That trims the 0 to 60 mph time down to 4.2 seconds, with pricing kicking off at $92,600 (plus destination; neither the Q8 e-tron nor the SQ8 e-tron qualify for any U.S. federal EV incentives) in Premium Plus trim. Match the spec of this Q8 e-tron Sportback, however, and you're looking at more like $105,045, only $4k or so away from a 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV and its beefy 617 horsepower.

Adaptive air suspension is standard regardless, and it's arguably the best part of the Q8 e-tron experience. There are multiple drive modes, including Efficiency, Comfort, and Dynamic, with adjustable ride height and an Auto setting which promises to fettle the Audi according to how you're driving it and the road conditions.

If that's aggressively, the suspension adds tautness, and the Q8 e-tron feels composed and corners flat. Along with the name change, Audi also took the opportunity to quicken up the EV's steering and stiffen things up-front, and the result is a more purposeful drive without the artificial-feeling weight transition that some sports SUVs suffer.

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In the more cosseting settings, meanwhile, the Q8 e-tron wafts nicely. Having driven the EV on its 21-inch and 22-inch wheel options back to back before, the smaller rims definitely contribute to a more comfortable ride, but the air suspension does a solid job of keeping road imperfections out of the cabin without getting floaty in the process. In Offroad/Allroad modes, there are almost 3 inches of lift available, and the big Audi is rated for a healthy 4,000 pounds of towing with an optional $750 hitch.

Paddles on the steering wheel snick through multiple levels of regenerative braking. At one extreme, the Q8 e-tron will sail almost as smoothly as we've seen on some Mercedes EVs; at the other, there's a not-quite-one-pedal mode that will slow the SUV to an automatic-like crawl.

With a 114 kWh battery as standard, now, Audi quotes up to 296 miles of driving from the 2024 Q8 e-tron Sportback S. In practice, on a route leaning toward highway driving, the EV managed 2.4 miles/kWh: total range worked out to around 250 miles. Not what the EPA suggests, no, but reasonable for the route conditions, and a fair degree better than the original e-tron SUV.

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When it comes to recharging, there's 170 kW DC fast charger support, up from the 150 kW that the e-tron launched with. In theory, that means a roughly 31-minute charge to go from 10% to 80%. As always, in practice your experience will depend on the charger you connect to, environmental conditions, and various other factors; that's something I had time to mull over while watching a 300 kW EVgo charger deliver roughly 80 kW rates despite no other EVs being plugged in.

At home, there's 9.6 kW Level 2 support as standard, or up to 19.2 kW with the $1,850 AC Charging Package. You'll need an 80A Level 2 charger to actually make the most of that higher rate, mind. That package also includes a second (non-DC fast charge supporting) port on the opposite side of the Q8 e-tron, for greater flexibility.

If you're waiting at a DC charger, at least Audi's cabin is a perfectly lovely place to spend some time. In keeping with the e-tron's "Don't Startle Anybody" strategy, the dashboard doesn't stray too far from what you'll find in most other high-end Audi models. There's none of the glitter and for-its-own-sake gadgetry that we've seen some electric cars throw in.

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In fact, the Q8 e-tron's twin touchscreens feel positively restrained compared to, say, the vast MBUX Hyperscreen in a Mercedes, or the curved swathe of glass atop a BMW i7's dashboard. The lower panel handles the standard quad-zone climate control (which has a heat pump for boosted efficiency) as well as the heating for the front seats and steering wheel, as well as showing a virtual keyboard for text entry. 

Above it, a larger touchscreen handles navigation, multimedia, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The driver gets a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit display.

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A panoramic sunroof is also standard, while a head-up display and ventilated front massage seats are optional. Upgrading the base trim's leather seats to fancier hide is available, too. Adaptive cruise control with lane guidance, blind spot warnings, and front and rear emergency braking support are all standard; Premium Plus trim adds a 360-degree camera, while Prestige trim throws in Intelligent Park Assist to help pull the EV in and out of parking spots.

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It all feels spacious, front and rear. While the Q8 e-tron SUV can hold 29 cu-ft in its trunk, or 57 cu-ft with the rear seats folded, the Sportback sees that drop slightly to 27 cu-ft and 55 cu-ft, respectively.

It's not an insult to say the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback offers no great surprises. Even with its new name and massaged specs, the core premise of this luxury electric SUV sticks close to its original goal: give those segueing into EVs a straightforward and reassuring option. And, while it's easy to look at the current state of electrification and question whether the dozens of models now on sale make that strategy less relevant, the reality is that plenty of drivers are still yet to take the leap into their first EV.

All the same, Audi's reputation for tech-savvy means it can't afford to rest on its laurels, and a new electric platform waits in the wings. The upcoming Q6 e-tron will be built atop the Premium Platform Electric, or PPE, a new architecture Audi co-developed with Porsche. As well as greater efficiency, it'll unlock more flexibility in the cabin, and debut the biggest upgrade to dashboard tech we've seen in an Audi in years.

Whether the 2024 Q8 e-tron Sportback ends up feeling passé next to all that, or comfortingly familiar, remains to be seen. The reality is, despite the new name, Audi's biggest electric SUV struggles to match the range or outright performance of its best rivals. If it still appeals, then that's because the automaker's recipe of technology and luxury that doesn't feel cartoonish is still refreshing. Now, with a gateway EV in place, it's time for Audi to show converts what they should aspire to next.