Audi Q8 e-tron 50 Review: Subtle Quality

What we like:

Brilliant build quality and refinement

What we dislike:

Lacks a little of the 'wow' factor

The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback 50 as sampled previously in a quick test drive revealed a car with a solid depth of engineering, refreshed with some light updates to keep it relevant.

Do you feel the same after driving the Audi Q8 e-tron 50?

With an extended test drive, but now with the more conventional looking Q8 e-tron 50 SUV, the car proves to be a consummate daily driver with impeccable quality and refinement. In fact, if you had driven the Q8 e-tron back-to-back with a Bentley blindfolded, you might not even be able to tell the difference in the noise levels nor how the doors close. I might even venture to say that it feels a little bit over-engineered, in the sense that quality was pursued at the cost of leanness - but being efficient is perhaps why you might want to buy an electric car in the first place.

What is the range of the Audi Q8 e-tron 50?

With an electric power consumption of 28.7 kWh/100km as tested, giving a theoretical range of low 300 km, the Q8 e-tron is not very efficient in real life conditions. Official consumption figures are within the range of 24.0 to 20.1 kWh/100km.

But surely, all of that must amount to something?

The upside is that the Q8 e-tron feels like a bona fide luxury car, with sumptuous interior materials, a cosseting ride and a powerful powertrain. You just don’t find this sort of quality in its price point, even if it is all a little bit low key.

It can even carry a surprising amount of items in its boot, as I found out when I needed to carry flat-packed furniture from IKEA. It gives you all of this in a rather unassuming package.

What would you change on the Audi Q8 e-tron 50?

One change I’d like to see though is the control of the auto brake hold function. Instead of a simple button where the handbrake lever is, it is now embedded into one of the many touchscreen menus. For such a core function to be accessed frequently, it just doesn’t make sense.

What sort of car is the Audi Q8 e-tron 50?

If you want one of the very best in luxury but don’t want to shout about it, the Q8 e-tron is right up your alley.

Photos by James Wong

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