Audi SQ8 e-tron first drive: This tri-motor EV drives nimbly for its size, but sacrifices a lot of range
Last week, I got the invite from Audi to venture to (normally) sunny Los Angeles and take a spin behind the wheel of its latest EV model – the SQ8 e-tron. Available as a standard quattro and Sportback version, the tri-motor SQ8 takes the previously launched Q8 e-tron and refines it in a number of ways to improve performance… well, everything aside from range, that is.
The Audi SQ8 e-tron arrives as a familiar, yet refreshed spin on the German automaker’s second wave if you will, of all-electric vehicles. The Volkswagen Group sub-brand was one of the early adopters of electrification with the original e-tron SUV back in 2018, followed by the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT in 2020, the e-tron S and Sportback in 2021, and the Q4 e-tron and Sportback in 2022.
Earlier this year, I flew out to wine country to test drive the Q8 e-tron and Sportback – Audi’s design refresh and rebranding of the original e-tron for the new electric age, in which all future BEVs will be even numbered, while all ICE vehicles will be odd (appropriately so).
While the Q8 e-tron didn’t appear to stray too far from the last variation under the lone e-tron nomenclature, the EV’s platform architecture told a different story. Audi successfully improved its battery and motor design within both the Q8 e-tron SUV and Sportback, utilizing every inch of the EV’s battery modules by stacking their prismatic cells rather than winding them. The result is a battery pack that delivers nearly 20 kWh more gross capacity (114 kWh vs. 95 kWh) – all in the same footprint.
Audi was also able to achieve a range increase around 20%, eclipsing 300 miles on a single charge for the first time. With its next variant, the SQ8 e-tron, Audi has further improved the driving experience of the Q8 e-tron inside and out.
Audi SQ8 e-tron improvements and other specs
The all-electric SQ8 picks up where Audi left off with the Q8 e-tron earlier this year, bringing an even keener focus on aerodynamics. Not to be confused with the e-tron S, or the e-tron S-Line, the SQ8 e-tron saw a completely redone suspension, steering, and integrated control modules
Features like revamped air curtains and new wheel spoilers that funnel air under the body and around the car to reduce drag on the wheels help deliver improved aero. Audi says it has reduced drag by up to 6% on the SQ8 e-tron.
Other features include dimpled fiberglass on the underbody cover (golf ball principle) and active shutters which were resurrected from the design of the original e-tron. As with other e-tron models, Audi is one of the few automakers that offers 9.6 kW AC charging points on both sides of the vehicle, with an optional upgrade to 19.2 kW. Only the driver’s side has DC capabilities, however.
The 2024 SQ8 e-tron arrives in both a standard and Sportback version – both tri-motor, both Audi quattro design. The specs between the two variants are virtually the same, except the Sportback is half an inch shorter in height and leaves slightly less headroom and cargo space in its interior. Here are some additional specs:
- Motor: 3x asychronous electric motors
- Peak Horsepower: 496 hp (370 kW)
- Torque: 718 lb.-ft. (in Boost Mode) (972 Nm)
- Battery Size/Type: 114 kWh (gross) / 397V Lithium Ion
- Max Charging Capacity (AC): 9.6 kW (19.2 kW Optional)
- Max Charging Capacity (DC): 170 kW
- Level 2 Charging (9.6 kW – 240V @ 40A): 13 hours
- Level 2 Charging (19.2 kW – 240V @ 80A): 6.5 hours
- DC Fast Charging (170 kW): 31 minutes (10-80%)
- 0-60 mph Acceleration: 4.2 seconds (0-100 km/h – 4.6 seconds)
- Top Speed: 130 mph (210 km/h)
- Max Towing Capacity: 4,000 lbs.
- Curb Weight: 6,118 lbs.
- EPA Range (20″ wheels): 253 miles
- EPA Range (22″ wheels): 218 miles
Next, let’s check out some images of the Audi SQ8 e-trons interior before I dig into my drive experience and we talk pricing. Have a look:
Before we got out on the uncharacteristically wet and rainy roads of Malibu last week, Audi’s senior manager of product planning, Anthony Garbis, explained to us how quiet the new SQ8 e-tron is, going as far as saying it’s as quiet or quieter and an A8, which is super insulated. Garbis wasn’t lying.
One of the perks I pointed out during my drive in the Q8 e-tron this past May, was how quiet of a ride it was, but the SQ8 takes it to another level. I took a moment to pause Sirius XM and ride in the silence of the canyons above Los Angeles, hearing nothing but the rain being kicked up by the e-tron’s EV tires from Hankook. I took a video, but it doesn’t do it justice because of the pouring rain, but it’s quiet, trust me.
Because of the rain and several conservative LA drivers on the wet windy roads, I didn’t get as many opportunities to make the tires squeal as I wanted. That said, there were two points in between rainfalls where I found a straightaway and was able to get my SQ8 e-tron (cover your ears Audi) WELL over the speed limit (let’s just leave it at that).
As a sportier version of the Audi Q8 e-tron, the SQ8 did not disappoint on acceleration, although it honestly didn’t drive like a tri-motor EV. It definitely still felt like a dual motor in my opinion. Perhaps if I was able to hit some hairpins a little harder on dry pavement, I could have felt the torque vectoring, but unfortunately, Mother Nature said otherwise that day.
At over 6,100 pounds, the SQ8 e-tron is a sturdy gal, but it drives a lot nimbler. I believe I mentioned in my review of the Q8 e-tron that I hit a couple turns in Napa a little too hard at the start and quickly realized just how large and heavy that SUV is. While the SQ8 is very comparable to the Q8 e-tron, I found it drove a lot smaller than it looks.
The leather handle in the center console pictured above is an excellent touch in my opinion and the perfect place to rest your hand when cruising. The head up display (HUD) was easily visible and showed navigation and the haptic response of the touch screen was welcomed.
My only issue with the UX is that it was too many tap throughs to switch drive modes when I wanted to test out Dynamic Mode and experience the full horsepower and torque vectoring. Especially when driving on winding roads when you need to be paying close attention. There could have been a way to do it from the steering wheel, but I couldn’t seem to find it during all my fiddling around during my drive.
In my opinion, the Audi SQ8 e-tron is a slightly sportier version of the Q8 e-tron, but with red brake calipers and some unique badging throughout. I hear “tri-motor” and think “Plaid” or “Sapphire,” but that’s not the level of acceleration you’re going to get in this heavy SUV.
Performance-wise, its more than adequate, but the sacrifice to range you have to make for the powertrain performance doesn’t seem worth it to me. I’d rather take the 300 miles on the Q8 e-tron personally. That said, it’s still an Audi through and through. The quality of the design and the interior especially is luxe, everything worked easily and efficiently, and it made for a quiet, smooth, and relaxing ride – even at high speeds. The SUV screams quality and comfort inside and out.
I also absolutely loved the metallic blue exterior color I drove on my SQ8 e-tron and hope consumers will opt for that shade if and when they buy – I wanna see more bright blue cars on roads.
If you are interested in exploring an Audi SQ8 e-tron, the quattro version will begin at an MSRP of $90,995, while the Sportback version starts at $93,795. Note, those prices already include $1,195 in destination fees. The EVs are expected to hit Audi showrooms in Q4 of this year.
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![Chevy Bolt EUV goes full Boat Mode in Texas floodwaters [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/bolt_flood.png?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Electric cars don’t have intakes and exhausts, so they can’t get hydrolocked in deep water the way ICE-powered cars can – but that doesn’t make them amphibious. Nobody told this Texan Chevy Bolt EUV owner that, and when they got caught on the wrong side of the floodwaters, they licked the stamp and sent it!
The recent catastrophic flooding in Texas has brought unimaginable tragedies and hardships to thousands of people who unquestionably deserve better, and living through something like that can lead people to make some rash decisions (I made it through the aftermaths of Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, AMA). Rash decisions like pulling up to a tunnel flooded in nearly three feet of water, and deciding to stand on the gas.
Think I’m exaggerating? Watch this Chevy Bolt EUV go full “Boat Mode” as its driver decides that dealing with whatever unseen obstacle or deadly live wires concealed by the floodwaters are less annoying than having to find an alternative route for yourself.
Submerging an EV that wasn’t designed for it (or even a Cybertruck, which allegedly was), isn’t exactly advisable. In addition to the underwater threats, submerging the skateboard in water could damage sensitive electrical connectors, compromise battery seals, and cause shorts in circuit boards over time.
“Even more critically, water ingress into high-voltage systems can pose serious safety risks, including electrical faults or, in rare cases, thermal events,” writes Jonathan Lopez, over at GM Authority. “Although the Bolt EUV in this instance completed its soggy journey successfully, long-term effects may still emerge.”
In other words: don’t try this at home.
Electrek’s Take
Like, don’t try this at home … but it’s pretty awesome.
SOURCE | IMAGES: stormchaserhtx, via GM Authority.
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Georgia BRIGHT, a statewide initiative to deliver affordable solar, kicked off its “No-Cost Solar Plan” in Atlanta yesterday, giving qualified homeowners a shot at roughly 400 fully prepaid rooftop-solar systems with zero upfront or maintenance costs. However, Georgia Bright’s No-Cost Solar Plan may lose its $156 million in grant money if the EPA steals back the Solar for All program’s entire $7 billion, which funded it.
On Earth Day (April 22) 2024, the Georgia BRIGHT Communities Coalition, including lead applicant Capital Good Fund, along with coalition member cities, Atlanta, Savannah, and Decatur, and dozens of other Georgia stakeholders, was allocated $156 million from Solar for All to bring solar to thousands of households statewide between now and mid-2029.
Families that earn 80% or less of their county’s Area Median Income can enter a drawing for the No-Cost Solar Plan now; a second drawing for another 400 systems is set for spring 2026.
“As the cost of living increases across our most vulnerable communities, this program will deliver significant savings to the households that need it most,” said Alicia Brown, director of Georgia BRIGHT.
Those savings are already showing up. Pilot participant Christine Difeliciantonio saw her power bill plunge on her Columbus home from $224 in June 2024 to $50 in June 2025 after her panels came online, and she says the added resilience eases her mind during storms.
Nonprofits are benefiting, too. Trees Atlanta had 140 panels installed on their headquarters last November in the pilot program; the rooftop array went live in March and is on track to save about $3,000 a year, the carbon equivalent of planting 28,000 trees over 25 years.
What’s next for Georgia BRIGHT …
Georgia BRIGHT’s other programs in the works include its Residential Solar Savings Plan, offering custom rooftop installs with no upfront cost and guaranteeing households at least 20% savings on day one after factoring in the modest monthly payments. Georgia BRIGHT is also developing Community Benefit Solar, which lets businesses, houses of worship, and apartment buildings go solar so long as they share part of the financial benefits – think grocery gift cards, help with utility bills, discounted daycare, or rent relief – with eligible neighbors for five years. Finally, a Utility-Led Community Solar initiative will send grants to local utilities so they can run shared-solar programs designed specifically for low-income customers.
These programs really make a difference in a state like Georgia, which doesn’t offer any other solar incentives.
… if the EPA doesn’t steal its money
The New York Times reported today that the Trump-led EPA is drafting letters to claw back the entire $7 billion Solar for All pot from 49 states, plus 11 nonprofit groups and Native American tribes. The grant money was awarded under President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. According to the Times‘ sources, the EPA plans to send termination notices this week, effectively erasing solar savings for nearly a million low-income families before the panels ever land on their roofs.
Legal groups are already gearing up for the fight. “If leaders in the Trump administration move forward with this unlawful attempt to strip critical funding from communities across the United States, we will see them in court,” Kym Meyer of the Southern Environmental Law Center told the Times.
If the EPA pulls the trigger on this cruel, senseless plan to steal solar from lower-income communities, it wouldn’t just kneecap Georgia’s new program – it would pull the rug out from under low-income solar projects nationwide. The fight over Solar for All is officially on. How about that energy emergency that Trump declared, eh?
Read more: This metro Atlanta factory roof is now a solar record-breaker
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Tesla is in trouble, facing down hundreds of millions in fines on a single Autopilot wrongful death claim, accusations of covering up evidence, and plummeting sales in Europe, China, and the US. But, hey – that’s no reason to NOT give Elon a $29 billion bonus, right? Find out more on today’s troubling episode of Quick Charge!
We’re also helping Costco celebrate the first half-birthday of its EV marketplace, where you can get a great deal on a new Chevy Silverado EV capable of going more than one thousand miles on a single charge [insert 400 pages of fine print and disclaimers here –Ed.].
Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec, the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure. Quick Charge listeners can get an extra 10% off their next ride until August 14 with the exclusive code ELECTREK10, only at retrospec.com.
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