Styling
The SQ8 e-tron isn't massively different from the old e-tron before it, and while it is based on the same platform as the
updated Q8, it is just about visually different enough that you can differentiate the two without having to squint endlessly at the bodywork in order to spot the two 'e-tron' logos on the zero-emission one (they're under the front number plate and on the plastic of the rear bumper, for reference). Furthermore, the SQ8 e-tron Sportback is a good-looking thing without being terrifically dramatic, although it's helped by the Black Edition specification that clothes much of its exterior detailing in, well, black, and also by the luscious £795 Ultra Blue metallic of our test car.
Interior
Audi got the e-tron's interior so right first time around that it has barely changed since the vehicle first appeared back in 2019, but if you've been in any of the German firm's very latest products - the
current A5, the
A6 e-tron or the Q6 e-tron - then you'll know that the Q8 e-tron's lovely three-screen MMI interface (one for the cluster, one for the infotainment, one for the climate controls) is being phased out for the mahoosive Digital Stage affair of the newer cars. Perhaps enjoy this particular Audi cabin now while you still can, then, because it's an ergonomic delight and, while it's perhaps not the most aesthetically showing of fascias, the hefty solidity of the SQ8 e-tron's cabin is genuinely superb.
Practicality
Headroom in the rear of the Sportback is not quite as generous as it is in the regular SUV-shaped Q8 e-tron models, but it's not unbearable back there for taller people and legroom is very generous. The boot is also slightly smaller in this coupe-ified model, measuring 528 litres with all seats in place and 1,567 litres with the second row folded away - however, those are still decent enough figures that ensure no one should struggle with the SQ8 e-tron Sportback's practicality levels. There's also helpful in-car storage and a maximum rated towing weight of 1,800kg of braked trailer, so the Audi has plenty going for it, albeit the view out of the raked rear windscreen is a little narrower and less useful for the driver than it would be in the regular Q8 e-tron.
Performance
There's no RS version of the Q8 e-tron as there is of the
combustion-powered Q8, so the SQ8 e-tron is the pinnacle of the electric range. It makes a peak output of 503hp, which is just 4hp down on the SQ8 TFSI analogue, but its mammoth 973Nm is a good 200Nm-plus in advance of the V8 model. Sadly, in this format, the SQ8 e-tron also weighs a whopping 2,725kg, which is why it needs such a huge amount of torque in the first place. And so while its on-paper performance stats are strong, including a 4.5-second 0-62mph time, it never, ever manages to summon up the visceral drama of the SQ8 TFSI.
There's no denying the e-tron version is stupidly fast everywhere, thanks to that instant-access torque, the quattro AWD and the single-speed reduction gear that's always 'there' ready, but once you've explored full throttle a few times just to see what it's like, you'll soon taper the SQ8 e-tron back to more reasonable levels because there's not much excitement in eliciting full power. At all. And if that's the case, wouldn't you just have a cheaper, longer-range Q8 e-tron instead of the S?
Speaking of which, officially the SQ8 e-tron has a maximum range of 276 miles at a relatively lowly 2.3 miles/kWh efficiency level. That's not an outrageous consumption figure for a 2.7-tonne, performance-focused machine with more than 500 horsepower - it's no worse, electrically speaking, than an official 23mpg from the SQ8 TFSI is in the world of petrol cars, for instance - but even that may be ambitious, given we saw just 2.1 miles/kWh across almost 120 miles of steadily driven, mixed-roads driving. Combined with what the trip computer reckoned we had left with just over a quarter of battery power showing (75 miles), you're talking about a real-world range of sub-200 miles from the SQ8 e-tron Sportback. Hmm. Not great, considering you've dropped six figures on this thing... anyway, at least with a 170kW maximum recharge rate, if you get the right connection then topping the battery back up in short order ought to be super-rapid, as some small form of consolation.
Ride & Handling
As with the straight-line performance, the way the SQ8 e-tron goes around corners is entirely predicated on its weight. It's an incredibly grippy, incredibly balanced and incredibly tractive machine in all weathers, granted, so if you want to sample some point-to-point pace then it will happily play the game - to a reasonable degree. But there's no thrill or challenge in driving the SUV like that, and if you really start to lean on the Audi's chassis capabilities then its gigantic bulk starts to make itself known with some wash-out understeer and a sensation of braking power that's right on the limit of what is required. In short, you'll spend much more time in the SQ8 e-tron
not driving it like an oversized hot hatch and therefore revelling in its rolling refinement, which is typically EV-excellent. But because the kerb weight, sporty suspension tune and the giant 21-inch alloys hanging unsprung at all four corners infrequently remind you that this is the SQ8 and not just a Q8 e-tron), it's not quite class-leading for comfort and quietness, either. Dynamically speaking, essentially the SQ8 e-tron Sportback is ultimately just a little too tied-down and inert to validate the use of an S-badge on its tailgate.
Value
All cars are expensive nowadays, but the fact that the Audi SQ8 e-tron Sportback Black Edition costs £100,795 as tested (the only option specified being the blue paint) remains breathtaking. Yes, the standard equipment levels are generous and the electric SUV never feels like anything less than a high-quality, premium product. But the driving experience it serves up doesn't justify the massive outlay and nor does the middling real-world range. If you can make the SQ8 e-tron work as a tax-break company car somehow, one that satisfies your personal family-car needs, then great. Otherwise, if you want a fun-to-steer coupe-SUV, for this sort of money we'd advocate looking very strongly at the SQ8 TFSI instead.
Verdict
There's nothing inherently wrong with the Audi SQ8 e-tron Sportback, as you'd expect of this carmaker. It looks stylish inside and out, it drives in an accomplished and capable fashion, and it's electric so it suits the current political agenda for personal car ownership. But if you're going into it expecting the SQ8 badge to confer some true, appealing sportiness onto this coupe-SUV, you might be disappointed with the rather benign way it drives overall - especially as it's a machine the far side of £100,000, which is a factor that cannot be easily ignored. We therefore can't help but feel that the regular Q8 e-tron models will better serve fans of EVs, while those wanting something racier should be looking at one of Audi's petrol-powered models instead.
