Why we ran it: To see whether a recent update had kept Audi’s flagship EV at the leading edge
Month 1 - Month 2 - Month 3 - Month 4 - Month 5 - Month 6 - Specs
Life with an Audi SQ8 E-tron: Final report
Did we like the big EV as much as its big mileage suggests? The final verdict is in
Most of all, I'll remember the Audi SO8 E-tron Sportback for its prowess as a mile-muncher. It came to us with fewer than 400 miles on the clock, and when it departed several months later its odometer showed 14,778, putting it on course for a 30,000-mile year.
Plenty of people still do these, admittedly, but it's not as common as it used to be, especially for a big EV. This mile-eating capability bears a lot on the kind of driving life I lead, because while amassing all those miles I discovered that the Audi has just as many characteristics that oppose its easy high-mileage use as promote it.
On the positive side the SQ8 E-tron looks very imposing, especially dressed in our car's flawless Ultra Blue paint (a surprisingly cheap £795 option). The car earns admiration wherever you take it.
It also reeks of quality (the solitary visual glitch is a curiously unfinished look to the centre console) and has some of the most comfortable and supportive seats ever put in an Audi, crosshatched in rich tan leather that makes them visually impressive too.
Chuck in the generous seating and space of the rear passenger compartment, which allows your family and friends to ride in something close to splendour.
Dynamically speaking, the sQ8 E-tron has very strong low-speed performance too (a 0-62mph sprint occupies 4.5sec), which gives it quick reflexes in traffic despite the bulk. A-roads passing ability is also impressive, though like most of the type it gets slower as the speeds rise.
Negatives? Start with the size and weight. The SQ8 E-tron is wider and longer than is comfortable in most supermarket car parks, a permanent hurdle. It weighs 2650kg unladen, according to Audi's own specs, so even more in practice.
You feel this constantly in the ride, and every time you have to use the friction brakes to stop quickly. And then there would be the tyre wear (our 15,000-mile car urgently needs new rubber all around).
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