Audi Q8 e-tron (US) review

Even with the new badge, not much has changed on the inside, which is fine by us since Audi tends to make interiors that are as pragmatic as they are sleek. A total of three screens dominate the dash and center console, including the digital gauge cluster with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit available, the 10.1-inch infotainment screen and a third screen in charge of certain comfort inputs. It’s a bit much at first glance, but the gauge cluster does enough of the heavy lifting that the need to glance away from the front is infrequent.

What about the back?

There’s nothing particularly notable about the second row, apart from the fact that it’s got a decent amount of headroom which even the Sportback avoids compromise. It only does so when it comes to cargo space. The normal 28.5 cu.ft. of trunk space is shaved down to 27.2 cu.ft. Beyond that, it’s your usual fare of leather-wrapped surfaces and wood inlays, which all have a few options, though they tend to play it very safe. Gray, brown, cream, and black.

How about the tech?

The Q8 e-tron comes equipped with the usual suite of ADAS functions like adaptive cruise control and lane guidance, though specific to its EV-ness is built-in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2i) communication, to facilitate plug ‘n’ charge functionality at charging stations. This is basically auto-billing for your car, which is handy.

Do we get those nifty virtual side mirrors?

Fat chance! Whether or not you think they’re a good idea, those aren’t coming stateside anytime soon. Knowing this, there is a noticeable blank spot on the door where the display would have gone, but it’s otherwise business as usual. We can add those to the pile of Audi tech we don’t get to play with in the US, next to the digital matrix headlights that can selectively crop parts of their beams to not blind other drivers yet still illuminate the road ahead. Sigh.