Audi Q8 e-tron, Q8 Sportback e-tron Malaysia: New premium electric SUV priced from RM384k

It may be late to the party, but Audi is entering the Malaysian electric vehicle segment in a big way, launching not one, not two but three new models today. Its volume sellers will unquestionably be the Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron, which are large SUVs with surprisingly aggressive price tags for Ingolstadt.

Audi Q8 e-tron Malaysia pricing and availability

The Q8 e-tron is available in regular and coupé-like Sportback body styles, each offered in advanced 50 quattro and S line 55 quattro variants. Prices are as follows:

• Audi Q8 advanced 50 e-tron quattro – RM383,990
• Audi Q8 S line 55 e-tron quattro – RM474,990
• Audi Q8 Sportback advanced 50 e-tron quattro – RM389,990
• Audi Q8 Sportback S line 55 e-tron quattro – RM484,990

These are punchy figures and mean that the base Q8 e-tron undercuts the similarly-sized BMW iX xDrive40 by around RM20,000. All cars come with a two-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty and five years of complimentary roadside assistance. You can upgrade to a five-year warranty and a three-year maintenance package as part of the Audi Assurance Package (AAP), which costs RM13,000.

All variants are available now save for the Q8 Sportback S line 55 e-tron quattro, which is set to go on sale next month.

Audi Q8 e-tron performance, range and charging

The Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron come as standard with dual-motor all-wheel drive, with the 50 quattro producing 250kW (335hp) and 664Nm of torque—enough to get it from zero to 100km/h in 6.0 seconds. The 55 quattro bumps up the power figure to 300kW (402hp), although torque remains identical; this shaves four tenths of a second off the century sprint, which it completes in 5.6 seconds. All cars come with adaptive air suspension as standard.

As for range, the 50 quattro is able to travel up to 410km on a single charge, thanks to its 95kWh battery. The Sportback model with its low-slung roofline is more aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient as low as 0.24, versus 0.27 for the standard Q8 e-tron. As such, its range is slightly higher at 415km. The 55 quattro gets a larger 114kWh battery to offset the more powerful motors, resulting in a range of 481km (487km for the Sportback).

Charging the 95kWh battery from 10 to 80% takes 28 minutes using a 150kW DC fast charger, and nine hours and nine minutes using a 11kW AC charger. The 114kWh unit, on the other hand, can support up to 170kW, yet despite this, it takes 31 minutes to charge to the same percentage. It also doubles the AC input to 22kW—dropping the charging time to six hours—and adds a second AC-only charge port on the left front fender. Both charging flaps are powered.

SUV with typical Audi design cues, side-view cameras

The Q8 e-tron may be new to Malaysians, but it actually made its debut back in 2018 as simply the e-tron. It received its current name as part of a facelift last year, tying it to the petrol-powered Q8—despite the two being unrelated save for sharing the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform.

The visual refresh added a contrast-colour front grille surround (providing a visual link to the e-tron GT, which was also launched today) and a redesigned rear bumper. It retains typical Audi design cues like the Singleframe grille and L-shaped LED head- and taillights, the latter in an in-vogue full-width design.

The 55 quattro gets the S line exterior package, adding a sportier front and rear bumper design. You also get digital matrix LED headlights with an effective resolution of 1.3 megapixels on each side, making it capable of projecting arrows and signs on the road ahead. Elsewhere, you’ll find alloy wheels that are an inch larger at 21 inches in diameter, along with mirror-replacing side-view cameras—a first for the Malaysian market.

Five seats, triple screens

The Q8 e-tron is around the same size as the BMW iX, measuring 4,915mm long, 1,937mm wide and 1,633mm tall; the Sportback is 14mm lower. This means it offers a good amount of head- and legroom for five occupants (yes, even the Sportback) and a generous 569-litre boot. The Sportback’s sloping roofline cuts luggage space to a still-decent 528 litres. There’s also a big 62-litre front boot on both models.

The differences between the 50 and 55 quattro are fairly minor and include a flat-bottomed steering wheel, full leather upholstery (instead of a faux/real leather combination), a panoramic glass sunroof and sports seats with thicker side bolsters; the Sportback models get the full leather trim as standard. Power-adjustable seats with driver’s side memory are fitted as standard.

Up front, the Q8 e-tron is dominated by screens. There’s a 12.3-inch customisable instrument display, a 10.1-inch centre touchscreen and a separate 8.6-inch touchscreen for controlling the air conditioning. All models come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Qi wireless charger, four-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera system, ten speakers and a hands-free powered tailgate. The 55 quattro adds soft-close doors and a 16-speaker, 705-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Full suite of driver assists

Audi has traditionally been rather stingy in terms of driver assists in Malaysia, but the Q8 e-tron bucks the trend. All models get autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist to deliver Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities. Blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross traffic alert and rear collision warning are also fitted, along with eight airbags (including rear side airbags) and stability control.