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AUTO AUTO
REVIEW REVIEW

Audi is now a leader in the luxury battery electric vehicle (BEV)
space, and they’ve achieved that status by building vehicles that pro-
vide the “Audi-ness” customers crave along with all-electric propul-
sion.
The 2024 Q8 e-tron® Sportback SUV is their latest effort, and it’s
a good one. Just remember my usual words of caution to anyone con-
sidering a new BEV (more on this below).
For starters, the Q8 e-tron Sportback is yet another example of a
luxury SUV that’s been coupe-ified — think Porsche Cayenne Coupe
or BMW X6 — which is either a good or bad thing depending on your
point of view. If you want maximum utility, you won’t appreciate the
loss of interior space in the Sportback, and in that case I’d refer you to
the standard (and boxier) Q8 e-tron. On the other hand, if you want
more sportiness combined with a sleeker exterior design, then the Q8
e-tron Sportback is for you.
Speaking of exterior design, the Q8 e-tron Sportback is attractive
2024 Q8 e-tron Sportback SUV with a flowing profile augmented by — and this is typical Audi —
space age and very attractive head- and taillights.
One of the pillars of Audi luxury leadership since the 1990s has
By Stephen Schutz, MD been exterior lighting, and Audi’s newest models move that area of
excellence forward. Every light that you can see is LED (obvs), but the
way the lights are shaped and move is pleasurable to behold. Naturally Pricing for the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback BEV starts at around
they do their job very well and don’t just look cool. Just when I think $79,000 for the Premium and maxes out at $90,000 for loaded Pres-
another brand is approaching Audi’s lighting abilities, Volkswagen’s tige models. Not cheap.
venerable luxury brand takes another step forward. And that brings me to my usual words of caution about BEVs:
The same is true for the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s interior, which is Before buying an Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback or any other BEV, think
attractive and technologically advanced. While everything has been about how you’ll use it. If you have a home charger, commuting and
digitalized, including the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, running errands in a BEV are a cinch, but long trips may be chal-
the familiar Audi touchstones of black background/white numbers/ lenging. Automotive News and The Wall Street Journal have recently
red needles remain, as do the expensive looking and feeling materials reported that the charging infrastructure isn’t what it should be to
that remind you every time you get behind the wheel that all those support long trips in a BEV, and outages at existing charging stations
hours of hard work you’ve spent in the hospital or your office have are a continuing challenge.
been rewarded. In addition, resale values for BEVs generally lag behind their
There is less of that feeling when you sit in the back seat though, equivalent internal combustion competitors, so consider leasing. Of
because the sloping roofline that adds to the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s course, BEVs come with government incentives unavailable to buyers
good looks subtracts from rear seat headroom. I’m 6’2” and felt claus- of vehicles that burn gasoline, so there are a number of factors you
trophobic back there, and luggage space under the rear hatch is also need to consider. (For the record, government BEV incentives are usu-
limited. ally offered to customers who lease BEVs, not just those who purchase
Driving the Q8 e-tron Sportback is similar to what you’d experi- them.)
ence behind the wheel of a regular internal combustion Q8, only qui- The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback is a luxury BEV that brings the
eter. The suspension, clearly tuned to “comfort,” handles bumps and “electric” while also bringing the “Audi.” If you want an all-electric car
potholes with ease, and the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s highway manners that gives you both of those things, give BCMS’ Phil Hornbeak a call
are excellent. Athletic maneuvers, however, are umm, not encouraged, at 210-301-4367.
and agility is limited by the big Audi’s 5,962lbs curb weight.
The Q8 e-tron Sportback is quick, though. Car and Driver report- Stephen Schutz, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist
ed a 5.2 second 0-60MPH time, which is impressive. Less impressive is who lived in San Antonio in the 1990s when he was stationed
the 296-mile range on a full charge, a number that we all know reflects here in the U.S. Air Force. He has been writing auto reviews
optimal temperatures and conditions. for San Antonio Medicine magazine since 1995.

44 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • July 2024 Visit us at www.bcms.org 45