Back to black and blue: month 4 with the Audi SQ8

Published: 05 August 2024

► Month 4 with the SQ8
► What to make of Audi’s flagship SUV
► Read month 3 here

Handsome car, the SQ8 e-Tron, thanks to a clever facelift where small changes make a big difference. A new gloss black mask linking the two headlamps, the 2D Audi logo and reprofiled lower bumper boost visual impact while leaving the components largely unchanged.

At the rear a new black diffuser and the total purge of chrome bring modernity. And the stocky body – resplendent in £795 Ultra Blue metallic – hunkers down nicely over 21-inch rims mixing thin alloy highlights with fat black blades.

This Black edition takes its blackness too seriously inside. It’s oppressively dark in the rear: if only the glass roof extended over the back seats. Better are the flat floor and copious space.

Logbook: Audi SQ8 e-Tron Black Edition (month 4)

Price: £103,310 
Performance: 106kWh battery, three e-motors, 496bhp, 4.5sec 0-62mph, 130mph 
Efficiency: 2.2 miles per kWh (official), 1.8 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 
Range: 269 miles (official), 191 miles (tested) 
Energy cost: 12.0p per mile 
Miles this month: 980
Total miles: 3674

By Phil McNamara

Group editor, CAR magazine

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