Audi Applies Safari-Style Treatment to Q8 e-tron

by Matthew Guy

Published: January 3rd, 2024

audi applies safari style treatment to q8 e tron

There is no shortage of machines jumping on the off-road bandwagon as of late. Rigs like the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato get big grins and all the ink but jacked up machines like the Wilderness line at Subaru are pushing these builds well into the mainstream. Audi is dipping a toe into these muddy waters with the all-electric Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar.

We mused exactly how long it would take a manufacturer to kit one of its EVs with off-road gear which is sure to sap range faster than a hungry teenage kid wolfs down dinner after hockey practice (this may be a strangely specific example taken from events in the Guy household). Whilst it is true these safari-ized vehicles – particularly the outrageous ones – are often bought with the heart instead of head, electric vehicles are unique in that an outsized emphasis is often placed on total driving range with OEMs going through great lengths to eke even a partial mile out of the electrons onboard.

The Audi Q8 e-tron edition Dakar is obviously based on a Q8 55 e-tron quattro in Advanced trim, complete with a net battery size of 106 kWh (gross: 114 kWh) and two electric motors good for a total of 402 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. Part of the off-road cosplay are a set of General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tires, a set of rubber which allegedly blunts acceleration by just 0.1 second when compared to the 5.8-second run from 0 – 62 mph on standard street tires. And, yes – the Dakar does indeed come with two sets of tires as standard gear.

As for range, Audi says the AT3s will shave about 30 miles off total driving distance thanks to their knobby tread design and extra rolling resistance. Range with street tires in place is a claimed 280 miles. A height-adjustable suspension can also help this metric (or hinder it, depending on if the driver chooses to jack the thing skyward and bro-doze their way around town – or through 12 inches of water, according to Audi. If you’re wondering, the Dakar rides 2.5 inches higher than a stock Q8 e-tron, with total ground clearance sitting at 8.1 inches.

Price? Look for a sticker of around 120,000 Euros ($131,000 USD) in Germany when Audi opens the order books in the first quarter of 2024.

[Images: Audi]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#Audi #allelectric #EV #Safari

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 6 comments

FreedMike on Jan 03, 2024

Next up: an A3 with the full Raptor treatment...sO rUGgEDd

1 Reply
Kwik_Shift_Pro4X on Jan 04, 2024

Stop trying to make "fetch" happen!

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Jeanbaptiste 2022 Tesla model 3 performance ~35000 miles tires - ~$1000ish. Several cabin filters ~$50
El scotto No rag-top, no rag-top(s) = not a prestigious car brand. Think it through. All of the high-end Germans and Lexus have rag-tops. Corvette is really its own brand.World-leading engines. AMG, M, S and well Lexus is third-world tough. GM makes one of the best V-8s in the world in Bowling Green. But nooooo, noooo, we're GM only Corvettes get Corvette engines. Balderdash! I say. Put Corvette engines in the top-tier Cadillacs. I know GM could make a world-class 3.5 liter V-6 but they don't or won't. In the interior everything that gets touched, including your butt, has to feel good. No exceptions.Some think that those who pay above MSRP and brag about it are idiots. Go the opposite direction, and offer an extended 10-year 100,000-mile factory warranty. At a reasonable price. That's Acura's current business model.
Carrera 2014 Toyota Corolla with 192,000 miles bought new. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, 1 coolant flush, and a bunch of air filters and in cabin air filters, and wipers. On my 4th set of tires.Original brake pads ( manual transmission), original spark plugs. Nothing else...it's a Toyota. Did most of oil changes either free at Toyota or myself. Also 3 batteries.2022 Acura TLX A-Spec AWD 13,000 miles now but bought new.Two oil changes...2006 Hyundai Elantra gifted from a colleague with 318,000 when I got it, and 335,000 now. It needed some TLC. A set of cheap Chinese tires ($275), AC compressor, evaporator, expansion valve package ( $290) , two TYC headlights $120, one battery ( $95), two oil changes, air filters, Denso alternator ( $185), coolant, and labor for AC job ( $200).
Mike-NB2 This is a mostly uninformed vote, but I'll go with the Mazda 3 too.I haven't driven a new Civic, so I can't say anything about it, but two weeks ago I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental. While I can understand why so many people buy these, I was surprised at how bad the CVT is. Many rentals I've driven have a CVT and while I know it has one and can tell, they aren't usually too bad. I'd never own a car with a CVT, but I can live with one as a rental. But the Corolla's CVT was terrible. It was like it screamed "CVT!" the whole time. On the highway with cruise control on, I could feel it adjusting to track the set speed. Passing on the highway (two-lane) was risky. The engine isn't under-powered, but the CVT makes it seem that way.A minor complaint is about the steering. It's waaaay over-assisted. At low speeds, it's like a 70s LTD with one-finger effort. Maybe that's deliberate though, given the Corolla's demographic.
Mike-NB2 2019 Ranger - 30,000 miles / 50,000 km. Nothing but oil changes. Original tires are being replaced a week from Wednesday. (Not all that mileage is on the original A/S tires. I put dedicated winter rims/tires on it every winter.)2024 - Golf R - 1700 miles / 2800 km. Not really broken in yet. Nothing but gas in the tank.