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

Redapple2 I gave up on Honda. My 09 Accord Vs my 03. The 09s- V 6 had a slight shudder when deactivating cylinders. And the 09 did not have the 03 's electro luminescent gages. And the 09 had the most uncomfortable seats. My brother bought his 3rd and last Honda CRV. Brutal seats after 25 minutes. NOW, We are forever Toyota, Lexus, Subaru people now despite HAVING ACCESS TO gm EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT. Despite having access to the gm employee discount. Man, that is a massive statement. Wow that s bad - Under no circumstances will I have that govna crap.
Redapple2 Front tag obscured. Rear tag - clear and sharp. Huh?
Redapple2 I can state what NOT to buy. HK. High theft. Insurance. Unrefined NVH. Rapidly degrading interiors. HK? No way !
Luke42 Serious answer:Now that I DD an EV, buying an EV to replace my wife’s Honda Civic is in the queue. My wife likes her Honda, she likes Apple CarPlay, and she can’t stand Elon Musk - so Tesla starts the competition with two demerit-points and Honda starts the competition with one merit-point.The Honda Prologue looked like a great candidate until Honda announced that the partnership with GM was a one-off thing and that their future EVs would be designed in-house.Now I’m more inclined toward the Blazer EV, the vehicle on which the Prologue is based. The Blazer EV and the Ultium platform won’t be orphaned by GM any time soon. But then I have to convince my wife she would like it better than her Honda Civic, and that’s a heavy lift because she doesn’t have any reason to be dissatisfied with her current car (I take care of all of the ICE-hassles for her).Since my wife’s Honda Civic is holding up well, since she likes the car, and since I take care of most of the drawbacks of drawbacks of ICE ownership for her, there’s no urgency to replace this vehicle.Honestly, if a paid-off Honda Civic is my wife’s automotive hill to die on, that’s a pretty good place to be - even though I personally have to continue dealing the hassles and expenses of ICE ownership on her behalf.My plan is simply to wait-and-see what Honda does next. Maybe they’ll introduce the perfect EV for her one day, and I’ll just go buy it.
2ACL I have a soft spot for high-performance, shark-nosed Lancers (I considered the less-potent Ralliart during the period in which I eventually selected my first TL SH-AWD), but it's can be challenging to find a specimen that doesn't exhibit signs of abuse, and while most of the components are sufficiently universal in their function to service without manufacturer support, the SST isn't one of them. The shops that specialize in it are familiar with the failure as described by the seller and thus might be able to fix this one at a substantial savings to replacement. There's only a handful of them in the nation, however. A salvaged unit is another option, but the usual risks are magnified by similar logistical challenges to trying to save the original.I hope this is a case of the seller overvaluing the Evo market rather than still owing or having put the mods on credit. Because the best offer won't be anywhere near the current listing.