If the vanilla Q8 e-tron variants are too understated for you – you’re in luck. As part of the line-up refresh, Audi has also updated its e-tron S.

It now wears the SQ8 e-tron moniker, and is every bit as bonkers as the car it succeeds. However, and as it the case with its more sedate stablemates, the cosmetic changes aren’t as drastic as you’d expect from a facelift.

Which actually isn’t a bad thing, as it is proof that the Audi designers were really very forward thinking, and genuinely understood longevity in car design.

So then, what’s New?

In keeping with the German ethos of evolution over revolution, the SQ8 e-tron is still very much recognisable as an e-tron SUV. Also, as you’d expect from a mid-cycle refresh, Audi has incorporated some of its newer design elements in the car. For instance, the front-end treatment is now similar to the Q4 e-tron. The grille surrounds now stretch into the headlight clusters, turning them and the grille itself into a single visual unit.

The bottom half of the front bumper has also been reimagined, with simpler lines and cleaner surfacing further reinforcing its ties to the rest of the electrified ‘Q’ line-up. Round the back, it wears an all-new rear diffuser, complete with an embossed e-tron logo. There certainly is more aggression as compared to the e-tron S, and certainly drives home the point that this is no ordinary luxury Audi SUV.

The SQ8 e-tron is also the very first car to wear Audi’s revised CI, with their new minimalist logo prominently featuring on its front and rear fascias.

Unchanged Cockpit

The interior survives the facelift with no major changes. Then again, there’s no need to change something simply for the sake of it. Everything on the inside is still bang up-to-date, with the car still featuring the same switchgear as what is currently being fitted to their latest models.

As with the outgoing car, it features a dual-screen setup for the infotainment and climate control system. The former comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, whilst the latter usually serves as the climate control, but can do double duty as a sketch or keypad when needed. Driving information is displayed on a digital cluster and an integrated heads-up display.

A good mix of physical tactile controls and logical sub-menus make the Audi MMI system one of the easiest infotainment systems to navigate. And this convenience pairs nicely with the brand’s obsession with comfort. Only the finest materials have gone into the build of the high touchpoint surfaces of the car.

The leather used in the steering wheel and the seats are ludicrously high quality, and feel really good to the touch. Despite the sloping roofline, there’s still just about sufficient headspace for rear seat passengers, and the thick rear seat base offers decent thigh support for comfort long-distance.

Violent Tendencies…

…but in a good a way. See, the people looking for buy and ‘S’ or ‘RS’ badged Audi expect a certain level of performance. They don’t want a car that is just a little bit quicker than a lesser variant of the model that they’ve bought.

On this front, the SQ8 e-tron absolutely delivers. Power is up from even the highest specified Q8 e-tron variant (the Q8 e-tron 55 has 402 bhp and 664 Nm, whilst the SQ8 has 495 bhp and 971 Nm). Despite there being no changes to the actual power output over the e-tron S, the Audi engineers have somehow managed to shave some 1.2 seconds from the outgoing car’s 0-100km/h time.

This means that this 2.6-ton, leather-clad electric luxury SUV will do the century sprint in just 4.5 seconds. The launch is downright violent (we’d urge you to brace yourself before accelerating), and it feels much quicker than the actual 0-100km/h would suggest.

This facelift also introduces a new battery pack with 114 kWh of capacity, a not-insignificant increase over the 95-kWh pack fitted to the e-tron S. Range has increased dramatically too, with Audi saying the car will do 470 kilometres on a single charge. In the real-world however, I only managed to do 3.5 km/kWh, which translates to a range of about 400 kilometres.

Excellence in Excessiveness

In all honesty, no one needs the level of performance offered by the SQ8 e-tron. But isn’t it always better to have the performance in reserve so you have access to it when needed, than for the inverse?

It is well-made, mind-bogglingly quick and yet surprisingly sedate when all you want it to do is to putter around town at or below the speed limit. The SQ8 e-tron is perhaps the ultimate fast electric SUV, with only one real problem – it costs $644,800.

Or about the same as a four-room BTO flat in a prime area. Then again, the common man isn’t the car’s intended buyer, and the price tag isn’t a deterrent for the affluent car enthusiast wanting the very best electric sports SUV!

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