Compare the2022 Audi Q8VS 2022 Cadillac Escalade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q8 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac Escalade doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the Q8 and Escalade have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q8 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Escalade’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Q8 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Escalade doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q8. But it costs extra on the Escalade.

The Q8 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q8 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a rear cross-path warning system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Q8 uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Escalade uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Q8 and the Escalade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available night vision systems and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Cadillac Escalade:

	Q8	Escalade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34%	47%
Neck Stress	120 lbs.	272 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	47/47 lbs.	333/811 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Cadillac Escalade:

	Q8	Escalade
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	593 lbs.	764 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q8 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 127 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escalade has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Escalade’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Q8 has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 7 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the Cadillac Escalade:

	Q8	Escalade
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	14.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.6 MPH	95.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q8 gets better mileage than the Escalade:

			MPG
Q8
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy
Escalade
	RWD	6.2 OHV V8	14 city/19 hwy
	AWD	6.2 OHV V8	14 city/19 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Q8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Escalade doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi Q8 higher (5 out of 10) than the Cadillac Escalade (3). This means the Q8 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Escalade every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q8’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Escalade:

	Q8	Escalade
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.5 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the Escalade (285/45R21 vs. 275/50R22).

The Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escalade’s standard 50 series tires. The Q8 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Escalade’s 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the Escalade Sport 4WD pulls only .60 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.2 seconds quicker than the Escalade Sport 4WD (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

Chassis

The Audi Q8 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 800 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade.

The Q8 is 1 foot, 3.3 inches shorter than the Escalade, making the Q8 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q8 is 9.5 inches shorter in height than the Escalade, making the Q8 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Q8’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Escalade uses body-on-frame design instead.

Cargo Capacity

The Q8 has a much larger cargo volume than the Escalade with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 25.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Q8 easier. The Q8’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 33.7 inches, while the Escalade’s liftover is 37 inches.

Ergonomics

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Q8 (except Premium) offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Escalade doesn’t offer cornering lights.

A manual rear sunshade is optional in the Q8 and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q8 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escalade doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

Economic Advantages

The Q8 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q8 will retain 48.31% to 48.86% of its original price after five years, while the Escalade only retains 45.05% to 47.27%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi Q8 will be $2770 to $16821 less than for the Cadillac Escalade.