Compare the2023 Audi Q8VS 2023 Ford Edge

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Q8’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Edge doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q8 and Edge 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 Edge’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’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Edge doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q8’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Edge doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q8 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Edge doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Q8 offers an optional Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Edge only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Q8 and the Edge have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Audi Q8 weighs 489 to 882 pounds more than the Ford Edge. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Ford Edge:

	Q8	Edge
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	238	282
Neck Injury Risk	34%	35.2%
Neck Stress	120 lbs.	197 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	47/47 lbs.	145/201 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Ford Edge:

	Q8	Edge
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	84
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	190 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	16 inches

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 Edge is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The Q8 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Edge’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Edge’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 12 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 85 more horsepower (335 vs. 250) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 280) than the Edge’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the Ford Edge:

	Q8	Edge turbo 4 cyl.	Edge ST
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.6 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	15.9 sec	14.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.6 MPH	89.3 MPH	93.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

The Q8 has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Edge (22.5 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Q8 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Edge. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Q8	Edge
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches
Opt Rear Rotors		13.6 inches

The Q8’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Edge AWD are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the Edge (285/45R21 vs. 245/60R18). The Q8’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Edge (285/45R21 vs. 265/40R21).

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 Edge SE/SEL’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Edge SE/SEL. The Q8 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Edge ST.

Suspension and Handling

The Q8 has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Edge’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Edge (117.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q8 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Edge.

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the Edge Titanium pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Edge Titanium (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Towing

The Q8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Edge’s (7700 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q8 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Edge. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 27% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Edge Titanium/ST, the Q8 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q8 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Edge doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Q8’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Edge’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Q8 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Edge can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q8’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Edge’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q8 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Edge doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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 Edge doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Q8’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Edge SEL/ST-Line/ST/Titanium.

When the Q8 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Edge’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Q8 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Edge.

The Q8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Edge Titanium/ST’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.