Compare the2024 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Audi Q8

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Escalade are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Escalade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Q8 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Escalade and the Q8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 all wheel drive, night vision systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Cadillac Escalade weighs 631 to 1011 pounds more than the Audi Q8. 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 Cadillac Escalade is safer than the Audi Q8:

	Escalade	Q8
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	146	296
Neck Injury Risk	23%	30%

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 Cadillac Escalade is safer than the Audi Q8:

	Escalade	Q8
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	60
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	111 lbs.	128 lbs.
Hip Force	118 lbs.	260 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	141
Spine Acceleration	24 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	248 lbs.	684 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	239	282
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	49 G’s

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

Warranty

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 84 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

Reliability

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Q8 doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Escalade has a standard 800-amp battery (900 Diesel). The Q8’s 380-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade first among large premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Q8 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

Engine

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 85 more horsepower (420 vs. 335) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 369) than the Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 369) than the Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Escalade
	RWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Diesel	21 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Diesel	20 city/26 hwy
Q8
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escalade V8’s fuel efficiency. The Q8 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Q8 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q8 (24 vs. 22.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Escalade has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q8 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Cadillac Escalade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Q8.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Escalade	Q8
Front Rotors	16.1 inches	14.8 inches

The Escalade stops much shorter than the Q8:

	Escalade	Q8
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	141 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 21-inch wheels are standard on the Q8.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q8 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Q8 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Escalade has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Q8; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Escalade has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q8 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Q8 (120.9 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Q8.

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the Q8’s (39.7 feet vs. 43.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (8 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Escalade Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 4.2 inches higher than on the Q8 (10 vs. 5.8 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Escalade (except Diesel) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q8 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Q8 can only carry 5.

The Escalade has 5.2 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, 6 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 1.5 inches more rear legroom and 6.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q8.

Cargo Capacity

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q8.

	Escalade	Q8
Third Seat Folded	72.9 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	30.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	121 cubic feet	60.7 cubic feet

The Escalade’s cargo area is larger than the Q8’s in almost every dimension:

	Escalade	Q8
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	24”/54”/89.5”	n.a./41.1”/75.4”
Max Width	49.5”	54”
Min Width	49.4”	39.8”
Height	36.5”	29”

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Escalade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q8 doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

Towing

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q8’s (8000 vs. 7700 pounds).

The Escalade 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Q8 can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escalade uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q8 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 15% lower rating, Audi is ranked 8th.

Ergonomics

The Escalade’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Q8 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Escalade has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q8 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

The Escalade has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Q8.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Cadillac Escalade has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q8.

The Escalade has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q8 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Escalade is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q8 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Escalade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escalade will cost $2500 to $5175 less than the Q8 over a five-year period.

Recommendations

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by over four to one during 2022.

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