Compare the2024 Audi Q8 e-tron SportbackVS 2024 Volvo XC90

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XC90 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q8 e-tron Sportback has Car-to-X Services, a system that seemlesly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The XC90 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

Both the Q8 e-tron Sportback and the XC90 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback weighs 508 to 1209 pounds more than the Volvo XC90. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 e-tron Sportback is safer than the Volvo XC90:

	Q8 e-tron Sportback	XC90
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	44	51
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	153 lbs.
Hip Force	236 lbs.	255 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	579 lbs.	608 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	8 inches	12 inches

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback is safer than the XC90:

	Q8 e-tron Sportback	XC90
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	92	123
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	245 lbs.
Neck Compression	-22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.63 in	.91 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	669 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	124
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	-67 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.63 in	1.38 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.63 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	602 lbs.	915 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Q8 e-tron Sportback, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 6.7% to 9.9% less likely to roll over than the XC90, which received a four-star rating.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Volvo.

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

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 6 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

Engine

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has more powerful engines than the XC90:

	Horsepower	Torque
Q8 e-tron Sportback electric motors	402 HP	490 lbs.-ft.
SQ8 e-tron Sportback electric motors	496 HP	717 lbs.-ft.
XC90 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
XC90 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	455 HP	523 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback (base engine) is faster than the XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Q8 e-tron Sportback	XC90
Zero to 60 MPH	5.2 sec	6.8 sec
Quarter Mile	13.9 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	101.6 MPH	92.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q8 e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the XC90 running on electricity:

			MPGe
Q8 e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	84 city/90 hwy
		ultra Electric Motors	84 city/89 hwy
		SQ8 Electric Motors	72 city/75 hwy
XC90
	AWD	T8 Electric Motor	59 city/57 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Q8 e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the XC90 running its gasoline engine:

			MPGe
Q8 e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	84 city/90 hwy
		ultra Electric Motors	84 city/89 hwy
		SQ8 Electric Motors	72 city/75 hwy
XC90
			MPG
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

The Q8 e-tron Sportback can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 253 to 300 miles. The XC90 T8 Extended Range has to start its internal combustion engine after only 32 miles.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XC90. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage; a locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback higher (10 out of 10) than the Volvo XC90 (5 to 7). This means the Q8 e-tron Sportback produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XC90 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The XC90 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XC90:

	Q8 e-tron Sportback	XC90 B5/B6	XC90 T8
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	13.6 inches	14.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches	13.4 inches

The Q8 e-tron Sportback stops much shorter than the XC90:

	Q8 e-tron Sportback	XC90
60 to 0 MPH	104 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 e-tron Sportback has larger standard tires than the XC90 (255/50R20 vs. 235/55R19).

Suspension and Handling

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The XC90 Ultimate suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The front and rear suspension of the Q8 e-tron Sportback uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the XC90, which uses coil springs in front and transverse leafs springs in the rear. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback handles at .92 G’s, while the XC90 B6 Ultimate pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the XC90 B6 Ultimate (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Q8 e-tron Sportback uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC90 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has .9 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC90.

Cargo Capacity

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a much larger cargo volume than the XC90 with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Volvo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Volvo is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’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 XC90’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XC90’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and rear seats keep the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The XC90 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 XC90.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback Prestige/Launch Assist’s Intelligent Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The XC90 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.