Compare the2024 Audi Q8 e-tron SportbackVS 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E

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

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q8 e-tron Sportback. But it costs extra on the Mustang Mach-E.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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 seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

Both the Q8 e-tron Sportback and the Mustang Mach-E 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, 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 836 to 1404 pounds more than the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q8 e-tron Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang Mach-E is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Mustang Mach-E’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 3 places higher in reliability than Ford.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has more powerful engines than the Mustang Mach-E:

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback (base engine) is faster than the Mustang Mach-E ER electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the Q8 e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the Mustang Mach-E:

The Q8 e-tron Sportback can travel longer on a full charge than the Mustang Mach-E on a full charge:

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Mustang Mach-E are solid, not vented.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback stops much shorter than the Mustang Mach-E:

For better traction, the Q8 e-tron Sportback has larger standard tires than the Mustang Mach-E (255/50R20 vs. 225/60R18). The Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mustang Mach-E (265/45R21 vs. 245/45R20).

The Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium ultra’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang Mach-E’s standard 60 series tires. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Mustang Mach-E GT’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium ultra has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang Mach-E. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Mustang Mach-E GT.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Mustang Mach-E; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q8 e-tron Sportback is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Mustang Mach-E.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback handles at .92 G’s, while the Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.6 seconds quicker than the Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has 1 inch more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Mach-E.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q8 e-tron Sportback. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity. The Mustang Mach-E has no towing capacity.

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.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT, the Q8 e-tron Sportback Prestige has a 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 e-tron Sportback 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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

When the Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 Mustang Mach-E’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Mustang Mach-E has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT. The Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 is only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.