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 XC60 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Audi doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Q8 e-tron Sportback. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.
Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
The XC60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the XC60 and the Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback:
|
XC60 |
Q8 e-tron Sportback |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
125 |
212 |
Neck Injury Risk |
22% |
23% |
Neck Stress |
198 lbs. |
253 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
15 lbs. |
16 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
178 |
323 |
Chest Compression |
.5 inches |
.5 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
28% |
38% |
Neck Compression |
55 lbs. |
67 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback:
|
XC60 |
Q8 e-tron Sportback |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
.7 inches |
Hip Force |
190 lbs. |
236 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
237 |
279 |
Spine Acceleration |
29 G’s |
60 G’s |
Hip Force |
410 lbs. |
631 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.