e-tron battery '21 vs '24
 

We have a 2021 Etron and are trying to decide whether or not to get the 2024 Q8 etron... I drove the Q8 and feel it is almost the same car inside so they only reason I'd upgrade is if there was a huge difference in the battery range. Obviously any articles say it's better but does anyone have any other insight? On a "perfect" weather day my 100% charge is about 265 miles and they advertise the 2024 as 275 so that doesn't seem to be much different but as we know it's not really 265 miles.

I got a real world difference of 60 miles when I tested the '24 vs my '21. The test was mostly on the freeway at 80mph, so your mileage may vary depending on where/how you drive, but I have a very heavy foot and I was pleasantly surprised. I have no idea how you get 265 miles on a '21 with stated range of 222....I get about 180-190....but maybe that will translate over to the '24.

Thanks so much, that is definitely helpful. now you have me questioning my 265 but I really thought on a nice summer day that's what the 100% charge was although it would quickly drop...so either way it was never that number. I really go by battery percent and not the miles - much more accurate.

Assume about a 20% range bump in all circumstances. '24 also has different steering and suspension setup, though I'd say just different - not better necessarily. I routinely see 210-225 miles indicated range at 80% SOC. Last summer I saw more than 300 miles indicated on 100% SOC.
FWIW I thought my '21 was quieter, the '24 has more niggling little clicks, squeaks and rattles though not a huge difference. That might be more normal unit variation not related to MY. Maybe my '24 was built on Friday.

I picked up a Q8 Sportback in July, 2023, when my 2019 Quattro etron lease expired. Back in July the car seemed to be getting close to the 295mi EPA rated for the Sportback. A big improvement over my 2019 211mi. The battery in the Q8 is bigger than in the Quattro, but you can fill it up to match your 2021 range in about the same amount of time. Taking it to 80% takes about 10 more minute. The Plug and Charge at EA is great! In going from mid-70's F in July to low-40's F January here in the PNW, my range has dropped about 15%. The battery in the Q8 is lower in Cobalt and I have the impression that the range is a little more sensitive to temperature than the Quattro, but not overly so. I'm very pleased with the upgrades. Unlike rdgrimes, I really like much more the tighter steering and handling (much better cornering) in the Q8.

I would agree with this.

I went from a 2019 (software upgraded of course) to a 2024 e-tron as well. Range increase is a solid 23-25%. Battery capacity is 23%, so that is just "there". There is apparently 7% efficiency increase as well, but I would say that so far my experience is that this is around 4 - 5% in day to day driving.

I also agree that the tweaked steering dynamics are an improvement: it's not a BMW, but it's definitely very much a "nice to have".

I have had my 2024 for 6 months now: I suspect that I'll agree with JNealCox regarding battery composition once I've had more time in the car. It does seem to charger slightly slower than my 2019 e-tron, but I haven't had the change to DC fast charge it in the summer - only in winter temps at freezing or below.

Edit: One thing I forgot to add.

To me, the effective range update isn't 25% or so percent. It's closer to 30, 35 or even 40%. That's because, I never try to drive my cars to zero. So, if the goal was to always get home with say 60km (40miles) of range left on the car, then that's really the safety buffer and not part of the day to day usage profile. So, really that meant that my 2019 e-tron had 180 useable miles. if you take the EPA from the 2024 e-tron and subtract the same 40 miles, you get 245 useable miles. Now you're talking a major upgrade in day to day useable range: from 180 to 245: a 36% increase in range. This is totally noticeable and it shows up in my charging habits as well. With my 2019, I ALWAYS charged it to 90% - every evening. Now, if I'm just driving around town, I'll skip a day or two of home charging. I regularly do a trip where in the MY2019 e-tron, I needed to plan for a DC charging stop during that trip. With the MY2024, I rarely stop to DC change now. These are the big improvements with the 2024 in terms of day to day ownership and driving.

not personal experience, but the guys on youtube at Out of Spec Motoring did a comparison and the real takeaway is that with the chemistry change in the battery you trade range for charging time. the 2019-2022 e-tron can't be beat for fast charging curve, the 2024 Q8 though is a bit more efficient / bit slower overall charging curve.

I don't road trip every day, so for me the time between charging is better trade off. However if you only fast charge, think it was about ~10m more with the change in speed and slightly increased capacity.

They own a 2019 Prestige. Did a bunch of comparisons to a test Q8:

I own both models. Can confirm range improvement on the Q8. I don't spend much time with numbers but it is definitely an improvement. The vehicles are virtually the same other than the handling noted previously. Noticeable "shrinkflation" on Q8. No soft-closing doors. No air perfumes. Upside of Q8 - lighted seat belt connections. Sensor for foot wave rear hatch more sensitive.

Obviously love the vehicle.

My Q8 Prestige has soft-close doores.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Q8's new battery is a lot more temperature sensitive. In the cold, it mostly hangs at 100kW and peaks to 130kW. The original e-tron would still start a bit slow in the cold, but it would still get up to 150kW no problem.