Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron vs Lotus Eletre S

"What's in a name?" I find myself pondering yet again from behind the wheel of this Solar Yellow Eletre S - the short phrase that has haunted students across the globe constantly resurfacing in my mind even after I stop to exchange notes about the merits of either car with my colleague.

This Eletre, of course, is nothing close to what many would have associated with the 'Lotus' name just a few years ago. It's not only new territory for a Lotus, being a four-door SUV, but one that weighs in at 2,500kg and thus a radical departure from the lightweight philosophy that Chapman frequently championed during his lifetime.

And the Audi we have brought to accompany it for this test is equally chameleon-like (bright bold exterior colour aside) when it comes to the world of name changing: Despite this new name, the SQ8 Sportback e-tron we have here is fundamentally an update of the e-tron S Sportback we first drove back in April 2022.

But which should you pick to call your own?

The numerous intakes and vents of the Eletre make it the more visually interesting of the two cars

Lovely as a summer's day

Set against the gloomy weather that this afternoon has graced us, both the Lotus Eletre and Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron, with their sizeable proportions and bold exterior finishes, have little trouble delivering the domineering road presence that customers have come to expect from a large performance SUV.

For those who want to make a statement wherever they go, however, the Lotus ought to offer the greater draw.

'Porosity', is the name given to the common design philosophy that unites all new vehicles from the firm - a departure from the clean and minimal approach currently prevalent and encouraged by the aerodynamic advantages that come with closed-off grilles and flush door handles.

The cabin of the Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron is the easier of the two to get familiar with, but material use in the Lotus Eletre is more varied and feels just a touch more luxurious

On the Eletre, this manifests in the eye-catching hexagonal elements on its front lower intake and vents located on the bonnet, aft of the front wheels, and at either end of its taillight, all visually communicating its sporty intentions, even to those not familiar with the brand.

The Audi, meanwhile, is unabashedly familiar. Singleframe grille? Check. Blistered wheel arches on a muscular body? Check. If you're looking for performance and space but don't feel the need to telegraph this to your fellow road users, pick your SQ8 e-tron in a more discreet colour and you're good to go.

The infotainment of the Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron is already a well-known entity, but the one in the Lotus doesn't feel to complicated at first use

Easy as a bed of roses

Ditto for the car's cabin. There are all the usual gloss black and silver trim pieces here, alongside the usual trio of screens that you'd expect and that startlingly-high apparent build quality you'd expect to find in any of Audi's high-end models.

And the Lotus mirrors its extraverted exterior with more flamboyant materials in its cabin. There's Alcantara on the centre console, and main contact points here from the window switches to the steering wheel paddles, air-conditioning temperature levers and the gear selector come in a nice gold finish.

Move to the second row and the Lotus claws back points against the Audi when it comes to practicality. The Eletre feels like a significantly larger car from here, with more head and significantly more knee room on offer, although in fairness, the Lotus does measure in at a total length of 5,103mm against the SQ8 e-tron's 4,915mm.

Rear passengers are sure to find more space available for their heads and knees in the Lotus Eletre

With horses aplenty

For those looking shopping these two and placing an eye on performance, some preamble is necessary: The Audi may look outgunned with its 496bhp output against the Lotus' 603bhp, but both cars will still take a total of 4.5 seconds to crack the century sprint - a curious oddity given that the SQ8 e-tron's also comes with an additional 150kg total weight penalty against the Lotus.

On the road, this weight difference can just about be felt. Where the Audi feels more planted, with a marginally heavier steering and tremendous grip from its wheels, the Lotus Eletre feels just a touch more eager to rotate, and just that little bit more pliant over broken surfaces.

Despite being endowed with a greater power output, the Lotus Eletre only matches the Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron's 4.5 second century sprint time

That it also offers an accurate and nicely paced steering rack is a vast accomplishment, I must point out, if this is the product of the know-how from the staff back at Norfolk who until recently, would have only worked on lightweight Elises and the Emira.

The Audi, meanwhile, counters on this front with its well-judged steering and great brake modulation. And the Lotus is not without fault, either. Turn the regenerative braking all the way to zero and you'll need to press down hard on the pedal to bring the car to a stop.

Having said this, you'll also want to note that while both cars share near-similar battery sizes (106kWh in the Audi and 112kWh in the Lotus), the Audi only offers a WLTP range of 471km next to the Lotus' offered 600km.

Both cars are competent all-electric SUVs, and you can't go very wrong with either

Which to buy?

At $644,810 (COE inclusive) the Audi SQ8 e-tron is certainly well priced to take on the more powerful $558,800 (before COE, all prices as of 17 August 2024) Lotus Eletre S. But which should you drive home?

I imagine the SQ8 Sportback e-tron will appeal to those looking for a more conventional car ownership experience. It comes with a well-known badge at the front, and its cabin should already be well-understood by those moving from any other recent Audi.

Those looking for something entirely new and novel, meanwhile, are more likely to draw delight from the Eletre's more extraverted styling while still being able to reap the benefits of its spacious interior and impressively sorted handling.

And they both can be had in some mighty delicious colours.

Looking for more head-to-head reviews? These stories may interest you:

BMW's iX goes up against the Audi Q8 e-tron

The BMW i7 takes on the Mercedes-Benz EQS

Audi's Q5 takes on the Jaguar F-PACE