Compare the2025 Audi Q8VS 2025 Volvo XC60

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q8 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The XC60 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q8 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The XC60 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q8 and the XC60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, driver alert monitors 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 Audi Q8 is safer than the Volvo XC60:

	Q8	XC60
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Stress	120 lbs.	179 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	47/47 lbs.	329/351 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, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Volvo XC60:

	Q8	XC60
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	73
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	141	185
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	684 lbs.	906 lbs.

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 is safer than the XC60:

	Q8	XC60
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	86	106
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1205 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	40	195
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.22 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.26 in
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	803 lbs.	1316 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Audi Q8 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The XC60 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q8’s reliability 11 points higher than the Volvo XC60 and 23 points higher than the Volvo XC60 T8.

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’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 88 more horsepower (335 vs. 247) and 103 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 266) than the XC60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Q8	XC60
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.6 MPH	86.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the Q8 and the XC60 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Q8s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC60 T8 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Q8 has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the XC60 (22.5 vs. 18.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q8’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the XC60:

	Q8	XC60
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the XC60 (285/45R21 vs. 235/60R18). The Q8’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XC60 (285/45R21 vs. 265/35R22).

The Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the XC60’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the XC60. The Q8’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the XC60.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the Q8 uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC60, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8’s wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer than on the XC60 (117.9 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q8 is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the XC60.

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the XC60 T8 Core pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the XC60 B5 Core (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Q8 has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC60.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q8’s rear seats recline. The XC60’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Q8 has a much larger cargo volume than the XC60 with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 22.4 cubic feet).

The Q8’s cargo area is larger than the XC60’s in almost every dimension:

	Q8	XC60
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	41.1”/75.4”	37.8”/68.8”
Max Width	54”	43.5”
Min Width	39.8”	41.5”
Height	29”	30.6”

Towing

The Q8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XC60’s (7700 vs. 3500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q8 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the XC60. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Q8’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The XC60 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q8 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the XC60.

Laser headlights, standard on the Q8 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the XC60’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

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’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the XC60’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 has standard extendable sun visors. The XC60 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A manual rear sunshade is optional in the Q8 and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q8 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XC60 doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Audi Q8 has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the overhead console. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Volvo charges extra for Homelink® on the XC60.

The Q8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The XC60 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

The Q8 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q8 will retain 51.58% to 51.73% of its original price after five years, while the XC60 only retains 47.41% to 49.36%.

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