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 MDX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Acura MDX achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Audi Q8 e-tron has not been tested.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The MDX offers an optional Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
The MDX’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 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the MDX and the Q8 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and 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 Acura MDX is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:
|
MDX |
Q8 e-tron |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
288 |
323 |
Neck Injury Risk |
30% |
38% |
Neck Stress |
122 lbs. |
157 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 Acura MDX is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:
|
MDX |
Q8 e-tron |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
105 lbs. |
117 lbs. |
Hip Force |
226 lbs. |
236 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
41 G’s |
44 G’s |
Hip Force |
168 lbs. |
579 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
40 G’s |
60 G’s |
Hip Force |
424 lbs. |
631 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Acura MDX achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Q8 e-tron has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.