32 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE
AUDI Q8 FROM $128,900
A
udi’s fi ve seater Q8 is based
on the seven-seater Q7,
but with a sleeker, sharper
profi le, a coupe roofl ine, a few
dimensional adjustments and
whopper 21 inch alloy wheels to
give it a sportier stance.
The Q8 55TFSi quattro, priced
at $128,900, runs a 3.0-litre V6
turbopetrol engine with 250kW
of power and 500Nm of torque,
matched with an eight-speed
automatic and all wheel drive.
It’s a mild hybrid, with 48-volt
electrics, a lithium ion battery
and a starter motor that can also
give the engine a high voltage
boost of up to 6kW of power and
60Nm of torque, for fi ve seconds,
when you plant the accelerator.
The engine is also switched
off and decoupled from the
transmission in “coasting” mode,
on a light throttle between 55-
160km/h, yielding fuel effi ciency
gains on the highway.
A 210kW/620Nm 3.0-litre V6
turbodiesel Q8, badged as the
50TDi quattro, will be available in
mid 2019 at the same $128,900
price and specifi cation.
Q8 gets Audi’s latest all digital
centre stack dash, with a 10.1 inch
touchscreen for infotainment,
plus an 8.3-inch screen below
it for vehicle settings, heating
and cooling. Both use a haptic
interface, which gives you subtle
feedback and a muted click when
you touch an icon, mimicking a
conventional switch. You have to
give the icons a serious poke —
sometimes two pokes — to get
a result, but at least they’re big,
clear and easy to hit.
Seating is luxurious, there’s
ample, adjustable legroom and
decent headroom in the back
stalls, while boot volume is around
15 per cent less than Q7 in fi ve
seater mode, but still expansive.
Audi ups the safety tech ante
in a big way on Q8, which has 39
driver assistance systems to look
after you. A 3D virtual image of the
car on the infotainment screen can
be rotated through 360 degrees,
so you can see any obstaclenearby before you begin to move,
while autonomous emergency
braking extends to stopping the
car if it detects you’re about to be
T-boned at an intersection.
Audi claims a seriously rapid
5.9 seconds for the 0-100km/h
sprint. Seat of the pants says
the Q8 isn’t that fast. The
3.0-litre V6 is certainly potent,
and beautifully smooth, but
peak torque doesn’t kick in until
a high 2900 rpm, so it’s not
particularly strong at low revs,
and the eight speed automatic
is very slow to respond when
you want a lower gear, even
in Dynamic mode, the most
aggressive of seven selectable
drivetrain settings.
Adaptive air suspension,
available only in the $11,000
Premium plus package, allows
you to tailor the ride/handling
compromise to suit the road,
the load and your speed. I didn’t
get to drive the standard steel-sprung variant, but colleagues
who did reported that the ride
was much lumpier and harder
than the air sprung examples I
drove, which ironed out a rough
road with grace and authority.
Q8 isn’t a sports SUV, though.
It weighs 2265kg. Enough said.
However the Audi is stable at
speed, takes corners in a fl at,
well-balanced manner with the
adjustable suspension turned
up to taut, and has powerful,
progressive brakes. A notable
dynamic demerit, common on
Audis, is imprecise, inconsistently-
weighted, uncommunicative
steering. I can’t say I noticed any
real benefi t from optional rear
wheel steering, either.
Q8 offers high-end luxe, dazzling
tech and bombproof safety in a
slick stylish package, but as a drive
it’s competent rather than class
leading, and pricey too.Safety
Not yet tested
PerformanceHandlingQuality and reliabilityComfort and refi nementValue for moneyOverallSTARS
THINGS WE LIKE
Beautiful design inside and out
Spacious, comfortable interior
Luxurious seats
Dazzling high tech infotainment
Security of quattro all-wheel drive
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
Doesn’t drive as good as it looks
Overpriced, especially compared
with Porsche Cayenne
Engine lacks low-down torque
Transmission slow to respond
Sharp ride on standard suspensionSPEX
Made in Slovakia
3.0-litre V6 turbopetrol/48-volt mild
hybrid/eight-speed automatic/all-
wheel drive
250kW of power at
5500rpm/500Nm of torque from
2900-5300rpm
0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds (claimed)
8.1L/100km highway; 11.1L/100km
city; 95 premium; CO2 emissions
are 210gkm; fuel tank 85 litres
Warranty: Three years/unlimited
km
Standard: Eight airbags, stability
control, autonomous emergency
braking, adaptive cruise, lane
keeping, rear-cross traffi c alert,
power tailgate, 21-inch alloys, LED
headlights, three-zone air, head
up display, leather, heated and
ventilated front seats, navigation,
digital radio, Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto
Redbook future values: 3yr: 57%;
5yr: 44%compare with ...
BMW X6, Mercedes GLE coupe,
Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover
Sport