Audi Q8 Review

The Audi Q8 is the top model in the Q family and although there’s less room for passengers and cargo in the Q8 than in the Q7, it has a plenty of other benefits! The SUV’s exterior has a different look, for example, with some four-door coupe characteristics. The interior is tech-laden with multiple, large touchscreens. There are two rows of seats and plenty of room for passengers in the back. The turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, meanwhile, delivers a dynamic driving experience. There’s a start/stop system that comes standard and every Q8 also comes standard equipped with Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive. There are three trims to choose from: Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. All have a premium starting price.

As the top dog in the Q family, you can expect the Audi Q8 to have a premium starting price. There are three trims to choose from and all start at more than $65,000.

The Q8 Premium trim with 20” wheels, LED headlights, tons of technology, a panoramic sunroof, rearview camera, and the same V6 engine as the higher trims starts at $67,400.

The Premium Plus and Prestige trims get larger 21” wheels and also feature more standard safety tech. They also get a Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System as standard. The mid-range Premium Plus trim has a starting price of $71,400. The range-topping Prestige, which features a full-color head-up display and those cool HD Matrix-design LED headlights and LED taillights, meanwhile, starts at $76,550. Tacking on available features and packages will bring the cost up even more.

The Audi Q8 features a new 3.0-liter TFSI V6 engine. It churns out 335 horsepower and 363 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and comes standard with quattro all-wheel drive. The Q8 delivers more power and elasticity over a wider range of RPMs than the Q7. That means the Q8 can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds. It can also tow up to 7,700 pounds.

All Q8 models come standard equipped with a 48-volt hybrid-assist system that aids stop/start operation. It’s extremely compact and is stored under the rear cargo floor.

The 2019 Q8 also features standard adaptive damping suspension that can be adjusted through Audi Drive Select. There’s also adaptive air suspension available through the Adaptive Chassis package. It allows for adjustment of both the ride height and the firmness of the dampers. In addition to the four standard Drive Select modes, the available system adds both an allroad and a lift/offroad mode. The available system even allows you to lower the rear axle by 65 mm to allow for easier loading and unloading of cargo.

Inside, the Q8 feels luxurious and that’s just what you want when shelling out this much money for a vehicle! There’s room for up to five passengers, with standard leather seating and an available leather dashboard (which comes standard on the Prestige trim). The rear seats slide and also recline. The eight-way power front seats are heated and offer four-way power lumbar adjustment. There’s standard three-zone automatic climate control or available four-zone (standard on Premium Plus and Prestige trims). A panoramic sunroof also comes as standard on all trims and allows light to beautifully enter the cabin.

The Q8’s technology is really the star of its interior. The Q8 is the first of Audi’s SUVs to feature the brand’s new infotainment system. It includes two large touchscreens with haptic and acoustic feedback, instead of a central control knob and button array. The two high-resolution touch displays function like your smartphone would, so they’re easy to use! Of course, there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality to go with it. The large 10.1” upper display is used for controlling infotainment and navigation functions, while the slightly smaller 8.6” lower display is used for climate control, comfort, and convenience functions.

On top of those screens, is the standard second generation Audi virtual cockpit system! The 12.3” display offers a beautiful, HD resolution of 1920 x 720 pixels. It helps to enhance the infotainment and navigating experience through the large Google Earth imagery or 3D city maps supported with 4G LTE.

On Prestige models, there’s also a full-color head-up display that comes standard. It projects relevant driving information in the driver’s field of vision.

Two optional sound systems are available. There’s the Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System that comes standard on Premium Plus and Prestige models. Available on Prestige models, though, is the Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System. It uses 19 speakers to deliver incredible sound!

As for cargo, there’s 60.7 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded down.

The Audi Q8 ushers in a new SUV design language for the brand. With an octagonal design, the Singleframe grille is now more striking and muscular looking. Six vertical chrome struts help give the now wider grille an even more dominant appearance. A wide mask connects the Singleframe grille to the LED headlights, which come standard. HD Matrix-design LED headlights with full LED taillights are also available. They come standard on the range-topping Prestige trim. When equipped, fast-moving light animations play in the headlights when the vehicle is locked and unlocked.

As for the vehicle’s size, its 117.9-in. wheelbase is borrowed from the three-row Q7. However, three inches are trimmed from the Q7’s length. The Q8’s roof is also shorter by an inch. But, the Q8 is one inch wider than the Q7.

The wide, pronounced wheel arches of the Q8 pay homage to the vehicle’s quattro DNA. While 20” 5-spoke wheels with all-season tires come standard on the base Premium trim, Premium Plus and Prestige trims receive slightly larger 21” 5-spoke W-design wheels with all-season tires. There are even 22” wheels available, a first for an SUV model from Audi!

At the rear, a light strip connects the LED taillights. A black surface underlines that strip, as in the original quattro coupe. It helps give the Q8 its own unique light signature.

Other exterior features to highlight include the standard heated, power-folding side mirrors with memory and the chrome exterior window surrounds, roof rails, and exhaust tips.

The Audi Q8 was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It was also awarded the 5-Star Overall Safety Rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The luxury SUV offers a comprehensive suite of standard and available driver assistance systems. All of the systems benefit from a zFAS central driver assistance controller, which obtains information from up to 24 standard and available sensors. It can create a digital picture of the environment around the Q8 to help compare, evaluate, and derive strategies for the driver assistance systems.

Audi pre sense city comes standard on all Q8 trims. It helps detect vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists in the vehicle’s forward path at speeds of up to 52 mph. It can initiate braking if a potential collision is detected. The base Premium trim gets a rearview camera as standard, but Premium Plus and Prestige trims receive an improved top view camera system with Virtual 360 degree surround view. Audi side assist and Audi pre sense rear also come standard on Premium Plus and Prestige trims.

While the five passenger Q8 has a more expensive starting price than the three-row Q7, customers love to see variety and we know that with luxury vehicles, the price really doesn’t matter all that much.

We love the large touchscreens featured inside, as well as the standard panoramic sunroof, and those cool headlights of the Prestige trim. As always, be sure to check with your local Audi dealer for any deals or specials. Q8 competitors worth checking out include the Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz GLS, and BMW X7.