Saar: It takes the crown from the Q7 to become the range-topping SUV in Audi’s global lineup.
The Audi Q8 has finally broken cover. And it happened during the Audi China Brand Summit in Shenzhen, China. And like the city itself, which links Hong Kong to China’s mainland, the Q8 marries the versatility of an SUV with the svelteness of a coupe. Audi has confirmed that the Q8 will launch in the European market during the third quarter of this year.
Let’s start with the design. With a 3D octagonal grille at the front, the Audi Q8 is the new face of the Q family. The horizontal and vertical slats within the grille, which is accompanied by a sporty front bumper with two huge air inlets and a set of lean-shaped headlamp enclosures, give the Q8 a mean yet dominating stance. The massive wheel arches can house up to 22-inch alloy wheels and the side windows are pillarless. Both these design cues along with a low shoulder line as well as slopey roofline gives the Audi Q8 a very coupe-ish look. The rear spoiler, wheel arch trims, door trim strips and diffuser are finished in contrasting colour.
As standard, the Audi Q8 comes with LED headlights, with HD Matrix LED units available as an option. At the rear, both main taillamp enclosures are connected with a light strip, which can be controlled to output various lighting effects using the myAudi app.
In terms of dimensions, the Audi Q8 is 4,999mm long, 2,012mm wide and 1,707mm tall. That makes it shorter, wider and lower than the model it is based on, the Q7. With the wheelbase nearly touching the 3,000mm mark, the Audi Q8 promises to be a roomy SUV. It gets a five-seater layout as standard and with the rear seatbacks folded down, the luggage space expands up to 1,755 litres.
In terms of mechanicals, the Audi Q8 comes with quattro all-wheel-drive as standard. The mechanical center differential is by default set to be rear biased with a ratio of 40:60. To further help the rough-n-tough quotient, it comes with 254mm of ground clearance, short overhangs and hill descent control. While the suspension with damper control comes as standard, the adaptive air suspension, which automatically adjusts the ride height by up to 90mm, is an optional extra. Another optional feature that Audi offers with the Q8 is four-wheel steering, which can turn the rear wheels as much as 5 degrees. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, which gives the SUV a shorter turning radius. However, at high speeds, they turn in the same direction as the front ones to offer enhanced stability.
Audi hasn’t released any engine specifications for the Q8 but it did mention that all powertrains will be accompanied by a 48-volt mild hybrid system. As is the case with such systems, it will help the internal combustion engines during acceleration by providing additional power and replenish itself under braking or in-gear deceleration. Audi says that a maximum power of 16PS will be available from the mild hybrid tech. Additionally, the mild hybrid tech in the Audi Q8 enables long coasting phases with the engine deactivated and a start-stop range that begins at 22kmph.
As you’d expect, the interiors are very similar to the A8 sedan. Two massive displays dominate the centre console, with the top one stretching to 10.1 inches and the bottom one to 8.6-inches. Like in the A8, the top touchscreen is used to control infotainment and navigation, while the one on the bottom controls the AC and other convenience features. Obviously, Audi’s virtual cockpit also makes the kitty with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
The standard features kit in Germany will include Audi’s MMI navigation plus, which brings on-board LTE and Wi-Fi capabilities, online services that can add predictive features to the route planning process among others. Other standard features include a Bang & Olufsen sound system, Audi phone box and voice-over LTE.
As far as optional features go, the list is quite long. It includes customised contour seats with massage and ventilation functionalities, four-zone climate control, air quality package, head-up display and Audi connect key which can lock/unlock the vehicle and start the engine using an Android mobile phone.
Thinking about safety features? Of course, it has plenty of them! The list includes lane change warning, curb warning, 360-degree cameras, cruise assist and crossing assist. In 2019, Audi will introduce the remote garage pilot which will, under the supervision of the driver, enable the Q8 to guide itself into a garage and out of it autonomously. This system works with the help of five radar sensors, six cameras, twelve ultrasound sensors and the laser scanner.
So, there you have it. The Audi Q8 detailed completely. Needless to say, the engine and transmission options will be market dependent. In all probability, it will borrow them from the A8 and, inevitably, will get a plug-in hybrid too. We expect Audi to launch the Q8 in India too. But that is not likely to happen before 2019.
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