Rich people, listen up! The Audi Q8 has landed in India sporting a price tag of Rs 1.33 crore. Why such a steep price tag? The answer is simple – it comes via the CBU (Completely Built Unit) route. Sticking to its plans, Audi India has brought just the petrol-powered version of the crossover – the 55 TFSI. Yes, it is BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6), and yes, there’s only one trim level on offer. Audi has allotted only 200 units of the Q8 to India.
Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The internal combustion motor pumps out 335bhp/500Nm, all of which gets harnessed by an 8-speed automatic transmission. The mild-hybrid system comes into action in certain scenarios with an additional 16bhp. It not only helps in quicker acceleration but also aids fuel economy. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system ensures that most of the available oomph gets utilised in propulsion.
With that powertrain, Audi claims the Q8 can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 5.9 seconds and reach an electronically-limited top speed of 250kmph. For something that stretches almost five metres in length, is nearly two metres wide and weighs 5kg shy of 2.1 tonnes unladen, those performance figures will keep the spending party happy.
The numbers game is over. Time then to unravel what kind of kit has Audi packed in the Q8 for India. As you’d expect, there’s a lot on offer. As standard, the crossover gets stuff like Matrix LED headlamps, four-zone climate control, ambient lighting and 360-degree cameras. If all that doesn’t float your boat, the car also gets two touchscreen displays (10.1-inch for infotainment purposes and an 8.6-inch for comfort settings), a head-up display, wireless mobile charger and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
The Q8 is Audi’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé, Porsche Cayenne Coupé and the BMW X6. India will soon get the latest coupe versions of the GLE and X6. The Cayenne, on the other hand, received its sportier-looking sibling last month. If you had to choose one of out the four, which would it be?
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