The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

Audi has revealed its flashiest SUV yet, and it'll be taking on the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe
The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

We get the idea behind the SUV ‘coupe’, but these cars never quite work out IRL, do they? The BMW X4 and X6, the Mercedes GLC and GLE Coupes - they’re all less practical versions of existing SUVs with questionable looks, but now it seems as though Audi has broken the cycle of madness.

It’s done so with the Q8, which is best thought of as a Q7 with what Ingolstadt claims is “coupe styling.” But, it has a very different visual identity to its sibling, and it looks all the better for it. It’s 66 shorter than the Q7, 27mm wider, and has a lower roofline. And yes, there is a big grille at the front.

The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

From some angles, it looks like how the Lamborghini Urus might have turned out if the designer had been a little less obsessed with rulers. It also shares its ‘MLBevo’ platform with the Lambo SUV, along with the Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. It’ll be built with the latter three in VW Group’s Bratislava factory.

Just one engine will be available from launch - a 3.0-litre, ‘50 TDI’ diesel V6. It produces 276bhp and a curiously specific 442.5lb ft of torque, making 0-62mph possible in 6.3 seconds. A lower-powered ‘45 TDI’ diesel will be available early next year, plus a 335bhp ‘55 TFSI’ turbocharged V6.

The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

What’s arguably more interesting than the engines themselves is how they’re fitted: they’re connected to the front axle subframe via ‘switchable hydraulic bearings’ which can reduce the vibrations transferred into the cabin during driving, and cut them out altogether at idle.

If you want a quicker version, you’ll have to be patient: an SQ8 is expected to join the ranks eventually, and a twin-turbo V8 RSQ8 could happen too.

The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

The interior should look familiar, as it shares its similar triple screen setup with the A6, A7 and A8. There’s a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display as standard, while on the centre console you’ll find two touch screens - one measuring 10.1 inches, and the other 8.6.

Adaptive air suspension is available, and when fitted, you’ll be able to vary the ride height by up to 90mm. You can option rear-wheel steering too if you fancy - the system turns the rear wheels by up to five degrees, steering in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds to make this big, heavy SUV feel more agile, and in the same direction at higher speeds for better stability.

The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness

There’s no word on pricing just yet, but the 50 TDI is expected to weigh in at around £65,000. There’ll be a kit-festooned ‘Vorsprung edition’ too, which will be significantly more.

The car will be launched in the UK this summer.

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Comments

Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

That grill is wider than the Panama Canal

06/05/2018 - 14:34 |
51 | 0

Yo mama so fat, she managed to cover an entire Audi Grille

06/05/2018 - 15:19 |
83 | 0

It’s wider than the Route 66 stretched completely

06/06/2018 - 00:31 |
1 | 0
Bernhard Leeb

Compared to the X6 and the GLE Coupé this actually looks pretty decent.

06/05/2018 - 14:42 |
28 | 3
Christian González Alfonso 1

Yaaay!!! a VAG suv, such a long time without one of those…

06/05/2018 - 14:51 |
12 | 2
Anonymous

Now there’s an SUV coupe that looks good!

06/05/2018 - 14:57 |
1 | 2
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

What about that land rover from a few weeks ago

06/05/2018 - 21:23 |
1 | 0
EpiCon

From the side it looks like a VW, which it is, from the rear like an Urus and from the front just bad

06/05/2018 - 15:11 |
5 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by EpiCon

VW T-Roc you mean

06/05/2018 - 20:04 |
0 | 0
J. Maksym

In reply to by EpiCon

The front looks like it’s “poor spec”, right?

06/09/2018 - 20:24 |
0 | 0
Robert Homann
06/05/2018 - 15:28 |
12 | 0

Fixed!

06/05/2018 - 15:31 |
6 | 0
SirJamjaxIsGoingAgain-PeaceOutChaps

This is stunning. Absolutely stunning. That rear light bar 😍😍

06/05/2018 - 15:31 |
1 | 1
5:19.55

The car world will be a sad place when governement chef start using suv as presidencials/officials car to transport guest. France has fallen already but Germany is keeping it straight

06/05/2018 - 15:47 |
0 | 0
Unamd Prcent

This is the kind of car a scatophile would drive

06/05/2018 - 15:55 |
0 | 0
The Audi Q8 Is Five Metres Of SUV Conspicuousness
Malte

It looks like the Urus….

06/05/2018 - 16:09 |
0 | 0