While other luxury German brands have coupe-inspired SUVs that look like two different cars cut and pasted together, the Audi Q8 takes a different approach to its design appeal.
The large five-seat SUV – which launched in Australia in 2018 - may be based on its practical Q7 sibling, but it adds sporty style, a muscular body design and driver-focused dynamics. Given its size, it’s still very practical, too.
The Audi Q8 starts at $143,415 for the Q8 50 Tdi Quattro S Line Mhev, ranging through to $154,284 for the Q8 Tfsi E Quattro 360Kw S Line.
The Audi Q8 is up to the German brand's usual high-standard for interior design. There is a good mixuture of premium materials, including Nappa leather, genuine metals and other highlights.
There's also a good combination of screens and buttons to control functions, blending technology and design well.
One downside is there aren't a lot of small item storage spaces aside from cupholders and door cards.
The Audi Q8 range comes in the choice of nine colours, however only one (Carrara White) is a no-cost option.
You'll pay $2400 extra for 'Glacier White Metallic', 'Satellite Silver Metallic', 'Mythos Black Metallic', 'Waitomo Blue Metallic', 'Chilli Red Metallic' and 'Daytona Grey Pearl'.
The Audi Q8 range, including the flagship RS Q8 Performance, comes standard with seating for five.
To account for the coupe-style roofline, the interior roof has been sculpted to create enough headroom in the back for adults to sit comfortably.
Across the range the Audi Q8 boot has a claimed 605 litres of space. The floor is wide and square with an easy load height.
If you need more room, you can fold down the rear seats to liberate 1755 litres of cargo capacity.
The current Audi Q8 range offers a variety of powertrain options including diesel, petrol, and plug-in hybrid in the range.
The Q8 50 TDI has a 210kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 with an eight-speed automatic and 'quattro' all-wheel drive.
The Q8 55 TFSI has a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 250kW and 500Nm.
Both the Q8 50 and 55 feature 48-volt mild-hybrid tech to bring fuel use down.
The Q8 60 TFSIe, which has a 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol engine assisted by an electric motor for an output of 360kW and 700Nm.
The Audi Sport RS Q8 makes 441kW/800Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which also has an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
The new flagship RS Q8 Performance has the same powertrain but boosts its figures to 471kW and 800Nm.
Even though the Q7 is larger than the Q8 and shares much of the same technology, Audi justifies a considerably price hike on the Q8 due to its more sport-focused powertrain options which boost performance. The Q8 is available in V6, V8 or full-electric guises, with the choice of petrol, diesel, hybrid and battery electric powertrains. The Q7 is only offered in petrol or diesel, the majority of which are in V6 guises with one V8 option. The top-spec SQ8 shares much of its underpinnings with the Lamborghini Urus.
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The Audi Q8 has five seats in a 2:3 configuration. Customers looking for a seven-seat option should look at larger Audi Q7.
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Standard equipment on the Audi Q8 models include heated leather front seats, adjustable leather seats in the rear, three-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a wireless phone charger.
There's also a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, the 12.3-inch driver display and an 8.6-inch touchscreen for the climate control system.
Equipment highlights for the RS Q8 Performance include Nappa leather upholstery, four-zone climate control and a 17-speaker 730-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.
With such a diverse range the Audi Q8 has a variety of performance options.
The diesel-powered 50 TDI variant is able to hit 100km/h in a claimed 6.1 seconds and on to a top of 241km/h.
The petrol-powered 55 TFSI has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds. While the plug-in hybrid Q8 60 TFSIe takes 5.0 seconds to reach the same target. Both these versions are limited to 250km/h.
Unsurprisingly, the RS Q8 Performance is the fastest of the lot, taking just 3.6 seconds according to Audi, but with its top speed also limited to 250km/h.
The Audi Q8 50 TDI is the most efficient of the latest range. It has a claimed fuel consumption of 7.1-litres per 100km, and 1000km of range thanks to its 75-litre fuel tank.
The Q8 55 TFSI uses 9.2L/100km and has 85-litre fuel tank to allow up to 900km of driving range.
The Q8 60 TFSIe plug-in hybrid has the lowest claimed range, just 1.8L/100km. However, that is only when the battery is assisting. Once the 25.9kWh battery has reached its claimed 74km EV of range expect fuel use to notably increase.
The RS Q8 Performance is the thirstiest, rated at 12.2L/100km. But it does have an 85 litre fuel tank, allowing for a theoretical 696km of range.