2024 Audi Q8 Review

This is the new facelifted Audi Q8. And I am in one of the planet’s most stunning locations to test it, in its V6 petrol and diesel, and V8 SQ8 avatar. Though the disclaimer up front – Audi says only the petrol V6 of this trio will make it to our shores.  

The southern tip of the African continent never fails when it comes to beautiful blue skies, gorgeous setting, excellent countryside and it is for a car like this which is also gorgeous. The Q8 has always been the sort of benchmark, trendsetter when it comes to Q design language from Audi. It is the flagship for the Q range and it’s the car that’s also dropping sales for the Q family worldwide so when it has its mid-cycle facelift, we’ve got to pay attention. We want to take you through some of those changes right now and I can tell you that the roads in this area also promise for a really nice sporty drive.

Design

So overall silhouette of the car is still recognisable, in fact intentionally because it’s part of the reason the car has been so popular. The coupe roof line and the overall gorgeous looks are maintained. But while the proportion hasn’t changed, certain design details certainly have. You get these new colours including the Sakhir Gold that you see here which is the sort of communication colour also. You’ll see this new digital LED lighting up front that’s new the DRL signature pattern is new as well as the new single-frame Audi grille.

Now on the SQ8 models that gril e becomes a metal finish aluminium but the all-black look really complements the sporty nature of the car. The new front and rear bumpers as well as the alloy patterns complement that look. The LED treatment continues on to the back and that’s pretty much part of what you would expect from Audi's new OLED rear lighting which also has a new animation.

And the rear which was always sexy, remains the best angle to view this car from. The thing I’ve always liked about the Q8 is just how it kind of sits squat at the back. You really see that being pronounced and yet it’s kind of subtle. I mean the muscle isn’t exaggerated but you see these haunches on the two sides the car really looks hunkered down and that’s partly true in terms of how it performs on the road.

The new Q8 badging is not new anymore, we saw this lettering appearing on this family a little while ago. The black lettering is the new font and the OLED tail lights have lots of animation patterns which we'll talk about momentarily. Something the designers were especially proud of, and I found interesting that they spoke about this in their presentation to us, were the twin tailpipes and they’re functional. They made a point about that because so many manufacturers today are doing 4 twin pipes.

The OLEDs are definitely a talking point because they serve a dual purpose. The advantage of using OLED technology, well one you get to show off the kind of progress you have made as a brand, and second is that while it gives you the chance to animate different patterns, it also allows you to use a few interesting safety-related tricks in traffic. For example, the car standing at a red light, and when another car approaches it and keeps coming closer, the lights become even brighter. So it's stuff like that as well and not just stuff that’s aesthetically pleasing but I have to say the different light patterns is fun stuff. There are four different patterns and these will animate differently depending on what you choose in the settings.

Interior and Features

The virtual cluster, the head-up display, ADAS, a lot of that functionality of course has been carried over and it's pretty much power for course when it comes to the flagship model, these are good things to have. They’ve also been very well done on the Q8. There are few trim changes as far as layout is concerned but the cabin otherwise for the most part in terms of tech and design and overall space remains unchanged.

So yeah not a lot has changed. But it was already so good that no one wanted us to change much kinda thing. Maybe!

Ride and Handling

It’s one of those quirky times when we are driving in a right-hand drive market which would have been very comfortable for me but with a left-hand drive car, but of course, we have done stranger things so really not a challenge or a worry, just quirky.

I’m heading now towards the Cape of Good Hope, a famous point in the world and I can tell you that the roads have been a mixed bag. Some of them really nice and smooth, and some are a little bit broken or uneven and that’s nice, you get a good sense of how the car performs, now the car I have with me right now has the air suspension which is not standard on the Q8 it is Standard on the SQ8. We ain’t getting that one on the India spec which is still far from being decided. We’re still not sure if we’ll have that as standard or optional but it will be available to the customer one way or the other. That’s a good thing because the air suspension on this car is kind of like a bit of a signature if you will.

I say that because the adaptive suspension gives you a certain progress on this car, the ride quality and the overall comfort levels are on one hand something that you then come to expect. Now I say that because the adaptive suspension gives you a certain prous on this car and it’s not just in terms of the ride quality or comfort it’s also in terms of how the car handles on the road.

The Q8 has a good reputation of being a sporty self-driven car. It’s the one that the enthusiast will buy when they feel like they have to get an SUV but they still want that little bit of acceleration and dynamic performance, luckily the car has maintained all of those characteristics and not a whole lot has changed when it comes to those aspects of the car, In any case with the facelift. The steering is a bit soft in comfort, but gets better – no make that much better – in Dynamic.

There are a bunch of different drivetrain options globally but sadly we don’t get a TDI, the diesels are gone from India for good, sadly. but while that is available on the range in other markets, the car I’m driving right now is the one destined for us it’s the V6 petrol has the mild hybrid as standard and that’s, of course, a carryover as I said from the previous pre-facelift car as well.

So while it may not be quite the SQ8 or even the RS Q8. Of course, it’s still plenty good when it comes to overall dynamics giving you a fair amount of power. It gives you really nice handling and the steering, is spot on. Put the car in Dynamic and put the gearbox in Sport, the car will go exactly where you wanted it to it really hugs corners ohh yeah I'm having fun.

Now even though the diesel V6 and petrol V8 of the SQ8 are not coming to India, I managed to sneak into both the cars and take them out for a spin. You know me.  I like to be thorough.

Audi SQ8, Q8 Diesel

The SQ8 is definitely more sporty and the engine sounds great. It’s quick off the mark too and it’s got 500 bhp to offer. 0-100 kmph is done in just 4.1 seconds and it sounds absolutely serene. There is an exhaust flap on each tailpipe that modulates the sound depending on load and rev speed, so the heavier your foot, the more ferocious it gets.

I drove the V6 diesel too. There’s 282bhp up for grabs and it’s excellent in terms of response. The 600 Nm of torque is available from as low as 1750 rpm. 0 to 100 kmph might not be done in blistering time but 6.1 seconds is still not bad.

India Launch

The Q8 facelift arrives in India in the second half of 2024, given that the Q8 was one of the key drivers of sales in the country this year. Audi India will bank big on the facelift. More allocation then? Maybe. But I wish it had more to offer. Or at least some big bang innovation that Audi could boast or lord over the others. Still, it was as I said always good, always sexy, and always great to drive.