Perfectly poised performance
The new Audi Q8 fuses the elegance of a four-door coupé and the practical versatility of a full-size SUV into a single car.
By Jan Strahl (copy) & Jan van Endert (photo), AUDI AG (video)
With its powerful contours, taut muscular surfaces, imposing octagonal Singleframe and coupé-like roofline, it makes an unmistakable impression: The new Audi Q8 is yet another example of the progressively sporty design idiom, which first created such a splash with the arrival of the Audi A8 last fall. Above all, the full-size SUV ushers in the Q family design idiom and asserts its status as the top model with expressive exterior styling that makes a strong visual statement. As the doors have no window frames, the coupé-like roof appears to stretch low over the car body, lending the Audi Q8 an exceptionally athletic look for an SUV. But open the doors and you’ll instantly recognize the generous amounts of interior space available for the driver, passengers and luggage so typical of the Q family. The luggage compartment has a standard capacity of 605 liters but can be expanded to 1,755 liters when the seats are folded down.
Thanks to the quattro all-wheel drive that comes as standard, the SUV efficiently transfers the engine’s power to the road even under wintry conditions or when the surface is soiled, at all times ensuring maximum traction and safety. Just as instrumental to the added extra in comfort and safety are the numerous driver assistance systems that come with the Audi Q8 in four optional packages: The City, Parking and Tour packages comprise specificassistance systems, which, as the names indicate, support the driver and provide helpful interventions where necessary in urban environments, when parking and maneuvering or on long journeys on country roads and highways. In addition, customers also have the option of the assist package plus, which combines the contents of the City, Parking and Tour packages in one.
The backbone for all these assistance systems is the Audi high-tech central driver assistance controller (zFAS), which comes as standard with the Audi Q8 and permanently generates a sophisticated model of the vehicle’s surroundings. Depending on the equipment selected, the data fed to the controller comes from up to five radar sensors, six cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner.
Although the supremely clean and pared-back appearance might lead you to think otherwise, the interior of the Audi Q8 is also brimming with high-tech digital equipment, focused above all in the two MMI touch response displays. With their black-panel look, they are so perfectly integrated into the black surface as to be virtually invisible when switched off. All the dominant design lines radiate from the large display. The slim instrument panel together with the restful, strongly horizontal contouring reinforce the impression of width. Forming a separate geometric unit, the center console with its generous surface area visually epitomizes the SUV’s robust character. Striking design lines further accentuate the console’s three-dimensional quality, which is typical of the interior design throughout.
When the display is activated, the digital buttons with their simple, intuitive graphics are a perfect fit with the interior. Virtually free of knobs and dials, the Audi Q8 operating concept instead relies on the pair of high- resolution touch displays. The top display with a diagonal of 8.8 or 10.1 inches is used to operate the infotainment and navigation systems. Below it, an 8.6-inch display lets the driver regulate cabin temperature along with other comfort functions, as well as enter text.
All in all, the Audi Q8 not only marries the advantages of a full-size coupé and an SUV but, from the driver’s perspective, also merges two driving experiences in one car. That’s because the new Audi model is equally suited as a prestigious business vehicle and as a practical companion for sporting and leisure activities.
Produced at the Bratislava plant, the Audi Q8 will reach the German and other European markets in summer 2018.
Assistance systems can only support the driver within the specified system limits. Responsibility for remaining sufficiently alert and performing driving tasks rests at all times with the driver.
Further information on the official fuel consumption and specific CO2 emissions figures for new passenger cars can be found in the Guideline for Fuel Consumption, CO2 Emissions and Electric Power Consumption, which is available free of charge at all car dealerships as well as DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen, Germany (www.dat.de).