Audi Q8 Review (2018-present)
Audi Q8 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Outlandish looks and huge presence
Fabulous cabin quality
Satisfying to travel in for both the driver and their passengers
Cons
Very expensive to buy
Audi doesn't usually perform well in reliability surveys
An Audi Q7 is the more practical, rational buy
The CarGurus verdict
If you’re looking to make a seriously major statement and you’re inclined to think of space, quality and high-tech features as some of the ultimate determinants of luxury, then you need to look no further than the Audi Q8.
Excellent to drive, comfortable to travel in, perfectly practical, with an extensive range potential when motivated by diesel power, it is probably best thought of as a luxurious long-distance grand tourer. While commuters will no doubt rave about its easy-driving character and its daily madness-eliminating credentials, those living in more remote areas will be just as impressed by its go-anywhere adjustable-height suspension and Quattro four-wheel drive off-roading abilities.
Properly gobsmacking both in looks and dimensions, with an immaculate interior execution, tailored throughout in tasteful leathers and veneers, and powered by a range of super-potent powertrains, Audi’s flagship SUV offers performance and opulence, and on a simply epic scale.
What is the Audi Q8?
If you happen to be the shy, retiring type, look away now because the chances of you subtly blending into the background in an Audi Q8 are about the same as winning the Euromillions jackpot. In case you’re wondering, that’s about 1 in 139.8 million.
The Q8’s outlandish looks and sunlight-eclipsing dimensions are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression, and it is also capable of leaving a significant impression on your driveway, thanks to a collection of hugely potent engines.
How practical is it?
It’s pretty capacious, and despite that sloping roofline, there's plenty of space in the rear seats, both in terms of head- and legroom, ensuring adults can travel in perfect comfort. That being said, the larger Q7 SUV is more spacious still, and offers the extra benefit of seven seats.
Still, there's more than enough room in the Q8 and, should your thoughts run to sampling the delights of various spa hotels and country clubs, then the 605-litre boot will save you the bother of contacting the concierge to have your luggage and golf clubs sent on to the next stop on your odyssey.
What's it like to drive?
Engines include a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, badged 55 TSI, which is also available with electric plug-in hybrid assistance denoted by the letter e, plus a couple of traditional 3.0-litre V6 diesel engines, which depending on power output are badged 45 and 50 TDI.
Originally, the top of the range SQ8 came with a 4.0-litre diesel V8 producing 429bhp, but this was subsequently swapped for an obscenely powerful 507bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol unit in 2020.
Despite rolling on super-large alloys and faced with the unenviable task of controlling around 2.4 tonnes of mass, the Q8’s height-adjustable air-suspension and adaptive dampers do a superb job of resisting pitch and roll. Although, given the weight and the size of the wheels, it is hardly surprising that heftier impacts hit home with quite a pronounced thud.
Unless you go for the ludicrously quick SQ8, with its Alsatian barking exhaust, the Q8 is also an extremely civilised motor, thanks to its vault-like doors and a cabin that is as well sealed as some of the world’s finest luxury cars.
Yes, the V6 diesel engine does generate some combustion-sourced tingles at various points in the rev range, and some undesirable tyre roar will be registered at motorway speeds, especially with the larger wheeled versions. But overall, the Q8 is capable of devouring continents in short order, getting you to your far-flung destination feeling fresh and ready for a giddy night on the town.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
It may be a bit gangsta rap on the outside, but inside, the Q8 is as cultured as a tea dance string quartet.
Enthroned on deeply cushioned seats, covered in fine-grade leathers and grasping the elegantly slim steering wheel, these initial treats to which you’re treated are merely precursors to a whole range of visual, aural and haptic delights. With acres of brushed aluminium or carbon veneers, accentuated by sinuous strings of ambient lighting, firing the Q8 into life and awakening its trio of multi-layered digital infotainment screens is a truly theatrical experience.
To really appreciate the bejewelled cabin in all its glory, the Q8 is best driven at night, with your favourite renditions ringing out through the all-pervading sound system and the subtle glow of the mood lighting reflecting demurely off lush trim and twinkling chrome highlights.
Audi Q8 running costs
Although the Q8 is never going to be a cheap car to buy or run, the engines do at least use the most up to date technology to help maximise fuel economy.
We’ve already mentioned the plug-in hybrid versions, but even the more traditionally powered models employ mild hybrid assistance. This is effectively a 48-volt electrical system, which links to a small lithium-ion battery and a belt-driven alternator/starter mechanism. This system helps assist initial throttle inputs, fill in the pauses between gearshifts and reduces the cough of start-stop events, because once the engine has been booted into life initially via a traditional starter motor, the softer operating alternator/starter mechanism takes over the task of restarts. Kinetic braking is also employed to recover electrical power and return it to the battery.
Additional engineering tricks include cylinder-deactivation for the petrol engines, and driveline disconnection, which allows the car to coast for up to 40 seconds with the engine switched off.
According to official figures, the 50 TDI diesel offers a pretty solid 33.2 mpg but despite all its tech, the petrol-powered 55 TFSI is only capable of 26.4 mpg. If you get your granny to chauffeur you around in your petrol SQ8, you might just about manage 20 mpg.
Insurance premiums reflect the Q8’s high price and storming performance potential. The 3.0 V6 versions sit in group 47 and there are no prizes for guessing the SQ8 sits at the very top of the insurance league, in Group 50. All versions of Q8 are subject to the government's tax levy for models costing over £40,000, meaning your annual bill stands at £475 a year for the first five years of ownership.
Audi does offer fixed-price servicing for cars over three years old, and despite this being a very high-tech vehicle, the costs are not that much more than more run-of-the-mill Audi models. Expect to pay around £240 for an interim oil and filter change, which will also include fluid levels checks, an exterior and underbody inspection, interior and electrical component inspection and a written condition report. A more comprehensive overhaul, which includes a pollen filter swap, will cost around £485.
Resale values for the Q8 aren’t that strong, with figures after three-years and average mileage suggesting that the car maintains around 30% of its original value. There are also some wild variations in prices, with as much as £10k differences being asked for similar aged models with similar mileages.
Audi Q8 reliability
If you are buying a new Audi Q8, it will come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s not particularly great compared to the three-year, unlimited-mileage cover that BMW and Mercedes provide with the X5 and GLE.
The Q8 is too new to appear in any reliability surveys, and given the relatively small numbers that are likely to be sold, it is unlikely to do so in the future. It is fair to say, however, that Audi doesn't perform particularly well in reliability surveys and owner satisfaction studies. It isn’t even in the same league as stellar performers like Lexus, and the brand generally sits towards the lower end of most reliability league tables.
If problems do occur, they are more likely to be with the electrics rather than any serious mechanical fault. Early versions of Audi's Virtual Cockpit were known to suffer from glitches, but the reliability of this feature has improved over the years and it is likely to be problem-free in the Q8. As with nearly all of these types of problems, it will more often than not be fixed by a software upgrade.
It goes without saying that parts and labour rates at a franchised dealer won't be cheap if the Q8 does go wrong.
If you’re concerned about any recall work that the car may have skipped, it's a quick and easy job to check by using the recall checker section of the gov.uk website.
- The five-seat Q8 is based on a slightly shorter version of its seven-seat Audi Q7 sibling. What is perhaps less well known, however, is this same platform underpins the Porsche Cayenne, the Bentley Bentayga and even the Lamborghini Urus. The Q8 may not be able to match the ultimate desirability of its more illustrious stablemates, but it is a lot more affordable and it is far from being the poor relation, in terms of its construction, material quality and its levels of standard equipment.
- There are three main trim levels, S-Line, Black Edition and Vorsprung. All versions come with four-wheel-drive, an eight-speed automatic gearbox, cruise control, lane departure warning, low-speed autonomous braking and a reversing camera. Audi’s virtual cockpit and twin touchscreens for the infotainment systems are also included. The former is populated by customisable digital instrumentation that allows you to overlay various infotainment menus in the main instrument binnacle. Also included are electrically adjustable front sports seats with adjustable lumbar support and an extendable base. Impressive Matrix LED headlights also come standard. These trick lenses work by blocking certain areas of the beam pattern so as not to dazzle oncoming drivers while leaving complimentary lenses unregulated to provide maximum road coverage.
- The Black Edition is effectively a styling pack, featuring larger 22-inch alloys, with the addition of a flat-bottomed steering wheel and four-zone climate control. Vorsprung adds seats tailored in Valcona leather, front-seat ventilation and massage function, a Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound system and all-wheel-steering.
- If you want the ultimate Q8: Although Audi has plans to introduce an even more powerful RS Q8, at the time of writing, the SQ8 version is the craziest kid on the block. Most used versions will be powered by the 4.0-litre V8 diesel engine producing 429bhp, and it’s an absolute powerhouse, bulleting the Q8 off the mark in true hot hatch fashion. That said, that output is made to look positively pedestrian compared to the latest petrol car’s 507bhp, developed by its twin-turbo petrol V8. This will hurl the SQ8 to 62mph from a standstill in just 4.1 seconds. Thankfully, the SQ8 also comes with super powerful brakes, electronically activated anti-roll bars, four-wheel steering and beefed-up suspension components. The upshot is a car that comes close to defying psychics, especially in the way it is able to resist body roll and fling you around corners like a rag doll on a waltzer. The downside is a ride that is crushingly firm. Catch a series of white line cats eyes, and it will feel like you’ve driven over the whole moggy.
- If you want a better day-to-day proposition: The V6 diesel models offer a good blend of economy and performance and they are also a fair bit more comfortable than the SQ8, even if the overall ride quality is still a fair bit firmer than a Range Rover Sport.
- If you want the best business proposition: There are two plug-in hybrid versions offered in the latest Q8, badged 55 and 60 TFSIe. While both produce searing performance, their greatest appeal lies in their ability to travel for up to 28 miles on electric power alone, helping then to emit just 65 and 66g/km of CO2, respectively, meaning BIK company car tax implications are around half that of the diesel versions.
