Is Audi SQ8 The Most Desirable SUV on the Road?

2020 Audi SQ8 Full Review

Everyone knows the way to really impress your date is with a $hit-hot car, like a blazing fast Audi SQ8.

We took the big Audi up the old road over Brokeback Mountain. Sorry, typo. Of course, I meant Razorback Mountain.

Like many capable creations before it, the big Audi ate the K’s like a kid in a candy shop.

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I’m not usually a fan of an office-block sized SUV pretending to be a petite high riding coupe. SQ8 is more than a little successful at it than most. It shares much with the “gorgeous” (sic) Lamborghini Urus (and the many jokes the name inspires), and Bentley’s ascetically-challenged Bentayga. They’ll all pretty much the same underneath. It is a case of pretty changes of frocks for the Audi and Lambo, and some kind of hideous malformed Halloween mask for the Bentley.

But, I digress.

Above: This Week’s VIDEO Car Review -2020 Audi SQ8 UBER SUV

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ABOVE: 2020 Audi SQ8

Do Audi SQ8 looks float my boat?

Oh my wordy-lordy yes.

SQ8 is deceptively big, yet smaller than the Q7. Q7 has 7 seats, while our spritely test car had only 5. It costs more than the Q7-based SQ7 too. It’s all a bit confusing.

The front end is not all the different from Q7. Sure, if you put them side by side, you’ll notice the grille and lights look much sexier on SQ8. When you open the doors, the top of the door comes up to chest height on a 6’ bloke, and the windows are sans frames. Along with the sloping roofline, it gives the otherwise bulky profile, a svelte look. I say svelte, but everything is relative, because the average bloke is dwarfed when standing by a beast of this ilk.

Our wheels have a 5 spoke design. Each spoke is divided into 3 further arms, so in fact there are 15 spokes on this 22” rim. Got it? No, me neither.

Headlights are spiffy HD Matrix LEDs, and gently form and reform the light to keep the road lit but oncoming drivers dimmed. Entry to the luscious cabin is via smart keyless entry/start. The electric tailgate is also handsfree, and has a close/lock function should you want to use your fingers on buttons.

SQ8 looks lusty and powerful. To be honest, even the base models look lusty and powerful, so there is that.

Does the Cabin warrant the expense?

Like all Audis, the interior design leaves passengers in awe. You’re in no doubt that you’re inside the last word in taste and elegance. We think it is a step ahead of the German competition. BMW and Mercedes have similarly sized SUV-Coupe offerings, but both manage to either overbaked, especially the Beamer, both inside and out. Of the cars on the same platform, the Bentley cabin is more luxurious, but like the Lambo, is even more expensive. I thought the Urus was just awful at first, but it has grown on me, like a carbuncle.

In SQ8, there are lashings of uber-shiny piano black on the dash and doors. Butter soft leather is paired with metal for a sumptuous look. Seats are quilted, and have heating and cooling. There is a massage function on the front pews, which also have individual climate settings. There is a further set of controls for rear passengers, who have a bucket-load of legroom. It feels more like you’ve booked in to a day spa.

Headroom is good all-round, and getting in and out is easy for all 4 doors.

I want to mention the carpet which feels especially luxurious. In socked feet, it feels like a cloud.

The centre stack houses every function you could wish for. 2 huge LCD touch screens share the work, with the top screen displaying audio settings. There is a pleasant little tap as your finger issue instructions. The Apple CarPlay is wireless, and there Qi charger for your devices.

Drivers are spoilt rotten with a dizzying array of assistance and displays taking care of their every need. A single super-wide LCD replaces conventional instruments, and an HUD beams even more data onto the windscreen in front. It appears to float ethereally somewhere at the end of the bonnet, meaning eyes can stay on the road.

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Audi safety and assistance gadgets are both cook, and handy.

Driver assistance has become ubiquitous, even in entry level cars. But it is worth mentioning nonetheless.

Active steering works with sensors around the car, including the blind spot monitors, to keep you in your lane. If you try to change lanes and a car is in your blind spot, the SQ8 will try yo steering you away from trouble.

AEB works forward and backwards, and at intersections. In short, if the SQ8 sees something you don’t, it will either steering you to safety, or chuck out the anchors.

It used to be easy to explain safety features. It was seat belts and ABS. Now, the car will gently apply brakes if it thinks you’re skidding, and slam them to the floor if it thinks you’ll hit something.

The list is way too long to go into, so we’ve listed them all at the bottom, along with the other main features.

VEIW THE FULL SPECIFICATIONS HERE:Audi SQ8 Features and Options NBY11G

What’s Audi SQ8 Like to Drive?

You might expect SQ8 to be slightly awkward. It is tall, and long, and heavy, but not a bit of it.

SQ8 drives like a little city sprinter. SQ8 is, in fact, a GT car. After all, it is the same as a Bentayga and Urus.

Steering is direct and precise, despite being electric. Like the suspension, it is beautifully tuned for sporty performance. Air suspension is adjustable via the drive mode console.

You sit high, like a king.

If you get sea-sick in a bath, fear not. While some big SUVs feel like being in an ocean liner in a storm, in SQ8, you waft along in regal splendour, with just a hint of pulsing throb from up front. The 4.0L V8 is a turbo-diesel with 320kw and 900Nm. It puts the power to the QUATTRO AWD system through a delicious 8-speed automatic. Unlike many other VW group models, this is a proper torque converter automatic, not a DSG-style unit.

It shifts through the gears, delivering the power so smoothly, you can’t feel changes.

In power mode, the story changes somewhat, but it is never vicious. 0-100 in 4.8 seconds is faster than many hot hatches. You don’t rocket forward, rather there is a deceptively gently urgency.

Fuel is sipped at just 7.8L/100k.

Driving an SQ8 is an event, and arriving always feels like a red carpet do.

Conclusion:

SQ8 is handsome, and fast. The cabin is luxurious without being overwhelming. There is all the modern tech you could want.

I love it and would happily own one, of course.

Audi Q8 SQ8 FULL Specifications

Price: $165,500 (as tested $196,000)

Engine: 4.0L V8 Turbo Diesel

Power: 320kw/900Nm

0-100: 4.8 sec

Econ: 7.8L/100k

Drive Wheels: QUATTRO AWD

Transmission: 8-Speed Tiptronic (torque converter-type automatic)

Tags:

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