Audi has finally got round to making four-door flagship models, the luxurious A8 and the A7 with its crazy taillights. However, the Q8 SUV is the model that will change the brand's image.
A veritable battle royale is going to happen over the luxury SUV crown, and the Volkswagen Group has all the Aces. There's the Bentley Bentayga, the Lamborghini Urus and this, the Audi Q8.
It's like the Q7 only much better in almost every way. The one area where it might disappoint is powertrains. We think that the prototype we've got in this Nurburgring video is powered by the 340 HP 3.0 TFSI with mild hybrid assistance. It's an okay engine, but nowhere near as exotic as what its sister cars are offering.
Still, even a six-cylinder Q8 will move well, thanks to an intelligent suspension that stiffens in the corners yet can still be useful off-road. Not that anybody will ever take a Q8 anywhere that's dirty or dangerous. It's more of a status symbol than anything else.
Regarding design, the Q8 is supposed to have couple-like elements that will help it compete with the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe. However, its key to fame will be the technology package, with a Tesla-like attention to screens and computing power.
This particular prototype probably has the S-Line package because it looks a lot like the Q8 Sport concept shown a while back. That thing had a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 paired to an electric motor to provide around 470 HP and a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of under 5 seconds. But will they use a 7-speed twin-clutch or the 8-speed auto?
Think of it as a rival for the GLE 43 or the yet-to-be-revealed X5 M50i. However, Audi will also develop a meaty RS Q8 with the 4-liter V8 it co-developed with Porsche.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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