Quirky Q8 gets all-new interior architecture
Frank Lamberty, the designer who penned the original Audi R8, is in the back seat of the Q8 as we course through the breathtakingly beautiful Atacama Desert, high in the Chilean Andes. He smokes at every stop. He bubbles with enthusiasm and intensity. A design god in my books, Lamberty is also responsible for this latest premium SUV from Audi, one that dives headlong into the lucrative luxury crossover/coupe niche.
“Ten years ago, a company, which is also in Bavaria, called BMW created a segment that was actually totally senseless. They brought the X6 out. And we asked, ‘What is this now?’ But customers really accepted it. Mercedes caught up with the GLE Coupe, which is kind of a clone. So we said, ‘If we do our own SUV coupe, we have to give it our own identity.’”
The five-seat 2019 Q8 is based on the Q7. It keeps the Q7’s wheelbase, but the Q8 is 44 millimetres lower, has shorter overhangs and gets a wider track. In fact, the Q8 shares this version of the VW/Audi MSB platform with the snorting Lamborghini Urus.
The Q8’s chunky and angular C-pillars are a departure from the smooth, fastback sweep of the BMW and Mercedes-Benz offerings. As Lamberty points out, the forward raked pillars and fender flares get their inspiration from the legendary Audi Sport Quattro rally car. Out back, we see a narrow gloss-black element with integrated light bar connecting the tail lights. The exhaust tips integrated into the rear diffuser are fake; the real outlets are hidden behind. Full LED headlights are standard.
The Q8’s more upright profile makes for greater usability, as it beats the X6 and GLE Coupe in both rear head room and cargo space. One of the Q8’s more unique features is the “mask” framing the octagonal grill. On base Q8s, it will be body coloured. Moving up to the S Line begets a titanium grey finish, and if you go for the Black Package, it’s gloss black.
The most striking Q8 at this launch was an S Line finished in Dragon Orange and rolling on 22-inch wheels. Arriving near the end of 2018 and priced above the Q7, all Canadian-spec Q8s with be powered by Audi’s silky 3.0-litre twin-turbo V-6, twisting out 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque between 1,370 and 4,500 rpm. It’s hooked to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system — with a default 40/60 front/rear torque split — gets the power to the ground. The system can send up to 70 per cent of the torque to the front wheels and up to 85 to the rear.
Helping with efficiency is a 48-volt, mild-hybrid system that incorporates a lithium-ion battery and a belt-driven alternator/starter, aimed at recouping kinetic braking energy and allowing for a seamless coasting feature that sees the V-6 decouple and shut down when conditions allow.
The transmission is a model of smoothness, and it responds quickly to paddle-shifter inputs. A day of driving had us covering everything from long straights to spaghetti-like mountain switchbacks, and the Q8 performed as every modern Audi does: with composure, refinement, perceptible aloofness and an overarching sense of quality.
Inside, we see Audi’s all-new interior architecture that also arrives in the 2019 A8, A7 and A6. Goodbye twirly knobs, hello haptic touch panels. There’s a lot of digital real estate in here, starting with the impressive 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit that forgoes a traditional gauge cluster for a fully configurable, pin-sharp digital display.
The centre console houses two more screens; the upper 10.1-inch screen deals with infotainment, while the lower, slightly smaller panel controls vehicle functions with haptic/acoustic touch points. It also acts as a writing tablet for inputting navigation info and the like.
Ultimately, it’s a pretty intuitive system augmented by voice control and steering wheel-mounted controls.
As is expected of Audi, the Q8’s interior is a paragon of quality, trimmable in a variety of woods, metal finishes and various hues of fine leather.