For 2020, Audimakes the Q8 its premium crossover

The Q8 is a new model for Audi, introduced as a 2019 to be the new flagship of Audi’s crossover offerings.

For 2020 don’t expect many changes.

With the popularity of the three-row Q7, Audi seems to be taking its own road through the forest by making a five-passenger, two-row crossover as its premier vehicle. Perhaps the reasoning is that there’s little one can do to make a style statement with a three-row family carrier.

The Q8 is a distinct departure from current crossover designs from Audi. The Q8 is shorter and more “couple-like,” if one can say that about a crossover. But it does demonstrate the move among crossover designers to make them look more like station wagons than sport utility vehicles. This isn’t unique to Audi. Slightly tongue-in-cheek, my thoughts are that designers think sport utes are ugly.

My daughter is a statistically perfect Audi customer who strongly considered a Q7 before buying an XC90. She took one look at the Q8 and stated that it looked too much like a Lexus. I’m not certain I can disagree with her.

While I’m not a fan of tradition for tradition’s sake, Audi’s crossovers have had a clear presence in the world of luxury crossovers. But the Q8, while attractive, blurs the distinctiveness of the Audi design essence.

Well maybe Audi is interested in stealing some prime customers from Lexus. Certainly, the Q8 has the capabilities to do so. Within this group of buyers price isn’t so much of an issue as meeting their needs and desires. Perhaps the thought is that the biggest need not be the best, since its customer pool probably has more affluent empty nesters rather than buyers with the expense of children not yet “on their own.”

So maybe the slightly less spacious can be the king of the lineup, with a price to match.

For those shopping in the rarefied air of this segment, there’s not much to complain about with the Q8. It is attractive, particularly the interior. You sit amongst a plethora of display screens set in a starkly horizontal design that emphasizes the importance of the information presented by them to the travel experience. It lets you know about and control all of the driving assists, safety systems, connectivity and infotainment capabilities of the Q8.

Those capabilities are pretty much all inclusive, leaving virtually nothing out. There are two premium audio systems, but of which are concert capable. The seats are almost as adjustable as they are comfortable. Without appearing fussy about it, these seats keep you comfortably centered in your seat should somebody get carried away with the driving, or an emergency requires rapidly changing directions. This is a safety feature as one wants the driver to stay firmly behind the steering wheel and in control of the vehicle rather bouncing off the door.

Mechanically the Q8 has the capability to drive at these levels. This starts with a brandnew, turbocharged 3.0-liter sixcylinder V6 engine. It produces 335 hp. and 369 lb.- ft. of peak torque. That is plenty of power for a car this size, and it runs through an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission.

This famed German transmission maker provides them to virtually all German car makers. It is well tuned to this engine. This Q8 also gets a mild hybrid capability with the addition of a 48-volt system stored under the rear cargo floor.

Power is supplied to a belt alternator starter which manages the car’s start/stop system. I noticed a bit of hesitation at low revs if you stepped on the accelerator a bit too vigorously. This may have been caused by my unfamiliarity with the system and would quit being noticeable with a bit more time behind the wheel.

All models of the Q8 come with Audi’s well-respected allwheel drive system. That just makes sense there is nobody who is interested in this car who wouldn’t want the “quattro” system, so why not just build the cost of it into the vehicle?

The ride is excellent, thanks to the standard adaptive damping suspension. The suspension consists of controlled shock absorbers and coil springs located at the five-link front and rear axles. You can choose what type of ride the car is going to have base on how you plan to drive it.

There are three models, the Q8 Premium starting at $68,200, Premium Plus at $72,200 and the Prestige beginning life at $77,700. The car I tested had a sticker price just about $88,000. There are a couple of new packages and features based by trim level for 2020 and additional capabilities will be standard depending on the model.