2020 Audi Q8 review when it comes to the German brands naming their ranges normally the bigger the number the larger the vehicle take out II for example the q2 is the

smallest SUV then you go through to the q3 q5 up to the q7 so the q8 there and you have some idea of where it may fit in the range when your heart right

because it’s actually slightly smaller than the q7 that it’s based on however it is the most prestigious in the range and boy does it have its work cut out

2020 Audi Q8 review

because the q8 is going up against rivals including the BMW x6 Mercedes GLA coupe a and Range Rover Bella so how does the q8 stack up against these

rivals and should it be on your shopping list if you’re looking for a large luxurious SUV in this review we’ll answer that as well as finding out what

it’s like to drive how easy it is to live with and how spacious it is and remember we don’t just review cars at what car we can also help you find a

great deal head to the new car buying section at watcard calm before that though let’s take the Audi q8 for a drive there’s three engines to choose from and

they’re all three litre v6 diesels and it’s the mid-range badged as a 50 TDI that we’re going to focus on it’s got enough pull from low revs plenty of

power in reserve and if you really put your foot down it gets out to motorway speeds faster than most of its rivals at lower speeds it’s a little more gruff

than outie engines that were used to however once you’re up to speed it’s very serene in here there’s very littl vibrations coming through the cabin and

it’s a very calm and pleasant place to be as standard the q8 comes with an 8-speed automatic gearbox which although is a smooth changer at speed when you

want to pull out an overtake it is frustratingly slow to change down sport does very little to improve things however you can use these paddle shifts

on the steering wheel the Audi q8 is what’s known as a mild hybrid this technology switches off the engine for short periods and allows you to coast

which boosts efficiency the same technology also means that the stop start is a lot smoother than most of its rivals despite its size the q8 doesn’t

lean too much through the corners the standard four-wheel drive means you’ve always got plenty of grip and the steering is precise and well weighted

despite this though we certainly wouldn’t describe the q8 as fun to drive it merely is effective at what it does adaptive suspension comes a standard

which helps it soak up crests and compressions but because the smallest waves you get a 21 inch there’s a firm edge to the

low-speed ride at all times it’s never uncomfortable though you can also get four-wheel steering as an option which turns the car’s rear wheels a little to

improve the curates turning circle and make the car feel a little sharper when it turns into corners at low speeds and above 30 miles per hour or so they turn

in the same direction to be stability what you’ll notice when you first get i is this dual screen setup so the first one is for most of the standard

functions of an infotainment system and then the bottom one is for your climate control settings and heated seats while they look very impressive the

old-fashioned dolls and buttons on the q7 are actually easier to use on the move more positively you do get our DS digital instrument cluster as standard

and you can have things such as the sat-nav map right in front of you in terms of interior quality in here it is premium and it beats most of its rival

so it’s a very very pleasant place to be if you’re concerned about parking something as large as the q8 then you needn’t be because you get great

all-round visibility parking sensors front and rear and a reversing camera all as standard so driving position then is that good as well yes it is because

there’s plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel so most people of all shapes and sizes should be happy behind the wheel of an Audi q8 sitting in these

front seats you should have plenty of room to stretch out although if you’re driving we recommend you hold the steering wheel and don’t stretch there’s

also plenty of coupling spaces for example there’s some useful storage here and also a built-in phone charger which does eat into the storage a little bit

there but that is useful and there’s two cupholders here and decent-sized door bins water bottle and sunglasses and the glove box

has plenty of room for a banana and normally when you have a sloping roofline it compromises headspace but with the q8 that is not the case there

is plenty of headroom and plenty of legroom admittedly the q7 is slightly larger so it does feel a little more spacious and this middle seat is just

about a seat I mean it is very very narrow and it is very very small I fit in here but I don’t think I would like to have a long journey in it

the QX boot space does lose out significantly compared with the q7 however it’s still larger than a BMW x6 and only a teeny-weeny bit smaller than

a Mercedes GLA coupe a and you can fold the rear seat completely flat you can also slide them backwards and forwards and when they are down the food is

absolutely cavernous there’s two trim levels to choose from namely s-line and wash Braun but in truth is no need to look beyond the entry level model

because it’s packed with kit it comes with heated seats powered tailgate and automatic emergency braking and if you do want to splash out then wash Braun

adds 22 inch alloy wheels a better stereo and adaptive cruise control despite all the equipment the q8 still looks like an expensive choice next to

the more practical q7 although it is priced roughly on a par with its BMW x6 and Mercedes GLA coupe a rivals it should be competitive or running cost

too and the 50 TDI diesel engine we recommend is cleaner and more frugal than the diesels you’ll find elsewhere sure there are cheaper and more

practical luxurious SUVs out there but if you want one that combines jaw-dropping looks with a classy spacious interior and refined engines

then the q8 should be top of your list.