Audi Q8 – Premium coupe high-rise motoring

Audi’s new Q8, a four-door, five-seater luxury coupé with the practical versatility of a large SUV and tough enough via its permanent Quattro four-wheel drive, for off-road duty, is set to launch in the Irish market in the third quarter of 2018. The Audi Q8, which will feature S Line as standard and will be available to order from authorised Audi dealerships from late August 2018, with an OTRP of €103,050 for top of the range Audi Q8 3.0TDI 286HP.  

Rivals to the Audi Q8

BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Tesla Model X, Range Rover Sport

Q8 dimensions

An undoubted substantial SUV, the 2018 Q8 stands at 4.9 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1.7 metres tall, making it wider, shorter and lower than its Q7 sister model. With a wheelbase of nearly 3 metres, it offers a three-seat system in the rear which can be adjusted upon request. There is no seven-seat option on the Q8.  With the seatbacks folded down, the luggage compartment under the power rear hatch holds up to 1,755 litres, 605 litres in normal mode.

First Impressions

Wearing its new headlights, the octagonal Audi Singleframe grill, with Audi Q8’s radiator grille stands upright. Together with the spoiler, highly contoured air inlets and sloping roofline flows into the inclined D-pillars and rests against the quattro blisters above the wheel arches, which house up to 22-inch wheels.

Those HD Matrix LED technology headlights come as standard for the Irish market, offering powerful illumination and add to the model’s street presence on the road. Audi Q8 owners can use the myAudi app on their smartphone to activate various lighting functions and experience them from the outside.

Inside Story

Enter through the frameless doors and the premium interior is a winner. The central element is the top MMI touch response display. In the dark, the optional contour light traces the design lines of the interior and provides backlight for the three-dimensionally lasered quattro badge above the glove compartment. Options including four-zone automatic air conditioning and the air quality package further enhance the elegant ambiance.

With the MMI touch response, nearly every function of the new Audi Q8 can be accessed via two large displays. The upper 10.1-inch display is used for controlling the infotainment and the navigation system while the 8.6-inch display below controls the heating and air conditioning as well as convenience functions and text input, the latter with his or her wrist resting comfortably and ergonomically on the selector lever.

The natural language voice control turns the Audi Q8 into an intelligent dialog partner allowing drivers to input their commands freely. The head-up display also projects important information onto the windshield, including detailed lane guidance for navigation.

The new Audi Q8 comes standard with the brand’s top-of-the-line infotainment system, MMI navigation plus. It includes the Audi connect data transfer module with the LTE Advanced standard and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The navigation system recognizes the driver’s preferences based on previous journeys and therefore can make intelligent suggestions. The online services from Audi connect add predictive features to the route planning process. This lets the two Car-to-X services for traffic sign information and hazard information benefit from the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet.

Hybrid Tech

All drive systems run through Audi’s new mild hybrid technology (MHEV). The 48-volt primary electrical system incorporates two important technology modules: a lithium-ion battery and a belt alternator starter. While braking, it can recover up to 12 HP of energy and feed it back into the battery. The MHEV technology enables long coasting phases with the engine deactivated and a start-stop range that begins at 22 km/h.

The standard progressive steering allows the steering ratio to become increasingly direct the further the steering wheel is turned, Audi also offers the option of all-wheel steering. It can turn the rear wheels as much as 5 degrees – counter to the direction of the turn at low speeds to increase agility and at higher speeds in the direction of the turn for better stability.

Whether parking, in the city or on long journeys – the Audi Q8 supports its driver in many situations, through adaptive cruise assist, efficiency assist, crossing assist, lane change warning, curb warning and 360-degree cameras.

Henning Dohrn, Managing Director, Audi Ireland, commenting on the arrival of the 2018 Q8, said: “The new Audi Q8 underpins the brands commitment to continuously innovate across Audi’s complete luxury range.  Furthermore, the new Audi Q8 represents a completely new offering in the segment and with its striking design, superior versatility and cutting-edge technology, reinforces Audi’s vision for the future of automotive design.”

All details of the brand-new Audi Q8 are available from www.audi.ie.