In the mathematics of life, 8 has always been the symbol of infinity. In some spiritual and philosophical traditions, the number 8 represents a connection between the material and spiritual worlds, signifying a bridge between the two realms. That is why the number 8 is very symbolic and important, and for Audi India, it has been getting them good numbers even at the crore+ price point. The 2024 Audi Q8 is not a major facelift and retains its characteristic big arches, fantastical feature lines, funky LED lighting, and some bulging wheel arches. It has never been boring and follows the adage, “The best design is the simplest one that works.” - Albert Einstein.
It continues sitting on the same Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform and will be available in petrol engines, giving its electric brother, the Q8 e-tron company, on roads, but will be available around the middle [May - Aug] time frame of 2024.
I drove it and covered a lot of miles in beautiful Cape Town in South Africa for the Audi Global Media Drive. I concluded that folks at Audi AG must have looked at the acronym “What ain’t broken, don’t fix it” while rolling out the 2024 facelift Q8.
VERDICT
The update is not a major one unlike the Q8 e-tron which has much more changes; clearly, the focus is to get more Q8s rolling with an electric heart, than a petrol. The price is yet to be announced but will be in the Rs 1.15 crore mark and will be a great package. Facelift or no facelift, Q8 as a badge is a great value in the Audi portfolio and is loaded with features that compete with competitors’ offerings. Now the good news, if you already have the previous Q8 parked in your garage, you’re allowed to have a wide smile.
Watch a our video review here:
There is no change in the numbers; it will continue to churn out 340hp and 500Nm of torque and is mated to an 8-speed auto driving all four wheels. It’s quick in corners, and the 3.0-litre direct injection turbocharged petrol engine continues to be a sprightly unit, charioting this heavy-duty Luxury SUV. I also drove the sporty SQ8, which sits between the Q8 and the ‘Lamborghini’ in the Audi lineup, the showstopper RSQ8. The SQ8’s landing price in India, after all duties and taxes, will make it look like an oddball, but the 4.0-litre, V8 TFSI churning out 507hp and 770 Nm of torque is going to put a smile on any enthusiast.
Let’s focus now on what is going to make it to our shores, i.e., the Q8, and the steering is a great place to start with. Precise, and it goes where you put it with the minimum of fuss, feels lighter than it is. What’s changed is the brushed metal paddle shifters to hard plastics, maybe keeping the European winter in mind, but the current generation of Q7 and Q8 paddle shifters have an emotional feel to the fingers. Audi claims a 0-100kph time of 5.6 seconds, which for a large SUV is a great number. Power delivery is instant and strong, and gets better with every climb upwards of 2000 RPM. It doesn’t taper off, and there is no cabin noise; even the windy Cape Town cannot disturb the cabin eerie. Handling is great, and the air springs chew up all the bumps, and the air suspension with a continuously adaptive damping system is always working round the clock to ensure a smooth ride. When you are driving hard around corners, each exit will be a blistering one, plastering a smile on your face.
The Q8s instrument cluster and MMI unit remain the same as the existing Q7 and the current generation of Q8; the changes are very minimal. The decor, however, is available in three patterns in wood, aluminum, or carbon-fiber finish. The addition of onboard apps like Spotify has now become integrated. The Audi virtual cockpit display shows warnings, lane changes, and traffic light information in full HD quality, and it looks technologically advanced yet refreshingly clean and simple. You will not be short of buttons to push, that’s for sure. Thankfully, there is a volume control knob that can be operated without taking the eyes off the road with a satisfying click; otherwise, the twin-screen MMI system can be a pain to operate, especially to operate the touchscreen without taking your eyes off the road. The four-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, and a B&O music system, as well as heated, ventilated, and massage seats, make the Q8 a fully loaded car with all creature comforts thrown in. There are eight airbags and an ADAS suite with 605 liters of boot space, enough to go on marathon trips.
The grille’s shape has not changed unless you look closely, and you will realize that the pattern is hexagonal instead of square. There are also L or J, depending on which side of the grille you are ogling. The car we had, looked rather gorgeous with this all-new color yet to be seen on any luxury car for that matter - Shakir Gold and the inserts were painted black. It also sports the new Audi flat logo which is non-chrome and is a 2D unit.
The air intakes are large and get larger diamond-shaped openings. The real change that the Audi folks emphasized was with the headlights, which are now HD Matrix LED laser lights on top-spec cars. The styling of the light signature is new and quite fascinating and can be customized in four different ways.
The laser high beam is great tech and lights up at speeds upwards of 70kph, with 3.5 Watts throwing up a periphery vision of 500 meters and the laser spot dims automatically if the camera mounted on the windshield detects other cars within its range. The laser headlight is signified by a small blue LED in each headlight. As before, the matrix beam means the 24 LEDs light up individually and constantly adjust to the comforting eyes of the oncoming traffic.
At the rear, the design remains the same except for the rear tail lights, which are now OLED units with a new signature pattern that can also be customized with four options to choose from the digital OLED rear lights. It also has a proximity indicator, which lights up all the digital OLED segments if any vehicle approaches within two meters of the resting Q8’s rear end, warning the driver to take it easy and apply brakes. So, in the lighting mechanism, there have been a lot of technological and interesting updates.
Engine: 3.0-litre Turbocharged V6 Petrol
Transmission: 8-Speed Tiptronic Automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 500Nm
