Introducing The New Audi Q8
The new face of the Q family.
The New Audi Q8 is here. Combining the practical versatility of a large SUV with the elegance of a four-door luxury coupe, the Q8 is equipped with a wealth of innovative features and is more than capable of taking on rough terrain. Expected in the UK later in 2018, the new Q8 is the perfect vehicle for business and leisure.
More sporty and luxurious than any other Audi SUV, the Q8 is 16.4ft long, 6.6ft wide and 5.6ft tall, making it shorter, wider and lower than its Q7 sibling. The new flagship model of the Q range, the Q8 is brawny and sophisticated, with an upright radiator grille, contoured air inlets, sloping roofline and inclined D-pillars. Design features hint at the original quattro, such as the athletic stance and special dynamics that convey the power and elegance found within. For a more accentuated off-road look, the spoiler, wheel arch trims, door trim strips and diffuser are all in a contrasting colour.
An intelligent lighting system is offered to owners of the Q8, as LED headlights come as standard, with a choice of HD Matrix LED technology for incredible illumination of the road ahead. Both the three-dimensional signature daytime running lights and taillights give the Q8 digital character and a light strip connects the units at the rear. Furthering the similarities between the new SUV and the original quattro, a black surface underlays the light strip. By using the myAudi app, Q8 owners can activate various lighting functions and experience them from the outside.
For capable and comfortable off-roading, the Q8 is equipped with hill descent control, suspension with damper control and optionally, adaptive air suspension. Customers can also opt for all-wheel steering which can turn the rear wheels to counter the direction of a turn at low speeds to increase agility or turn in the direction of the turn at high speeds to offer better stability.
Now, all drive systems will perform particularly well regarding efficiency thanks to a new mild hybrid technology that works to recover up to 12kW of power during braking and feed that back to the battery. Plus, the technology enables long periods of coasting with the engine deactivated and a start-stop range that begins at 13.7mph.
The prestigious interior is seamlessly integrated with digital technology, conveying the elegance and sophistication of the entire vehicle. The top MMI touch response display has a black panel look that almost disappears into the black dashboard when switched off. Q8 owners can opt for a contour light to trace the design lines of the interior, as well as customised contour seats with massage function and ventilation, four-zone automatic air conditioning and the air quality package.
The top MMI touch response display is 10.1" and is used for controlling the navigation and infotainment, whilst the lower 8.6” display gives access to heating and air conditioning, as well as convenience functions and text input. Intelligent natural language control makes it even easier to operate the system, with the technology responding to sentences such as ‘I am hungry’ with information of the nearest restaurants. The driver can see information easily and quickly via the 12.3” Audi Virtual Cockpit, situated in front of the steering wheel. Q8 owners can switch between two views and with an optional plus version, a third is available with a particularly sporty view. For the most important information, including navigation, the head-up display projects straight onto the windshield, for minimal distraction from the road.
Whilst the UK specifications have not yet been confirmed, in Germany the Audi Q8 is available as standard with top-of-the-range infotainment, MMI navigation plus, which includes the Audi connect data transfer module and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The system recognises the driver’s preferences from previous journeys and makes intelligent suggestions, as well as flagging traffic sign information and hazard information to benefit the route planning process.
Driver assistance and safety features in the new Audi Q8 include adaptive cruise assist, efficiency assist, crossing assist, lane change warning, curb warning and 360-degree cameras. Expected to follow in 2019, remote garage pilot will be available to customers, which will be able to guide the Q8 into the garage and back out again autonomously via the myAudi smartphone app with the supervision of the driver. Behind each of these features in the central driver assistance controller, which continuously monitors its surrounding to manage the assistance systems with data from up to five radar sensors, six cameras, twelve ultrasound sensors and a laser scanner, depending on options.
For more information on the Audi Q8, please contact your local Caffyns Audi today. Alternatively, view the current Audi Q family here.