A little over five years since it was first introduced, the Audi Q8 is now getting a facelift that brings with it styling and equipment revisions. For now, we’re only presented with the regular Q8 and performance-minded SQ8 – the manic RS Q8 should get an update later.
In terms of design changes, the Singleframe grille on the SUV now comes with octagonal elements for the insert, which are arranged in a teardrop shape with the base exterior and designed in the shape of an ‘L’ for models with the S line exterior and SQ8. Audi says this was done to differentiate the SUV from A-badged models as well as to make a point that the Q8 sits at the top of the range.
Elsewhere, there are more prominent air intakes and new headlamps, the latter available with high-intensity LEDs that can be upgraded to a matrix LED system with or without a laser light for the high beam. On the mention of lighting, the rear taillights now feature OLED technology also seen on the A8 and Q5.
Apart from performing a light show with coming and leaving home sequences as well as serving as dynamic turn signals, the OLED taillights also works with a proximity sensor to illuminate fully when a vehicle from behind comes within two metres of the SUV.
Other revisions pointed out include two-dimensional rings that were first seen on the Q8 e-tron and “visually appealing” tailpipes. As always, Audi offers a range of packages to dress up the exterior with more black accents if needed, along with new wheel designs ranging from 21 to 23 inches. The catalogue also includes various exterior colours as well as trims and upholsteries for the interior, which appears pretty much identical as before.
The engine line-up for the Q8 consists of petrol TFSI and diesel TDI options based around a 3.0 litre V6, all paired with an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system. These engines also come with a mild hybrid system featuring a belt alternator starter (BAS) that is said to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 0.5 l/100 km.
The BAS can also recuperate up to 8 kW, which is then fed to a battery to facilitate smooth start-stop beginning from as low as 22 km/h as well as enable coasting with the engine off for up to 40 seconds at speeds between 55 and 160 km/h. The engine line-up for the Q8 is as follows:
Audi Q8 45 TDI quattro
- Engine: 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel
- Engine output: 231 PS (228 hp or 170 kW) and 500 Nm
- 0-100 km/h time: 7.1 seconds
- Top speed: 226 km/h
Audi Q8 50 TDI quattro
- Engine: 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel
- Engine output: 286 PS (282 hp or 210 kW) and 600 Nm
- 0-100 km/h time: 6.1 seconds
- Top speed: 241 km/h
Audi Q8 55 TFSI quattro
- Engine: 3.0 litre Otto cycle turbocharged V6 petrol
- Engine output: 340 PS (335 hp or 250 kW) and 500 Nm
- 0-100 km/h time: 5.6 seconds
- Top speed: 250 km/h
For more performance, you’ll need to step up to the more aggressively-styled SQ8 that comes with a sport differential with two multi-disc clutches for torque vectoring between the rear wheels. The hot SUV also has a 48-volt supercapacitor for its electromechanical active roll stabilisation (eAWS) system that uses two electric motors – one on each axle and rated at 1.5 kW apiece – to control body roll in the corners.
To slow things down, the SQ8’s braking system features discs measuring 400 mm at the front and 350 mm at the rear, paired with S-branded caliper with either black or red calipers. There’s also a V8, which has a cylinder deactivation system to converse fuel by shutting down half the cylinders at low to medium speeds. When you really need to get a move on, here are the specifications:
Audi SQ8 TFSI quattro
- Engine: 4.0 litre turbocharged V8 petrol
- Engine output: 507 PS (500 hp or 373 kW) and 770 Nm
- 0-100 km/h time: 4.1 seconds
- Top speed: 250 km/h
The market launch of the Q8 takes place this month, with prices in Germany starting from 86,700 euros (about RM434k). The SQ8 is unsurprisingly the most expensive of the bunch with a starting price of 119,500 euros (about RM599k).
GALLERY: 2024 Audi Q8 facelift
GALLERY: 2024 Audi SQ8 facelift
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