The two-row Audi Q8 (and the SQ8 tested here) aren’t the biggest model in the Audi stable. That honor oddly goes to the lower-numbered three-row Q7, which is longer, wider and offers more cargo space. That said, it’s one of Audi’s best sellers.
It is also one of the most technologically advanced and one of the most expensive when options are added. The Q8 competes with low-roof versions of luxury SUVs like the BMW X6 (almost exactly the same size) and Mercedes GLE Coupe. All can be optioned into the six-figure range.
What we tested: Newsweek I tested a 2024 Audi SQ8 in Rotor Gray for this review. The two-row SUV has a starting price of $96,600, plus a destination charge of $1,195. With the Prestige package and other options, this 2024 Audi SQ8 had an as-tested price of $123,990.
Audi of America
Audi of America
KEEP: Four-liter V8
It’s hard not to start with the engine here. The base Q8 is equipped with a six-cylinder engine developing 335 horsepower, but the SQ8 goes further with a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 developing a healthy 500 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque.
In practice, this means that the 2024 Audi SQ8 starts from the starting block with quattro all-wheel drive pushing all four tires. Just send you and your passengers back to your seat at a red light. This also makes passing maneuvers on the highway easier when the SQ8’s transmission will shift down three gears and pass any slower traffic.
CHANGE: Stop/start system
In Comfort or Efficiency driving mode, the stop/start system is aggressive, cutting the engine at almost every stop. In a four-cylinder vehicle it’s not intrusive, but here it comes to a snarling stop, making the brakes harder and throwing drivers head first.
KEEP: Touchscreen with gloves
The large 12.3-inch touchscreen works with either one touch or one touch. A light press will activate the icon you need, but most screens don’t work with gloves. Most glove materials are non-conductive, meaning they cannot carry the electrical charge needed to register a touch on a capacitive touchscreen.
Audi of America
Audi of America
In the SQ8, the screen can also be physically pressed, and it’s accompanied by a satisfying click indicating that a button has been pressed. In winter, in the North, it is always annoying to take off your gloves when using a touch screen. In southern states, the problem is certainly less.
CHANGE: Price
It’s hard to complain about the 2024 Audi SQ8, even with a base price of $96,600. However, with the Prestige package, S Sport package, premium audio system and a few other option boxes, the as-tested price is $123,990, including destination and handling. That’s a ton of money for a two-row vehicle that may be bested, utility-wise, by a domestic SUV costing a third of the price.
KEEP: Sound
Mercedes engines once looked like full tilt NASCAR engines. They still sound good, but the smaller V8 is no match for the old German 6.3-liter. Here in the Audi, the latest V8 sounds like an American hot rod when working hard and when starting on a cold morning. Luxury vehicle or not, the SQ8 has a talent for the spectacular, not only in looks and lights, but also in sound.
