Mountain wheels: audi’s new q8 moves suv style and technology in a new direction

While the Europeans and Japanese continue to go larger with their SUVs in an attempt to capture the square footage favored by American drivers, occasionally there’s an interesting branch on

that family tree. Enter the Audi Q8, a big and imposing, powerful and versatile twist on the full-size SUV model. Rather than emphasize what usually turns out to be awkward additional

passenger space, Q8 is gigantic, but squarely geared for five passengers. Its car-like roofline is quite distinctive, stretching out all the other proportions and giving it a presence that’s

entirely unique in the SUV world. And in keeping with the size, mine started at $67,400 but ended up at a cough-producing $88,690 with virtually every option available added. It also moves

the needle on Audi’s digital and electronic experience, with an immersive cockpit experience and, hidden underneath the gloss, a 48-volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle system – akin to that

discretely found in higher-end BMW products — used here mostly for warm-weather starts, but also setting the stage for the inevitable electrification of the entire vehicle family.

------------------------- ------------------------- Don’t think that ersatz hybrid takes away from the performance, however. This is one fast vehicle, right out of the box, with a

335-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 turbo capable of absolutely hauling along, with standard Quattro all-wheel drive, as well. And while it is pretty big — optional 22-inch wheels added on mine,

60.7 cubic feet of storage with the second row folded, and 196.6 inches of overall length, producing a sizeable vehicle with a 5,004-pound curb weight — the massive platform has the ability

to perform in a fashion you might not associate with a full-size SUV. In fact, the lowered and excessively lit up RS version of the Q8, which packs about 591 horsepower into a similar

package, set a record this week with a 7 minute, 42.3 second lap time at Germany’s Nurburgring race track. ------------------------- ------------------------- Q8 has got good bones, you

might say. In my regular model’s real-world drives, that means a vehicle that seems as solid as a tank, with those wheels either offering racing agility or becoming ungodly sensitive to ruts

and bumps. The Q8’s air suspension system even dropped the suspension a bit at traffic lights, perhaps in an animal-inspired gesture of intimidation to other drivers, and it can also do so

to help loading cargo and passengers. The same system can propel the entire chassis skyward for off-road adventures, which I explored on a bit of impressively stable, high-speed gravel

travel. On road, it’s pure malice, especially with the driving and chassis modes clicked to their sportiest settings; Q8 takes a palpable quarter-count for the turbo to engage, though maybe

that’s just a nanosecond, as it will still haul to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Remember, more than 5,000 pounds. Wow. The new visual and tactile input screens, repeated in the rear, are also

quite impressive. Up front, something akin to the wall of video I saw in last week’s Range Rover Evoque, Q8 provides a double-stacked central data display as well as the very

standard-by-comparison digital cockpit instrument display. The color head-up display is also loaded with new tech, including the ability to spot and time upcoming red lights when cruising in

urban traffic. The whole thing borders on data overload for newcomers (I defy a first-time driver to actually find the HVAC controls), with a huge reliance on haptic-touch control for

virtually every function. Then again, if you hate a luxury cabin full of hard buttons, this is all very next-century class, with even the light switches minimized and very, very few controls

left to physical buttons. Even the shifter is a further move from Audi’s already sophisticated controls. On the practical size, like the Evoque’s glassy wall of data, where the hell do you

put all of your American road-trip crap? Here, I have no idea, as there’s a definite shortage of central cabin storage, and the central armrest space held a dedicated phone cradle. It is all

very beautiful, though with hardwood details, glossy aluminum and even some suede headliner all framing that black and glossy digital dash. Other ahead-of-the-curve technology available

here includes much more autonomous vehicle-styled adaptive cruise assist as well as turn- and side-warning assist and even warnings if vehicles are approaching from the rear as you open the

doors while parked. _Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing

on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at [email protected]._ _Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily

News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at [email protected]._