4.0T Premium Plus 4dr All-Wheel Drive quattro Sport Utility
2021 Audi SQ8
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Audi introduced the SQ8 as a performance crossover to slot between the Q8 and the top-performing RS Q8. Extra power in a car is great, but sometimes it can feel wasted in a less-agile crossover. On the other hand, the E-Tron crossover offers space and luxury that do nothing to slow its pulse-quickening performance. Just maybe the SQ8 could impress, too. After all, it runs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at 500 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque. Compared to the Q8, the SQ8 adds two cylinders, an extra liter of displacement, plus an additional 165 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. It also gets a sport-tuned suspension and a good amount of standard equipment that makes it feel luxurious and sporty at the same time, as Audi does when at its best. The SQ8 looks the part of the performance crossover, riding on 21-inch wheels (or optional 22-inchers). There are subtle exterior touches that set it apart from the Q8, like the “Aluminum-optic” gray grille surround and mirror covers, a unique front bumper with splitter, a rear diffuser, quad exhaust tips and SQ8 badging. We immediately liked the look of ours in Daytona Gray pearl paint, a $595 option. Inside, it’s a little on the flashy side of Audi. We’re not always a fan of carbon fiber, but in the SQ8, this optional trim finish just works. The weave itself is beautiful, and it served as a nice, edgy contrast to the lively red leather upholstery and gray microfiber trim in our tester. The center stack is home to two digital touchscreens with helpful haptic feedback. The upper one is your infotainment unit, with the usual radio and media interfaces, navigation and a variety of vehicle functions. The lower screen has climate controls and seat functions. The resolution is crisp, the controls responsive and the app tiles configurable. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, but Audi’s MMI is good enough that we preferred just to use that — plus it doesn’t mess up the full interior aesthetic with a third-party interface, if we’re being picky. Tucked away under the central console armrest is a wireless phone charger, which keeps it safe from distracted hands and secure during those pedal-to-the-floor moments on highway entrance ramps and wide-open rural roads. The best part is, when you get out of the car later and inevitably forget your phone, a barely robotic human voice reminds you that it’s still in the car before you can close your door. The front seats are aggressively bolstered, which bothered us for half a minute. Push yourself in a little deeper with a couple sprints toward 60, and you find that the seat molds around you in a comforting embrace, snuggling you tight behind the leather steering wheel. Over the course of the drive, we came to appreciate the way the SQ8 does everything it can to minimize the driver’s body and head motion. It’s roomy inside, and a 6-foot-tall passenger …
Full Review
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Audi introduced the SQ8 as a performance crossover to slot between the Q8 and the top-performing RS Q8. Extra power in a car is great, but sometimes it can feel wasted in a less-agile crossover. On the other hand, the E-Tron crossover offers space and luxury that do nothing to slow its pulse-quickening performance. Just maybe the SQ8 could impress, too. After all, it runs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at 500 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque. Compared to the Q8, the SQ8 adds two cylinders, an extra liter of displacement, plus an additional 165 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. It also gets a sport-tuned suspension and a good amount of standard equipment that makes it feel luxurious and sporty at the same time, as Audi does when at its best. The SQ8 looks the part of the performance crossover, riding on 21-inch wheels (or optional 22-inchers). There are subtle exterior touches that set it apart from the Q8, like the “Aluminum-optic” gray grille surround and mirror covers, a unique front bumper with splitter, a rear diffuser, quad exhaust tips and SQ8 badging. We immediately liked the look of ours in Daytona Gray pearl paint, a $595 option. Inside, it’s a little on the flashy side of Audi. We’re not always a fan of carbon fiber, but in the SQ8, this optional trim finish just works. The weave itself is beautiful, and it served as a nice, edgy contrast to the lively red leather upholstery and gray microfiber trim in our tester. The center stack is home to two digital touchscreens with helpful haptic feedback. The upper one is your infotainment unit, with the usual radio and media interfaces, navigation and a variety of vehicle functions. The lower screen has climate controls and seat functions. The resolution is crisp, the controls responsive and the app tiles configurable. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, but Audi’s MMI is good enough that we preferred just to use that — plus it doesn’t mess up the full interior aesthetic with a third-party interface, if we’re being picky. Tucked away under the central console armrest is a wireless phone charger, which keeps it safe from distracted hands and secure during those pedal-to-the-floor moments on highway entrance ramps and wide-open rural roads. The best part is, when you get out of the car later and inevitably forget your phone, a barely robotic human voice reminds you that it’s still in the car before you can close your door. The front seats are aggressively bolstered, which bothered us for half a minute. Push yourself in a little deeper with a couple sprints toward 60, and you find that the seat molds around you in a comforting embrace, snuggling you tight behind the leather steering wheel. Over the course of the drive, we came to appreciate the way the SQ8 does everything it can to minimize the driver’s body and head motion. It’s roomy inside, and a 6-foot-tall passenger …
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Retail Price
$89,100
MSRP / Window Sticker Price
| Engine | 4.0L V-8 |
| MPG | 15 City / 21 Hwy |
| Seating | 5 Passengers |
| Transmission | 8-spd w/OD |
| Power | 500 @ 5500 rpm |
| Drivetrain | quattro all wheel |
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