[Akshay1234]

2024 Audi Q8 Facelift Review

The 2024 Audi Q8 facelift is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 1.17 crore (ex-showroom).

Audi Q8 Facelift Pros

• Stylish and unique looks; for someone who wants to stand out from the crowd
• Priced between the pre facelift variants, with a good mix of features from both the variants
• Smooth and versatile 3.0L TFSI V6 engine mated to fast 8-speed transmission and AWD
• Practical to live with despite the coupe styling

Audi Q8 Facelift Cons

• Air suspension, which is needed in a premium offering such as this, has been removed
• Some differentiation features like top-of-the-line audio and high-end seats missing
• For the price, a customer may think about a Cayenne Coupe, which is priced at 25 lakhs more
• Interiors feel too similar across the Audi range

Introduction

The Q8 is Audi's answer to the SUV coupe segment, which BMW kickstarted many years ago with the X6. This generation of the Q8 was launched in 2018, and what we have here now, is the facelifted version. While the facelift is minor, the Q8 still feels modern and up-to-date with its pleasing looks.

On the powertrain front, the Q8 continues with the 3.0L, V6 55 TFSI petrol engine that puts out 335 BHP and 500 Nm with a mild hybrid assist. The ZF 8-speed gearbox has been carried over as well. Power is sent to all four wheels through a Quattro all-wheel drive system. Earlier, Audi had 2 variants of the Q8 - Celebration, which was a stripped-out variant, and Technology, which was a fully loaded variant. The current facelift is launched in a single variant, which, kind of, sits between them in terms of features and price.

Some of the features include New Park Assist Plus, 360-degree surround view camera, electrically opening and closing tailgate and a new 4-zone climate control system. On the safety front, the Q8 gets Audi pre-sense basic, eight airbags, ESP and more.

[Akshay1234]

2024 Audi Q8 Facelift Exterior Review

Front on, one can make out the minor updates this facelift receives, namely the single-frame grille with vertical inlay design in droplet shape, headlight design and changes to the bumper including a new air intake grille and spoiler. The four rings at the front and rear feature a new two-dimensional design:


The rear remains pretty much unchanged apart from the new detailing within the OLED tail-lights and the new diffuser design:


The side profile remains unchanged as expected. It is a well-proportioned design for what it is. This certainly isn't one of the quirky SUV Coupes, but understated (in some ways) and pleasing to the eye like many other Audis. Features include panoramic sunroof and frameless doors:


The facelifted Q8 looks very nice when viewed from this angle. The coupe style isn't too dramatic. The Sakhir Gold colour on this one is not my favourite. Other colours on offer include Waitomo Blue, Mythos Black, Samurai Gray, Glacier White, Satellite Silver, Tamarind Brown and Vicuna Beige:


The laser LED Matrix headlamps featuring an X-shaped design and dynamic indicators come with a multitude of functions. Audi always innovates with its lights, and these have the unique feature of providing customisable DRLs. The user has 4 options to select from. The tail-lamps light up in different patterns according to the DRL option chosen. A neat party trick!


21" graphite grey alloy wheels, with not too low 45 profile rubber - enough to provide some amount of cushion, yet look sporty. Red brake calipers are standard:


A rolling shot of the Q8, again the colour is not the most flattering for this vehicle (or any other for that matter):


A driving shot with the rear OLED light bar partially lit up. Apparently, more sections of the OLED light bar light up more sections when traffic approaches from the rear:

[Akshay1234]

2024 Audi Q8 Facelift Interior Review

Interior features a customisable 12.3-inch digital Audi Virtual Cockpit. Everything feels very similar to the pre-facelift Q8, and the Q7. That's because it remains unchanged. That being said, it's still great quality and does feel modern. Four interior colours – Okapi Brown, Saiga Beige, Black and Pando Grey are available:


The familiar steering wheel, and virtual cockpit behind it. The steering is chunky and nice to hold:


Front seats are basic and the same that were being offered in the Q7 which was about 30 lakhs cheaper than this car. It would have been good to get at least sport seats if not the ones with multiple adjustments and ventilation / massage functions:


The main touchscreen (10.1-inch) is a fingerprint magnet and needs a hard touch to select a function. No changes here. Maybe one would find solace in the fact that the triple-priced Urus has almost the same screen graphics:


The Bang & Olufsen music system sounds good. But a point to note is that this is the B&O premium system and not the full-blown advanced system. So it is 730W against the 1,900-odd watts of the advanced system. This is a replacement for the Bose system it seems and while it sounds slightly better than the Bose, it's nowhere close the top-of-the line B&O. Clever marketing!


Lower screen (8.6-inch) controls the A/C and a few other functions like auto start-stop, etc. This adds to the special feel:


Rear seats are quite useable with a lot of legroom and headroom, not what one would expect from a car with coupe-like styling. They are probably not suitable for only chauffeur-driven buyers, but maybe for those who would drive themselves most of the time and occasionally get chauffeured around:


Rear A/C controls of the 4-zone climate control system. Touch operated again. Cigarette lighter and 12V power outlet have been provided below:


Boot space at 605 litres is good enough for the airport trips. While this car is stylish, it certainly is practical too:

[Akshay1234]

Driving the 2024 Audi Q8 Facelift

The Q8 continues to use the same powertrain as before - the EA839 3.0L V6 TFSI engine with 335 BHP and 500 Nm on tap. It also has a 48V mild hybrid system to assist. It comes with Audi Drive Select with six customizable driving modes. This engine is shared with the Q7 and the base variant of the Porsche Cayenne and other vehicles such as the S5, etc.

Get in and start the car and the engine comes to life with a murmur. It's a smooth and refined engine for sure. Moving off, the Q8 feels sprightly enough with not too much throttle needed to get it going. The 3.0L TFSI does its job diligently and seems to provide enough torque and power in city conditions to get around. It seems like it's just enough, but doesn't provide many thrills, or much aural drama. I'm sure the RS Q8 will take care of that, but I would've liked a little more sound in this one too.

On the open road, again the word I would use to describe this engine is sufficient. It does get to high speeds reasonably quickly, no doubt. In terms of performance, Audi claims a 0-100 km/h time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h for the Q8. But while this powertrain is perfectly suited to the Q7, in the Q8 which one would buy to drive themselves most of the time, some more power and drama would be welcome. On the highway, there was more than enough torque for quick overtakes, etc and it didn't leave me wanting.

The ZF8 Tiptronic gearbox, as always, does its job well, going through the gears quickly in comfort mode without making the shifts known. In the sportier settings, it holds on till higher rpms and does provide some quick shifts. Overall, the engine and gearbox are paired well, and do what one would want, when one would want. So no complaints here.

One big change is the removal of the air suspension. The Q8 now has regular coil springs with dynamic damping. In comfort mode it does ride a bit better than one would think soaking up small bumps, but anything larger can be felt inside the cabin. This is thanks partly to the 21-inch wheels. At higher speeds, stability is good, but the ride is slightly busy. In terms of handling, when the dampers stiffen up, the Q8 does feel quite chuckable and holds its line well in corners, but the suppleness and refinement of the air suspension are missing. And when a cheaper product like the Q7 has it, to remove it from this model is a silly move if you ask me.

The brakes with their new red calipers do a fair job of stopping the Q8 from whatever speed it may be. Their feel is good too.

Overall this is a sensible vehicle. It is stylish and practical. But some features such as better seats and air suspension should have been included considering the price point at which the car is being offered. Other vehicles in the same price bracket provide those features, and may be better to drive and be driven in, but may not match up to the style quotient. At the same time, the Cayenne Coupe, which costs about 25 lakhs more, will possibly make a buyer for this want to stretch his budget. The Porsche brand value is far greater. However, I suspect Audi may give large discounts on the Q8 and that is when it will start being appealing.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Hells Bells]

How about aspects like spare wheel? Trying to figure out how practical it is on that aspect, as Audi has been quite impractical in this space in Q7.

[turbowhistle]

Looks like a good and sorted car but not at that price point. Doesn't feel special or a crore+ car.

Given Audi will soon start deep discounts, better idea would be to wait and pick this one for a good price. Imo sweet spot is around 90-100l for this one.

[blogslogger]

Wonder why AUDI releases cut-priced cars in India with many features missing. It is not like potential customers are price conscious. Give us the full-fat cars, please.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Hells Bells

How about aspects like spare wheel? Trying to figure out how practical it is on that aspect, as Audi has been quite impractical in this space in Q7.

So I spent a day and drove about 200 kms with the Q8 when we got it for review so have a picture of the space below. Unfortunately, like many other current Audis, this one too doesn’t provide a spare wheel. A very annoying omission IMO.

No doubt the boot itself is spacious enough to accommodate an aftermarket purchased donut wheel but still, in a perfect world I would want a spare wheel off the bat, and ideally one that’s placed in a concealed wheel well.

[n:CorE]

Excellent review as always, Akshay.

What are your thoughts on the touchscreen galore that is all the modern Audis? Also, what about the steering feel? I recently happened to drive a MY 2024 Audi A6 Avant in Germany in October. (2014 BMW X3 xDrive30d (F25) Review | The Ultimate "Urban" Driving Machine (350 BHP / 760 Nm)) The light steering was a big sore spot for me. I also had a chance to test out Audi's complete level 2 ADAS suite (pointless in India, IMO). The interior of this car is identical. If anything, my rental Sixt had the better seat option.

It's insane that even at a 1.18 cr ex-showroom, this car has glaring omissions. No spare wheel, No sports/ventilated seats, No air suspension, No top-end audio...also, suspension-wise, have they moved to an FSD-based system that they are calling "dynamic damping"?

The car could surely do with more oomph as you said. Looks aside, this car falls short for me. I would pick an X5 40i M-sport over this. I don't see the point of the X6s, Q8s & GLE-coupes of the world.

[JunkyardHunter]

Like others have said, with the kind of discounts that Audi is knows to give this will be a very good buy. I personally love the styling and it seems to be a very practical car (barring the spare wheel). Wish they had updated the touchscreen though - those graphics are starting to look really outdated. Also, no ventilated seats is an insane omission. Why Audi?

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Axe77

in a perfect world I would want a spare wheel off the bat, and ideally one that’s placed in a concealed wheel well.

You mean like what they do here - perfect world

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

You mean like what they do here - perfect world

A perfect world is where the wheel-well can accommodate a full size spare wheel and give the option to the owner to buy either a space saver or a full size spare wheel. I don't know why manufacturers don't do this - it's a win-win for everybody.

[sawnilrules]

I sometimes wonder on the kind of blunders Audi’s Product Management Team can do, especially in the planning of their flagship SUV.

They have positioned this Q8 above Q7, but misses out on quite a lot of features, that should have been standard at this price point.

• If this is positioned as flagship, why miss out on stellar 23 speakers B&O, heck even the Q7 gets better tuned B&O.
• There is no electric tilt and telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel, my A6 has it, thus there is no comfort access feature.
• HUD was an optional extra in the outgoing car, they have missed on it, in this car.
• Air suspension was standard earlier, wonder why they omitted it in this update.
• If this is positioned as sporty SUV, why omit sporty pedals, even my Taigun GT Plus gets it.
• Audi always offered customisation options with their 8 Series models, looks like, they have done away with that possibility.
• Cooled and Massage Seats come as a package, it should have been a welcome addition.

In their head, The Q8 does not compete with the likes of BMW X5 or Mercedes Benz GLE, however at the price that both these cars come, they offer much more than what the pricier Q8 has to offer, and then Audi expects people to spend crore plus and feel shortchanged for life.

Why Audi, Why?

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by androdev

A perfect world is where the wheel-well can accommodate a full size spare wheel.

OT - Am sure it's not just because of the costs, especially on higher variants/ models. Most of the Asian models like from Toyota do include full-size wheels but Europeans, have moved on. I remember older Audi/Porsche used to have, in fact, the first generation Cayenne had one on the rear door. It looked pretty cool as well. Maybe this has something to do with changed realities.

The roads in developed countries are very good, one hardly gets any punctures. Since the need is so low, there are hardly any dedicated puncture repair shops. The best one can do is to take it to a tyre shop. Most will insist on changing the tyres

In our context, a full-size wheel is a must, if not then at least a space saver. Audi could have easily got a space saver and apart from saving a couple of hundred Euros, I can't think of any other reasons as they have the provisions/ part in their bin.