The Q8 compensates with a scoresheet fat with positive attributes. Based on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform, the Q8 rides on the same basic aluminum-intensive structure and suspension systems as the Q7 and also the Bentley Bentayga, the Lamborghini Urus, and the Porsche Cayenne. Using the same platform as those high-end performers is like buying a somewhat more modest house in an exceptionally tawny neighborhood. An added bonus: The Audi looks immeasurably better than the garish Lambo and the gawky Bentley. Audi never misses a chance to point out that the Ur-Quattro was a design inspiration for the Q8. Okay. We guess. There is the way the taillights are bridged by a long, black center piece. There is a slight suggestion of boxy wheel flares. But that’s about as much Ur-Quattro inspiration as there is to be found on the vehicle. Instead, the Q8 has its own look, its own stance. Designers widened the grille compared to the Q7 and made the headlamps squint. The relatively low roofline makes the Q8 seem exceptionally wide, and it appears to hover over its optional 22-inch wheels (20s and 21s are also available). The Q8 is less aesthetically adventurous than its two primary competitors, the X6 and the GLE coupe, but it is more handsome by some margin, too. It looks more like a sporty SUV than an oddity for the sake of oddness. The same could be said for the Q8’s roomy, airy interior. Even the rear-seat passengers will feel as if they have space to stretch out, with more than ample leg- and headroom. Up front—thanks in large part to the two-screen infotainment system also seen in the new A6, A7, and A8—the interior is as sleek and uncluttered as a cleanroom. We’re not yet entirely convinced two screens are better than one screen and a control knob, and we do sincerely miss the precise knobs and switches that once were the hallmark of an Audi interior. We’ll need more time with the system to pass judgment on its menu logic, but we will say it responds to commands quite quickly. The vehicle itself doesn’t feel exceptionally quick. But one caveat: Audi held its press launch in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, and our route took us as high as 14,000 feet of elevation through the Andes Mountains. Considering the power-robbing effect of such thin air, performance is more than ample. We noted, however, a longish delay in the delivery of torque after you give it some beans. When driving at cloud height, plan your passes well in advance. We’ll get back to you with a more definitive assessment when we drive the vehicle closer to sea level. We’ve been impressed with this turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 in previous drives of other models equipped with it; it is smooth if not exactly sonorous in this application, too. It’s bolted to the ubiquitous and excellent ZF eight-speed automatic, and all Q8s come with standard full-time all-wheel drive that has a rearward torque bias. We did only very light off-roading on our drive, but the all-wheel-drive system coped well with the sandy conditions we experienced in vehicles wearing summer tires. The Q8s we drove were fitted with optional adjustable-height air springs; a steel-spring suspension with adjustable dampers will be standard. Step up to the air springs and you can raise the body for a maximum of 10 inches of ground clearance. Packaged with the air springs is a rear-wheel-steering system, and on narrow Chilean desert roads, the broad-of-beam Q8 felt unnaturally nimble. This is no canyon carver, of course, but it manages curving roads with little drama and respectable pace. We suspect the thin layer of artificiality brought on by the light, feel-free steering and pivoting rear wheels will not be a concern to most owners.
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