It has been five years since rumors about the new Audi Q8 have started to spread and the concept model has been unveiled at the beginning of this year in Detroit. Don’t be disappointed though, because the production version is coming soon and once it goes on sale, this car will rival the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.
In 2015, Audi technical chief Ulrich Hackenberg announced that “the Q8 will come” sometime in the next three years. Back then, he told Autocar: “It will be something new, following designs established on the Prologue concept. It will be positioned as something more emotional and more sporty than the Q7. The Q7 will be a car for seven people, the Q8 will be more coupe-like.”
Now, a test car has been caught on camera, which means that we may be only less than a year away from seeing this SUV in the dealerships. According to rumors, the new Audi Q8 will go on sale next year.
Exterior
The new Q8 is basically a sportier version of the Q7 and many cues from the concept shall make it to the production model. It will not be as aggressive as the concept, but we expect to see the popular “singleframe” front grille which will be smaller than the one on the concept. What we can also conclude from the spy shots is that the headlights will be almost identical but with a different LED layout. The air vents are smaller, the lower intake is narrower, and the splitter that can be found on the concept is lacking on the test model.
It is hard to tell what to expect on the sides of the new Q8, but what is clearly seen is that side mirrors are huge, and the wheel arches are not as prominent as on the concept. The rear segment of this SUV will change drastically, and unlike the concept’s Porsche-styled taillamps, the test car features Audi-specific pair of lights. Sporty diffuser from the concept is ditched, and the production version will come with a simpler roof spoiler and different wheels. The platform the Q8 sits on is Volkswagen’s second-gen MLB that also underpins Audi Q7, VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.
2018 Audi Q8 Interior
The technology inside the 2018 Audi Q8 is going to be more or less the same as the one in the Q7. Not many features from the concept will be included in the production model, but its clean dash design and sporty and supportive seats might be a good addition. Some parts that will be carried over from the Audi Q7 are continuous air vent strip, digital instrument cluster and cleaner center stack, all of which should receive an authentic treatment.
High-quality materials are expected inside whereas the seats will be wrapped in leather and Alcantara and the buyers will have a choice of different colors. Aluminum and wood trims, as well as Beaufort walnut, will be found in the cabin, while one or optionally two 10.1-inch tablets will be integrated into the back of front seats for the rear seat passengers. A new MMI system that comes with intelligent suggestions for different tasks will be available too.
Audi Q8 Specs
The same units that can be found under the hood of the Audi Q7 will be powering the new Audi Q8. In the Q7, there is the base 2.0-liter I4 that produces 252 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque. Slightly more powerful is a 3.0-liter V6 powerplant good for 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, and ever since the German automaker ditched the 4.2-liter V8, this has been the most potent petrol engine.
The choice of diesel units includes a 3.0-liter TDI that is rated at 272 ponies and 442 lb-ft of torque, but the customers can opt for the turbo-diesel V6 with the output of 218 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. According to several reports, German carmaker will also add the high-performance RS Q8 to the lineup, but we don’t know which engine will power this one.
Also likely is the Q8 e-tron which will combine a 3.0-liter TDI with an electric motor. This mix generates 373 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque in the Q7 which can go 34.8 miles using electric power only. These figures will change in the Q8, but we will wait for the official announcement.
Audi Q8 Price
At this moment, we can only guess the exact release date of the 2018 Audi Q8, and this could happen before the end of this year, most likely during the fall. Autocar reports that the new Q8 will be priced £50,000 ($66,200) in the UK, but for the best in the range – RS Q8 – one will have to pay around £90,000 ($119,000).
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