The two-row Audi Q8 (and the SQ8 tested here) are not the biggest model in Audi's stable. That honor goes strangely to the lower-numbered, three-row Q7, which is longer, wider and has more cargo space. That said, it's one of the handsomest Audi sells.
It's also one of the most technologically advanced, and expensive when options are added on. The Q8 competes with the lower-roofed versions of luxury SUVs like the BMW X6 (almost exactly the same size) and the Mercedes GLE Coupe. All can be optioned well into the six-figure range.
What we tested: Newsweek test drove a 2024 Audi SQ8 in Rotor Grey for this review. The two-row SUV has a starting price of $96,600 with a $1,195 destination charge added on. With the Prestige Package and other options this 2024 Audi SQ8 had an as-tested price of $123,990.
KEEP: Four-liter V8
It's hard not to start with the engine here. The base Q8 features a six-cylinder engine making 335 horsepower but the SQ8 goes further with a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 delivering a nice round 500 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque.
In practice that means the 2024 Audi SQ8 shoots off the starting block with quattro all-wheel drive pushing all four tires. It's enough to throw you and your passengers back in their seats from a stoplight. It also makes for easy passing maneuvers on the expressway when the SQ8's transmission will drop three gears and spring past any slower moving traffic.
CHANGE: Stop/start system
When in Comfort or Efficiency driving mode the stop/start system is aggressive, killing the engine at almost every stop. In a vehicle with a four-cylinder it's not intrusive but here it rumbles to a stop, which makes the brakes grip harder and throws the drivers head forward.
KEEP: Touchscreen with gloves
The large, 12.3-inch touchscreen works with either a tap or a press. A light tap will engage whatever icon you need but most screens don't work with gloves. Most glove materials are non-conductive, meaning they can't carry the electrical charge needed to register a touch on a capacitive touchscreen.
In the SQ8 the screen can also be physically pressed, and it comes with a satisfying click noting that a button has been hit. In the winter in the north it's always a pain to remove the gloves when using a touchscreen. In southern states it's certainly less of a problem.
CHANGE: Price
The 2024 Audi SQ8 is hard to complain about, even with a base price of $96,600. However, with the Prestige package, the S Sport package, the premium sound system and a few other options boxes it has an as-tested price of $123,990 including destination and handling. That is a ton of money for a two-row that can be outdone, utility-wise by a domestic SUV costing a third of the price.
KEEP: Sound
Mercedes engines used to sound like NASCAR motors at full tilt. They still sound great, but the smaller V8 is no match for the old German 6.3-liter. Here in the Audi, it's latest V8 sounds like an American hot rod when it's working hard, and when starting up on a cold morning. Luxury vehicle or not, the SQ8 has a flair for the dramatic, not just in looks and lights, but in sound.
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