
It’s not just the bold new colour scheme that’s generating interest in the updated Audi Q8; this striking XL fastback is now the sole diesel offering in the firm’s halo-SUV lineup…
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Time spent: One of three months
Distance covered: 1 186 km
Average fuel consumption: 8.78 L/100 km
We like: Stunning looks, especially in new paint scheme; powerful yet frugal engine
We don’t like: Limited oddment storage up front
If there was one phrase I didn’t plan on having to repeat seemingly ad infinitum this month, it would be “it’s called Sakhir Gold” …the term often met with a dose of measured chin-scratching by those drawn to the eye-catching new colour doled out to the PI (Product Improvement – Audi parlance for updated) Q8 that’s just joined our long-term test fleet. It’s certainly a departure from the demure silvers, greys and blacks that have previously made up the bulk of Audi’s colour palettes and forms part of an array of visual changes introduced in this years’ Q7 and Q8 models.
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Revisions to the single-frame grille and headlamps, front and rear valances that have been massaged to emphasis the car’s width (not to mention the rear items now sporting exhaust finishers that are genuine, ‘hot’ items linked to the engine and not just faux finishers), and a greater array of alloy wheel designs (or car rolling on a fetching set of 10-spoke, 22-inch items that form part of the Black Edition Pack) are the most obvious updates, but there have also been some interesting developments on the range composition front. In accordance with observable sales trends, Audi’s local arm has pared the Q7 engine offerings down to a petrol-only affair, comprising the V6 in the 55 TFSI and the SQ7’s 4.0-litre V8. This has left the Q8 as the sole recipient of the wonderful 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. While we’re familiar with this unit, becoming reacquainted with it in a vessel as solid and effortlessly stylish as the Q8 has been a pleasure. With 183 kW and 600 N.m on tap, it’s a brawny yet refined performer that makes short work of propelling the 2 160 kg SUV.
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The bulk of this month’s driving has seen the Q8 whisking along Cape Town’s N2 and into the twisting roads of the southern peninsula, during which time it’s returned a very un-V6-like average fuel consumption of 8.78 L/100 km. Ensconced in a beautifully crafted and well-insulated cabin – the features of which we’re still working our way through – the only criticism we can so far level at the interior is a paucity of storage options; the centre bin’s capacity being gobbled up by the wireless phone-charging pad and onboard WiFi box worked into its lid, and fairly modest door bins. Our test unit’s fitment with an optional towbar has piqued the interest of the team’s more outdoorsy members – especially given the potential towing capability offered by the diesel’s plentiful low-end torque – so, we’re playing with the idea of hitching up a trailer or caravan to the Q8 to see how it acquits itself as a load-lugger. Let’s see what gives…
Find the full feature in the June 2025 issue of CAR Magazine.
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