The chassis product manager for the new Audi SQ8 claims “you can get some big slides” in Ingolstadt’s latest performance SUV.
Speaking to Autocar, chassis product manager William Wijts said the SQ8’s air suspension and anti-roll system allowed the vehicle be to tuned to oversteer.
“The key challenge is balancing the weight and the systems,” he said of the new model, which is scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the first quarter of 2020.
“With the anti-roll, you can tune this car and make it oversteer,” he added.
Wijts added that although he wasn’t usually a fan of SUVs, the SQ8 offered “fun”.
“It’s a fun car. I don’t normally like SUVs, but you can get some big slides in the SQ8.”
Revealed in June 2019, the SQ8 is powered by a 4,0-litre V8 twin-turbodiesel engine, offering 320 kW and a stonking 900 N.m to all four corners via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The powertrain also includes a 48 V mild-hybrid system that sends some electric assistance to the turbochargers at low revs. The result is a sprint from standstill to three figures in a claimed 4,8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
