The new crop of SUVs with coupe-inspired designs is dumb and pointless. This seems to be a sentiment that’s shared by most automotive journalists and, based on car sales, most shoppers. While the 2024 Audi Q8 garners my immediate hatred for having a meaningless sloped roof design, it also gains my affection for being a damn fine SUV.
Get past your prejudices above coupe-inspired SUVs, if you have any, and you’ll likely come to the same conclusion that I did about the Audi Q8, which is that it’s a cooler, more striking, and plusher version of the sedate Audi Q7. The Q7 is great, but it’s missing the it factor to set it apart. The Q8 has that it factor, while not requiring a ton of sacrifice like other coupe-inspired SUVs.
What The 2024 Audi Q8 Does Well
The 2024 Audi Q8 is a real looker. Some coupe-inspired SUVs have blunt rear ends that make them look ungainly, especially against the recent crop of modern SUVs. Audi’s designers did something really difficult by taking the dull Q7 and turning it into something attractive with a roof job. Looking good, though, will only get you so far, which is why I’m happy to report that the Q8 is more than a pretty face.
How Much Luxury Do You Need?
The most luxurious car my rump has ever sampled is a Bentley Bentayga. Driving the Bentayga was an experience of opulence, but, and this may ruffle some feathers, the 2024 Audi Q8 delivers a similar – not the same – but a similar kind of experience. It’s plush, quiet, well-built, lined with high-end materials, and loaded with features to feel nicer than most 4-star hotels. Move up to the highest Q8 trim and you’re getting massaging seats, gorgeous wood trim, and theatrical lighting to make you forget about the fact that brands like Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Mercedes-Maybach exit.
Let The Miles Rack Up
Coupe-inspired SUVs also suffer from a push for SUVs to be as harsh as sports cars and as performance-oriented. Here’s the problem. With that kind of weight being thrown around, an absurdly powerful SUV that’s aimed at track use doesn’t make any sense. Reach far enough into your pockets and Audi will sell you hopped-up versions of the Q8 with the SQ8 and RS Q8 Performance. Do yourself a favor and stick with the base 2024 Audi Q8.
The Q8 is a smooth operator. The SUV we tested was equipped with the Prestige package, which brought adaptive air suspension that smoothed out the majority of Baltimore’s harsh roads, despite wearing large 21-inch wheels. Pair the sumptuous ride quality with the quiet cabin and supremely comfortable seats and the result is an SUV that you’ll want to drive without having a destination in mind.
Brimming With Tech
Most dual-screen infotainment systems are outdated and ugly, but that’s not the case with the 2024 Audi Q8. Its dual-screen system is mesmerizing and it somehow works. I’m also a huge fan of the haptic feedback that Audi’s screen provides when you use the screens, providing instant confirmation that you have chosen a feature or are going to change a setting.
More Usable Than You’d Expect
With a sloping roofline and an as-tested price of $92,040, one would expect the 2024 Audi Q8 to be the kind of vehicle you drive to work and save other tasks for the company truck or for grunts with more rugged SUVs. The Q8 has a decent amount of cargo space behind the rear seats with 30.5 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. And choosing the available towing package increases towing capacity to 7,700 pounds. Not too shabby for a large luxury SUV.
What The 2024 Audi Q8 Doesn’t Do Well
The 2024 Audi Q8 is ludicrously priced for what it is. The SUV we tested was $92,040, which is a ridiculous amount for an SUV. Sure, the Q8 gets a lot right and seems to be good at everything, but six figures for an Audi in the age of tariffs, layoffs, and unpredictability is madness.
Some will say that the Q8 has too much tech and they’d be right. There’s no denying that the Q8’s screens look cool, but more physical controls wouldn’t kill anyone.
For a large SUV that looks this good, a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system doesn’t seem right. The engine is rated at 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque and brings swift acceleration, but this SUV really screams for a V8. In the modern era of electrification, that won’t happen, but boy would the base Q8 benefit greatly from it.
Also, I experienced some strange occurrences with the engine refusing to get off the line quickly or provide the necessary power at low speeds. I don’t know if it’s the 8-speed automatic transmission or the way the hybrid system works with the V6, but it happened a few times and was disconcerting.
The hybrid engine, somehow, isn’t all that efficient either. You’ll be looking at pricey fill-ups with the Q8 guzzling down premium fuel at an alarming rate for an electrified SUV.
The Verdict
The 2024 Audi Q8 isn’t an SUV for the soccer mom or the football dad. It’s the SUV for the retired businessman who’s amassed a large amount of wealth and wants to show off at the local country club. In that context, the Q8 is a knockout. It’ll make everyone in the neighborhood jealous, be comfy enough to drive to the beach house every summer, and come with tech features that will force you to talk to your grandchildren to get a lesson on how to engage the heated steering wheel.
Incredibly expensive, but worth it to those who can afford one, the 2024 Audi Q8 is one of the few coupe-forward SUVs that makes you see what all of the fuss is about.
