Audi Q8 Review 2024

Audi Q8 At A Glance

4/5
Honest John Overall Rating
If an Audi Q7 is too big and boxy for you, the sleeker but less practical Audi Q8 coupe SUV is well worth a look. It's still roomy for five, while the classy cabin and great engine range make it a solid all-rounder.

+Premium cabin with a solid build, good all-round driving experience, still spacious for five

-Expensive and not as practical as a Q7, gearbox is a bit sluggish, looks won't be to all tastes

New prices start from £75,615, brokers can source from £66,215
Insurance Group 50
On average it achieves 93% of the official MPG figure

The Audi Q8 is essentially a Q7 where style has been prioritised over outright space. Whether you love or hate the looks, you also get a sportier driving experience (with plenty of comfort still present) and although there's no seven-seat option there's loads of room for five adults. Our Audi Q8 review sees if it has what it takes to brush aside rivals from BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover and Porsche. 

There’s a very good reason why SUVs are so popular these days. They give family car buyers the space and practicality they need, but with all the style and luxury they desire. However, not everyone needs the versatility of a seven-seater, so the Audi Q8 is designed to dial down the former, and double-down on the latter.

If you do need seven seats, then check out our Audi Q7 review. The five-seater Q8, meanwhile, has a slinkier, less-boxy design to make it more elegant and more desirable, desirability that’s topped off by the aspirational Audi badge.

There are plenty of other Audi trademarks that are present-and-correct, too, not least, the impeccable build quality.

Every surface you look at or touch is a treat for the eyes or the fingertips, so this feels like a very classy product indeed, good enough to have the beating of rivals such as the Range Rover Velar and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, and on a par with the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne Coupe

Yes, this is a very expensive car, but jaw-dropping quality like this helps justify the price tag. So does the stack of luxury and safety equipment you get as standard, the latter of which helps the Q8 achieve that all-important five-star rating from Euro NCAP.

On the road, the Audi Q8 is very relaxed and quiet, with fabulous rolling refinement and a diesel engine (we haven’t tried the petrol offering yet) that is smooth, subdued and effortlessly powerful. Granted, the ride isn’t as cosseting as the softest luxury SUVs, but it’ll keep you comfortable most of the time, and you get impressively sharp handling for such a big car as a payoff.

And practicality? Well, it may only have five seats, but they’re all just as roomy as the equivalent seats in the Q7, so this is a very spacious, very comfortable car. A big boot also helps it perform family duties impressively well.

Downsides? Well, the infotainment system could be a bit more user-friendly and, like we said earlier, it’s pretty pricey. The slightly dim-witted gearbox lets the sporty side down a bit, too. But otherwise, the Q8 is a very good all-rounder that’s perfectly suited to the buyers it’s aimed at. If that’s you, then you’ll love it. 

Ask Honest John

What's the best used luxury 4x4 with a beige interior?

"I have a Porsche Cayenne diesel that I like but I want to change having had it for three years. I think it is worth about £27,000. I can add up to £25,000 to the trade-in. I don't like the options from Mercedes-Benz or BMW. But I do want something a bit unusual and luxurious. Beige or cream leather and interior are a must. Air suspension is desirable. Must be reliable and around three years old or so in age. I have been looking at the Range Rover Sport and Maserati Levante but I'm not convinced of reliability of either. Do you have any other ideas? "
Neither the Maserati or the Range Rover have a great record for reliability but they both have air suspension and you'll find plenty of examples with beige or cream leather. The Maserati is the sportier of the two, while the Range Rover is more practical and more comfortable. Lexus and Toyota make the best SUVs for reliability – the Lexus RX is very comfortable and surprisingly good on fuel thanks to its hybrid engine – but neither are exactly inspiring to own. I wonder have you considered the Audi Q8? It's a much rarer sight than the Q7, is slightly sportier to drive but shares the Q7's extremely comfortable air suspension and effortlessly powerful diesel engines, the interior is also very smart and beautifully built, if not as traditional as the Maserati or Range Rover. If you can find one with the right interior colours, it is definitely worth considering.
Answered by Russell Campbell
More Questions

What does a Audi Q8 cost?

Buy new from £66,215(list price from £75,615)