Audi Q8 Review

Audi Q8 Sport Concept

RevealedThe Four-Ringed Coupe-SUV

REVIEW:

Audi AG has revealed the new Q8 Sport Concept at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show that previews the brand's upcoming flagship SUV. The Audi Q8 was first revealed at the Detroit Motor Show in January last year and will be positoned above the Q7 in the automaker's line-up. With the Sport Concept however, Audi is presenting the Q8 in a much menacing and performance friendly avatar, which could possibly be the first glimpse of the more powerful SQ8 or the RS Q8 iterations of the SUV. In addition to the Q8 Sport Concept, Audi has also introduced the RS5 Coupe and RS5 DTM, RS3 and A5 Sportback and SQ5 at Geneva.

DESIGN:

Covered in what Audi calls the Krypton orange shade, the new Q8 Sport Concept boasts of a more aggressive design language over the original Q8 concept SUV. The massive vertically stacked chrome grille has been replaced with a black honeycomb mesh unit in the massive single trapezoidal frame. The laser headlamps have been retained but now come with black inserts, offering a more aggressive look.

The Audi Q8 Sport Concept gets 12 mm wider wheel housings, while the rear diffuser has been painted black and helps reduce the visual bulk on the SUV. The concept also comes with oval shaped exhaust tips, which are otherwise reserved for the Audi's RS badged model range. The other interesting bits include massive intakes on the front bumper and the black finished mirror caps and side sills on the concept SUV.

ENGINE:

Underneath that bulbous body, the Audi Q8 Sport Concept draws power from a 3.0 TFSI six-cylinder engine that comes with a mild hybrid seup and an electric powered compressor. Audi says the motor is capable of churning out 469 bhp of power and a whopping 700 Nm of torque. The Ingostadt maker's SUV concept is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.7 seconds with an attainable top speed of 275 kmph. Those are some fascinating numbers for an SUV that is expected to weigh close to 2 tonnes.

Interestingly, the Audi Q8 Sport Concept is not only fast, but equally fuel efficient as well with an 0.9 kwh lithium-ion battery mounted underneath the boot. The battery is charged by energy recuperation and helps the SUV return a fuel efficiency figure of nearly 100 km to a litre. Audi says the Q8 concept has been designed for long journeys and will come with a range of around 1200 km on a single tank of fuel.

CONCLUSION:

While that certainly sounds tempting, it needs to be seen how much of the technology will actually make it to the production spec Audi Q8 that is scheduled to arrive in 2018 and is expected to be priced at £50,000.The automaker's flagship SUV will command a superlative price tag and and is expected to be loaded with some highly interesting creature comforts. It is likely that Audi will bring the Q8 to India as well soon after its global launch. The performance spec S or RS version, on the other hand, is expected to make its debut by 2019.

Source:Ndtv