New Audi Q8 for South Africa – Pricing and features

The facelifted Audi Q8 has landed in South Africa after over a year of anticipation.

The new SUV is sold in four flavours spanning two powertrains, one petrol and one diesel, as well as two trim levels namely the Platinum Edition and Black Edition.

Prices run from R1,968,700 for the base model up to R2,058,400 for the flagship.

Everything new

Standout changes on the new Q8 comprise a redesigned octagonal grille with vertical inlays in a teardrop pattern, new front air intakes, and refreshed front and rear light clusters.

The overhauled “two-dimensional” Audi badging that first featured on the electric Q8 e-tron is now also stuck on the nose and tailgate of the combustion-engined variants.

The Platinum Edition further comes with the S Line body kit alongside aluminium exterior inlays and glossy finishes, and it boasts distinctive 22-inch, five-twin-spoke alloy wheels with matte-grey inserts.

Meanwhile, the Black Edition gets 22-inch, 10-Y-spoke rims in black metallic, complemented by a black grille, door insets, roof rails, and mirror housings.

Being Audi’s most luxurious Sports Utility Vehicle, the new Q8 is delivered to its owner with a vast assortment of luxuries.

Among the standard nice-to-haves are Matrix LED headlights with rear LED lights plus, keyless entry and start, four-zone climate control, Valcona leather upholstery, Sports seats with four-way lumbar support and heating functions, electric column adjustment for the multifunction steering wheel, shifter paddles, a panoramic glass roof, and a Bang & Olufsen 3D surround sound system.

Adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with emergency assist, and tyre-pressure monitoring are included, too, as is the pre-sense basic package which uses an array of cameras and sensors to detect an imminent collision and prepare the car for such by closing the windows and pre-tensioning the front seatbelts to keep occupants safe.

Customers of the new Q8 can choose between a turbo-diesel (45TDI) or turbo-petrol (55TFSI) driveline, both offering impressive attributes.

The 45TDI consists of a 3.0-litre, V6 mill generating 183kW and 600Nm, which propels the husky SUV to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 220km/h.

Alternatively, the 55TFSI’s 3.0-litre, V6 block is combined with a 48V mild-hybrid system which together push out a combined 250kW and 500Nm, in turn slashing the acceleration time to 5.6 seconds and bumping up the maximum speed to 250km/h.

The added pace does come at the expense of fuel usage, though, as the diesel returns a respectable 7.8l/100km in comparison to the petrol’s 9.9l/100km.

Both powertrains feature an eight-speed automatic gearbox as well as Audi’s dependable Quattro all-wheel-drive system with a self-locking differential.

The Q8 family is now also equipped with adaptive air suspension along with the Drive Select drive mode programme that provides several on-road and off-road-focused settings.