KING OF THE RING

Audi’s range-topping Q ship, packs some heavy artillery under that hunkered frame

- PARTH CHARAN

With an ever-proliferating SUV market, it was a foregone conclusion that Audi’s return to form would be marked by the arrival of – drum roll – another SUV. Something that took the consecrated essence of the already wholesome “Q” family, threw in some sex and rock ’n’ roll, a little gym time and some sharp tailoring to become the car merrily leading the brand into the 2020s.

If the muscular arches and sloping roofline weren’t enough, the figure 8 should clue you in to the fact that the Q8 sits atop Audi’s SUV pyramid. It takes the basic structure of the straight-laced Q7, trims the fat right off, along with a few inches from the roofline to get that highly coveted coupe form that serves as a party hat of sorts for athletically inclined SUVs. The Q8 might be a tad shorter but it’s wider than the Q7 and sheds the clinicality (along with a couple of seats) plaguing the car that once served as the brand’s bestseller in India.