The Perfect Storm
SA4x4|August 2019

Road Test: Audi Q8 55 TFSI Quattro

Micky Baker
The Perfect Storm

As fate would have it, I happened to take the all-new Q8 on an adventure at the same time that the Cape was preparing for one of the worst storms of the year. Back in Cape Town, businesses were sending staff home early, and doors and windows were being sealed shut in anticipation of the violent winds and heavy deluge to come.

Meanwhile, I was charging along the R60 between Worcester and Robertson, enjoying the assured purr of Audi’s unfaltering 3.0-litre V6. In the Q8, Audi’s new flagship SUV, this twin-scroll turbo petrol puts out 250kW and 500Nm, distributing that brute strength to all four wheels via an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and Audi’s quattro four-wheel-drive system.

That’s not all, though. A clever 48V power source draws energy when braking from a belt alternator-starter, and uses it to charge a lithium-ion battery that feeds back into the drivetrain when coasting, giving the V6 a breather and reigning in the Q8’s substantial thirst by a claimed 0.7 litres every 100km. In Efficiency Mode, the accelerator pedal gives the driver a gentle nudge when the car is ready to coast. The result is a claimed combined fuel consumption of 9.1l/100km, although our runs – admittedly fully loaded – returned a figure closer to 12.

The idea of an SUV-coup crossover still befuddles many ardent car enthusiasts, but Audi has taken its time to produce an X6 and LE Coup rival to complete the unholy trifecta of Teutonic ‘sports activity vehicles’. The result is a poised, powerful and luxurious family car with splashes of racing pedigree scattered throughout its design, both inside and out. There are obvious references to the original ‘Ur-Quattro’, like the conjoined tail lights.

This story is from the August 2019 edition of SA4x4.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2019 edition of SA4x4.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SA4X4View All
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2020