Audi SQ8 review

If you’re already considering a high-spec Audi Q8, the SQ8’s price premium actually looks fairly slim – although the similarly fast BMW X6 M50i is a bit cheaper. The Mercedes GLE Coupé AMG 53 is about the same price as the SQ8, while the Porsche Cayenne Coupé GTS is quite a chunk of change more.

PCP finance payments won’t be cheap because of its high list price, but they’re relatively competitive because of the SQ8’s excellent resale values. It’s predicted to hold on to a higher percentage of its list price than the X6 M50i and GLE Coupé AMG 53, and even beats the Cayenne Coupé GTS for depreciation.

Vorsprung trim is quite a price jump but it’s still worth considering because you’ll want for nothing. It brings additional tech, such as the active anti-roll bars and Bang & Olufsen premium stereo we’ve mentioned, along with power-closing doors, keyless entry, a panoramic sunroof, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a head-up display, electric rear sun blinds and adaptive cruise control.  

In our 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, Audi came 22nd out of 31 manufacturers surveyed. That was a tie with Porsche, but some way behind BMW in ninth. Mercedes finished even lower in 26th place. If you’re considering the Range Rover Velar or Range Rover Sport, you might want to note that Land Rover finished last.

Euro NCAP awarded the Q8 a five-star safety rating. It does a fantastic job of keeping rear-seat child occupants safe in a frontal accident, but the Porsche Cayenne does a fractionally better job of protecting front passengers from chest injury in the same type of crash.

To help you avoid an accident in the first place, the SQ8 comes with active safety equipment including low-speed automatic emergency braking (AEB), which alerts you to potential frontal collisions with cars and pedestrians, and applies the brakes if necessary.

The Vorsprung trim adds heaps more safety kit, including high-speed AEB, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.