Audi SQ8 review
Interior


In this review
Interior
The interior layout, fit and finish
There’s an extensive range of electric adjustment for the steering wheel and driver's seat, with the latter including four-way lumbar support and an extendable seat cushion. The only issue is that once you're sat on the supportive and heavily bolstered S-specific leather seat, it’s a bit too easy to mistake this sporty model for a regular Q8.
You can’t fault the build quality, though; everything operates with slick precision, and top-spec Vorsprung models even have generous amounts of carbon-fibre and swathes of Alcantara-suede on the doors.
Digital instruments take the place of conventional analogue dials and also display a multitude of additional data, including sat-nav maps and music playlists.
Unfortunately, while the twin touchscreens in the centre of the dashboard are crystal clear, you have to look down to operate the numerous icons – including for simple things like the climate controls – while good, old-fashioned buttons or knobs would be far less distracting. For that reason, we much prefer the BMW X6's iDrive system, which combines a touchscreen with a rotary controller and shortcut buttons.
All-round visibility is good in the SQ8, despite its sloping roofline. Also, to further help you out when reversing into a tight spot, the SQ8 has parking sensors as standard and, optionally, a 360-degree parking camera. Matrix LED headlights are included, too, to take the stress out of driving at night.

