This tablet-like interface is a thing of beauty indeed, if not necessarily a testament to practicality as grubby fingerprints tend to stand out because of the way the centre screens are angled, making some of the icons difficult to see in the sun’s reflection.
And the way the interior ambient lighting displays the cabin “mood” by flashing red when the temperature is turned up, and blue when it’s turned down, is just plain cool. Like BMW’s X6 and Mercedes-Benz’s GLE, the new Q8 adopts the SUVs-can-be-sexy theme. It is based on the Q7 but looks far less frumpy with its coupe-like roofline and slimmer derriere, its entirely more interesting front end with an octagonal single-frame grille, and some details that recall the geometric lines of the iconic Ur-Quattro rally car of the 1980s.
Like the Q7 it is based on, the Q8 is exceptionally roomy with stretch-out legroom for five , and all occupants are well catered for with comforts, includingThe boot is enormous and is accessed by an electrically powered tailgate. Fuel-saving mild hybrid technology allows the Q8 to coast for long phases with the engine deactivated, but our test vehicle still quaffed a thirsty 14.5For now only the petrol 55 TFSI derivative is available, to be joined later by a diesel 45 TDI with 179kW and 500Nm.