Every now and again I feel that I need to point out that I am aware of the lucky nature of writing motoring reviews – getting to do something that I love and enjoy some simply amazing cars – trust me, I know that I am lucky…
But sometimes, that luck can be shared. It’s happened a couple of times; driving my best mate to his wedding, taking my niece and her friends to their prom. And this month, I got to share that luck (and love) again. My sister was getting married, and asked if I would drive her to the ceremony, assuming I could get a nice car, of course!
Enter the lovely people from the Audi press fleet, who arranged this month’s review car, the fabulous (and huge) Audi Q8. Now when I say huge, this thing is simply immense. With me behind the wheel (not that I’m six foot or anything) there was more than enough leg room for my sister and her dress in the back with room to spare. And the boot was just cavernous.
But more on the space later… first the looks.
We all know Audi have carved quite the luxury niche for themselves, and they have managed to do so across a massive range of car types – from the tiny A1 all the way through to the Q8, with sporty coupes, beast-like estates and even sports and supercars in between. With most brands, the risk of producing such a vast range is that the finish, the quality, the precision may be lost along the way. But here, Audi have managed to achieve the ultimate – nailing each and every car they produce.
This was the first time I had experienced the big brother of the stable, and I don’t mind big cars, so I was looking forward to it, even aside from the wedding that would be central to the experience. What I think was impressive was the range of experiences that this one car could achieve.
Luxurious wedding transport, semi-sporty SUV, and fantastic family wagon. Never before have we managed to pack for a few days away, including wedding outfits, and the dog paraphernalia and crate for his mini-break with the in-laws, without cramming something into the cabin. The massive boot just swallowed it all and kept going. We even picked up a new large spice cupboard my father had made for the return trip and again the Audi didn’t even stutter.
So, onto the bells and whistles. As you’d expect from a high-spec car, it was pretty well equipped – all the usual accoutrements, with the exception of the seat massagers that are often included in this type of car, but that’s never really something I think is needed, or even missed. The reversing cameras were top notch – which given the size is just as well, and of course it benefited from the Audi virtual cockpit which I always love.
So, what’s not to like? Well, there was one thing this failed on – time and time again – which was parking. Whether this is the fault of the car, or the spaces I’m not sure, but on more than several occasions I managed to fit the car into a space, but couldn’t then actually exit the vehicle, it was just too big if there was a car parked next to me. I actually had to effectively block my uncle’s car completely in order to be able to get out. These were particularly small spaces, but still I suspect if I were to own this car, it would be a niggle that came up time and time again, and when parking is at a premium (the wedding was in Bournemouth, and parking there can be a nightmare) it could become more of a recurring problem.
But given the wafting-along comfort, V6 grunt when you need it and versatility to deal with literally anything, I think I could live with that!
Tech & spec
Model: Audi Q8
Base price: £72,250
Model on test: S Line 50 TDI Quattro Tiptronic
Price on test: £75,295
Engine: 3.0 V6
Power: 282bhp
Torque: 600nm
Max speed: 150mph
0-60mph: 6.1s
Emissions: 218g/km
Fuel capacity: 75 litres
