When you read “0-100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds,” you usually think of a supercar like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, or maybe a high-end EV. You certainly don’t think of a large SUV. And you definitely don’t expect it from a car that looks like the regular, luxury Audi Q8.
Welcome to the SQ8 – in which S stands for Sport. S can also be for steroid, speed, sex appeal. I took it for a spin in two extreme worlds – the chaos of Delhi traffic, and the early morning Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.
What is it?
The sportier version of the Q8 (Rs 1.13 crore), the SQ8 (Rs 1.78 crore) is significantly more powerful (373 kW and 770 Nm) than the Q8 (250 kW and 500 Nm), but retains the Q8’s luxury comfort and understated design. If you want extreme performance at the cost of comfort, you can check out the extremely powerful RS Q8 (Rs 2.34 crore).
How does it drive?
It’s powered by a massive 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine. In traffic, it’s so quiet that you would barely guess that firepower exists. In ‘Comfort’ mode, the SQ8 is an effortlessly civil SUV, with its adaptive air suspension gliding over broken patches. But the real magic is its rear-wheel steering – at slow speeds, the rear wheels turn opposite to the front wheels, reducing the turning radius (I could easily manoeuvre it into a tight hotel parking), and at high speeds, they turn in the same direction as the front wheels, improving steering precision and stability, and that’s when you truly wake up to this car’s power.
At 5:30 in the morning, on empty stretches of the expressway, as I shifted into ‘Dynamic’ mode, the SQ8 lowered a bit, and the exhaust system became louder. As I floored the accelerator, I could feel that the suspension had stiffened, but I could also feel that everything around me was being fast-forwarded. What impressed me most were high-speed lane changes, when this tall SUV behaved like a sedan, with almost no body roll.
How’s the cabin?
It feels solid (German build quality), but doesn’t feel as luxurious as you’d expect from an almost Rs 2 crore car (on-road price). Step into a similarly-priced Mercedes-Benz or BMW, and it’s a different, far lavish and advanced world.
Should you buy it?
It doesn’t have the road presence of a Rs 2 crore car – I mean, look at the BMW 7 Series. It’s for a buyer who understands the art of understatement. It’s not loud and attention-grabbing, but two cars in one – a comfortable daily ride to the office, and a monster than can perpetually keep the 7 Series in the rear-view mirror.
