Split personality

They say it’s not possible to be all things to all people at once, but the Q8 60 TFSI e quattro S line does a pretty fair job of doing just that. For the daily commute and just general running around town it can run on pure electric drive, but long trips – even taking in remote roads – can be tackled with equal confidence using its 3.0-litre V6 powerplant. It’s not an all or nothing proposition either, as you can even employ a combination of the two. 

It’s a physically large SUV, with tremendous interior space and a truly first class fit-out, but from behind the wheel it doesn’t feel big at all – and perhaps most importantly depending on your point of view, it handles like a vehicle a fraction of its size when you find yourself on a good driving road.

Even the now familiar Q8 styling, which is obviously a matter of personal opinion, tends more to the coupe-like than the more traditional SUV styling, giving it its own distinctive look and presence on the road. In fact the one thing that causes some head scratching where this newest Audi Q8 model is concerned is the model designation – Q8 60 TFSI e quattro S line – which just doesn’t roll off the tongue when you’re explaining to a friend what you drive – so we’ll stick with a far more user-friendly Q8 plug-in hybrid, or better still just call it the Q8 hybrid.

Over the course of a week driving the new Q8 hybrid, it did duty as a luxurious office conveyance, sitting effectively parked in Sydney traffic or diving for the rare gap that opened up. It negotiated shopping centre carparks, narrow city streets and freeways, as well as taking the dog to the beach (with an Audi rear seat cover in place I promise) and hooking along back roads – including the wonderful Putty Road on the way to this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour. 

In each and every application, the Q8 PHEV felt completely at home, literally taking the rough with the smooth and the tight with the great open spaces. It cruised whisper quiet on all-electric drive around the city streets of Newcastle and Sydney, and gobbled up the miles of country roads and freeway with equal aplomb. It handled twisty country backroads like a car half its physical size, and yet its beautifully finished interior provided ‘business class’ levels of room and comfort and its enormous backseat was an almost irresistible prospect for a quick nap with three hours to go in the 12 Hour race (getting up at 3:30am takes its toll on the best of us).

The Q8 PHEV, like the other members of the Q8 range, occupy the top end of Audi’s SUV family, boasting all of the luxury and finish of a top limousine in a large SUV. Launched in Australia back in 2018, its combination of size, finish and performance struck a chord with the motoring press and buyers alike, with award-winning motoring writer Peter McKay commenting that ‘the cabin is so wide your front-seat passenger seems to be sitting in another postcode’.

McKay was just as impressed with the performance and power delivery, ‘the 55 TFSI petrol engine is a subtle delight. The lashings of torque, all 500Nm of it, starting down low in the revs with the eight speeder unerringly and smartly and smoothly finding the right gear for the task’.

With this new, hybrid-drive model, that torque figure has blown out to a massive 700Nm with 340kW of power giving the Q8 PHEV tremendous punch accelerating out of corners or when overtaking out on the freeway. From a standing start it hits 100km/h in 5.4 seconds and has the potential to part you from your licence very quickly if you don’t keep an eye on things, so smooth and largely quiet is the operation regardless of which drive is engaged.

Of course there are more powerful, high-performance variants of the Q8 available like the SQ8 and the incomparable RS Q8, neither of these have the ability to run run silently on all-electric power for up to 60km, which was more than enough for the daily duties from home, before plugging into a standard power outlet overnight and powering the 17.9 kWh battery.

With the hybrid variant there is also the provision to have the V6 petrol engine charge the battery while driving on freeways and the like, so that upon arriving in the next township or city centre, it was possible to switch to pure electric if desired. All at the press of a button.

Energy is also recuperated when braking, where the electric motor is responsible for braking at up to 0.3 g – without any change in the feel of the brake pedal. Again, all of this goes on without any conscious effort on the part of the driver or interfering with the intuitive operation of the vehicle.

In fact this is something you could say of the majority of the Q8s systems and technology. 

The HD Matrix LED headlights are a perfect case in point, probing deep into the night between Orange and Bathurst on the 4:30am drive in for the start of the race. The abundance of wildlife in this part of the country and at this time of night calling for the very best in automotive lighting.

Likewise the heads-up display is always a welcome inclusion, as is the 17-speaker B&O 3D sound system and heated Valcona-upholstered front sports seats. Those rear seats that so nearly proved irresistible for a nap, perform their intended function (as luxury seats rather than a bed) beautifully, adding a slide function and 40:20:40 split folding with the absolutely cavernous amount of space available to rear seat passengers in the Q8 PHEV. Given the impressive physical dimensions of the Q8 PHEV, the 360 degree cameras that include kerb view are invaluable for fitting the big SUV neatly into spaces that may appear from inside to be a little too snug.

It’s a vehicle that makes easy and impressive work of every situation and offers a perfect alternative to full electric drive for those with a varied lifestyle.

With up to 60km of all-electric motoring available from a full charge, most day-today needs are easily met with all-electric drive. But for those with a lifestyle that also sees them travelling over great distances and sometimes more remote locales, the V6 petrol offers unrivalled flexibility. In terms of luxury finishes and state-of-the-art equipment, the Q8 PHEV, like its stablemates, wants for nothing, and while can’t match the RS Q8 in the performance stakes (very few vehicles can), it has the performance to plaster a smile across your face on the right roads or gobble up the endless miles even when the road is less than engaging.

A vehicle for all seasons without doubt, and one that just nails it for a host of reasons.