• Choice of standard petrol and diesel models
• Plus SQ8 4.0-litre V8 with 507hp
• Mild-hybrid technology across the range

The regular Audi Q8 is available with a 286hp 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine labelled the 50 TDI and a 340hp 3.0-litre turbo petrol engine labelled 55 TFSI. The SQ8 is fitted with a 507hp 4.0-litre V8 turbo petrol.

All include Audi’s mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) technology, which uses a 48-volt subsystem to recover energy when the vehicle is decelerating to boost efficiency. The Q8 can also coast with the engine off between speeds of 34 and 99mph, saving fuel as it does so.

Prior to the 2023 facelift, a plug-in hybrid was also available, offering up to 28 miles of electric only driving in combination with a retuned petrol V6. This is set to return in 2024, alongside a more powerful RS Q8 variant.

Audi Q8 diesel engines

The Q8’s least powerful – and thus far, most popular – engine is the 50 TDI. This diesel motor is shared with other models in the Audi range. Producing 286hp and 600Nm of torque (pulling power), it’s capable of accelerating 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 150mph.

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This 3.0-litre diesel feels smooth and punchy, despite the Q8’s hefty 2.1-tonne kerb weight, and seems better suited to the eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to every model. The torque is such that overtaking can be carried out in a brisk and safe manner, with little drama.

Like almost all large diesel engines, the Q8 50 TDI does its best work in the mid-range. There’s still a reasonable amount of pulling power up until a few hundred rpm before the red line, yet taking the engine above about 4,000rpm generally feels unnecessary.

Audi Q8 petrol engines

Quiet at low revs, yet sporty sounding under load, the 55 TFSI delivers greater refinement than the 50 TDI, but doesn’t quite have the mid-range pull of its diesel counterpart since it generates a lesser 500Nm of torque. As a result, while the 55 TFSI is faster on paper – 0-62mph takes 5.6 seconds, top speed is an electronically limited 155mph – the 50 TDI inspires greater confidence when overtaking and has a power delivery better suited to the Q8’s character.

Driving the facelifted models, we also found that the petrol engine doesn’t seem to get along with the eight-speed automatic gearbox as well as the diesel, becoming hesitant and even rather slury at times. This seems like the sort of issue that shouldn’t be plaguing a model so many years into its lifecycle, and is rather disappointing.

The substantially more powerful 4.0-litre V8 in the SQ8 is unsurprisingly the faster and most satisfying engine of the bunch, surfing 770Nm of torque when more relaxed progress is required yet able to punch high into the rev range with its 507hp when you really want to get a move on. In this model, 0-62mph takes just 4.1 seconds, while top speed is again electronically limited to 155mph.

The gearbox is occasionally frustrating, but otherwise this is the finest facelifted version of the Q8 currently available – something that’s compounded by the general driving experience…

What’s it like to drive?

• All Q8s come with air suspension as standard
• Quattro all-wheel drive provides superb traction
• But comfort and body roll can be disappointing

The Q8 is billed as a sporty SUV, designed to cut through bends with greater agility than its Q7 sibling. When it was originally launched, this ambition was immediately clear, with the Q8’s steering feeling noticeably sharper than many rivals.

Rear-wheel-steering turns up to 5 degrees in the opposite direction at low speeds (below 37.3mph) and up to 1.5 degrees in the same direction at high speeds (37.3mph and above). At low speeds, this reduces the turning circle by about a metre. At high speeds, it makes the car more stable. For instance, when changing lanes on the motorway.

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The also standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system means traction is rarely an issue, though top-spec SQ8 Vorsprung models feature a Sport rear differential designed to make the back of the car more playful, should you desire.

The standard Q8’s problem is that its rivals haven’t stood still, and comparatively speaking, it now feels quite clumsy and blunt-edged to drive. The air suspension can vary the vehicle’s height to improve ground clearance or tighten-up body control, but it still leans a lot in the corners and lacks the ability to deal decisively with bumps. This leads to a kind of wallowing motion that undermines any true sense of luxurious comfort without really delivering sharpness and poise in exchange.

As such, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with the also recently facelifted Porsche Cayenne Coupe, which is based on fundamentally the same chassis architecture but in an entirely different league when it comes to driving enjoyment. Not least because it now sports new two-chamber air-suspension that delivers better comfort and better control. The Q8 is still using the more basic version it launched with in 2019.

The SQ8 pulls things back slightly thanks to the active anti-roll technology fitted to Vorsprung specification models. This keeps the car more upright in faster turns very effectively, but isn’t even available as an option on the rest of the range. The specially retuned S air suspension on all SQ8s does a better job, regardless; it’s firmer, but because it deals with bumps more decisively generally ends up feeling more comfortable overall.

Many rivals now offer a more pleasant experience, however, including not just the Porsche Cayenne but the BMW X6 and the Ranger Rover Sport. We feel Audi has missed a trick by not creating a comfort-orientated alternative to these to maximise the appeal of the Q8’s spacious interior.