German car maker Audi has 34 models in its portfolio, some very low volume like
its upper luxury SQ8 TFSI SUV, a large boxy yet handsome coupe style SUV –
now with 4-litre twin-turbo V8 power – 373kW of power in fact driving through a
conventional 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive. At $168,000 this is a
specialist upper luxury SUV, big, sporty with a large footprint on the road, sitting
on 22-inch wheels and an adaptive air suspension. Its wide with a wide track
offering enormous confidence on a winding road with great stability. Despite it
2480 kilos it jumps to 100km/hour in just 4.1 seconds with braking to match. What
I like about this luxury Audi SQ8 is its ability to be docile around town with a
supple ride yet unleashed on a winding country road it provides sports car
handling – sensors on the steering, chassis and the air suspension translate
inputs to the anti-roll bars and the overall stability for a large heavy SUV is
amazing. Of course, drive it hard and economy suffers, up to 16L/100kms but on a
softer throttle down to 11 litres when cruising. I found this Audi SQ8 SUV hard to
criticise, I’d have an orange one in a heartbeat. I’m David Berthon

Download this podcast here