German car maker Audi has 37 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 petrol V8 power – 373kW of power in fact driving through a conventional 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive. At $168,800 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 adaptive 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 very hard to criticise. I’m David Berthon

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