{"id":244566,"date":"2023-11-08T13:20:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=244566"},"modified":"2023-11-08T13:20:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:20:04","slug":"new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow\/","title":{"rendered":"New Audi Q8 2023 facelift review: can it come out of the Porsche Cayenne\u2019s shadow?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updates are only mild, but the Audi Q8 remains a practical and refined SUV<\/h2>\n


\n<\/p>\n

  • <\/stop><\/stop><\/stop><\/stop><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/path><\/svg><\/path><\/svg><\/path><\/svg><\/path><\/svg><\/path><\/svg>\n

    3.5<\/span> out of 5<\/span><\/p>\n

    How we review cars<\/span>Find your Audi Q8Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors…New Car DealsNew Car Deals<\/span><\/use><\/svg>Save up to \u00a317,505 on your new Q8<\/span>Save up to \u00a317,505 on your new Q8<\/span><\/p>\n

    We\u2019re dealing with a worthy facelift here rather than an extensive one, then \u2013 and a notably different approach from the one taken by Porsche with its latest Cayenne. That car, available in regular and coup\u00e9 body styles, continues to share its basic platform with the Audi but has been treated to an overhauled cabin, a slightly more powerful version of the V6 engine in base trim, and totally reworked suspension.<\/p>\n

    Still, the Q8\u2019s cabin is roomy for four adults, with excellent legroom and headroom, even for rear passengers in a car with a semi-coupe roofline. The in-car tech was solid before and it remains so now \u2013 although Audi\u2019s haptic-feedback touchscreens, which require a solid prod to use and offer no scope for muscle-memory inputs on key features, remain a bit of oddity.<\/p>\n

    The materials are respectable for the class now rather than stellar, with odd ventilation controls breaking up the finish in the fascia, and gloss-black materials that are less in vogue now than they were three years ago. In general the bits you touch do seem high in quality, but it\u2019s frustrating that the budget for the facelift didn\u2019t extend to replacing the gearshift paddles mounted behind the steering wheel; they felt cheap when the Q8 was launched, and they\u2019re not ageing well.<\/p>\n


    \n<\/p>\n

    As promised, the infotainment system does indeed allow scope for choosing four paired combinations of headlight and tail-light pattern. But in truth, what you actually see from the outside are just subtle variations on the same theme \u2013 a world away from the personalisation that\u2019s increasingly available through emerging Chinese manufacturers. Cost and packaging constraints are the reasons behind the modest offering although Audi officials also admit that they\u2019re not entirely comfortable with the idea of allowing owners to create their own lighting motifs, lest they come up with something not befitting of the brand.<\/p>\n

    A different alloy wheel design and bumper tweaks aren\u2019t going to change the Q8\u2019s dynamic make-up, and sure enough, it feels pretty much as you were. The V6 engine has enough shove for you to make haste when required, and it\u2019s a smooth performer, fading away nicely into the background at a fast cruise. The ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox doesn\u2019t like to be rushed, though, and it\u2019s prone to the odd jerky shift at lower speeds. The manual paddles don\u2019t really make it any slicker, either.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    We also tried the V6 diesel and found it a more accomplished performer, with a better relationship between gearbox and engine, and excellent motorway refinement (it runs at barely 1,600rpm at 70mph). But of course, market trends being what they are, nobody will buy it.<\/p>\n

    The chassis set-up is peculiar. UK Q8s get adaptive air suspension as standard, but it seems set up for agility and body control \u2013 without truly managing to deliver either with much conviction. The steering is pleasingly direct, but regardless of which of the car\u2019s dynamic modes you\u2019ve selected, the Q8 can get out of phase with itself when you really start to pitch it into corners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    This would be less of an issue if the attempt at sportiness hadn\u2019t eroded comfort, but it has. The Q8 only feels truly comfortable with life on smooth, gently undulating roads; over more broken surfaces and, again, regardless of which mode the car is running in, it\u2019s prone to shimmying and shuddering as the system fails to cope with sharp, high-frequency inputs. Factor in the body movement and you end up with a car that struggles to settle itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Three years ago, when the Q8 was first launched, this was not an uncommon recipe in fast premium SUVs. The worrying thing for Audi is that the aforementioned Cayenne is notably more composed and more capable \u2013 and astonishingly, even allowing for a bit of fun with the options list, it is also cheaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Model:<\/td>\nAudi Q8 55 TFSI Black Edition<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Price:<\/td>\n\u00a380,650<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Engine:<\/td>\n3.0-litre V6 petrol<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Power\/torque:<\/td>\n335bhp\/500Nm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Transmission:<\/td>\nEight-speed auto, four-wheel drive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    0-62mph:<\/td>\n5.6 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Top speed:<\/td>\n155mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Economy:<\/td>\n26.2mpg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    CO2 emissions:<\/td>\n246g\/km<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    On sale:<\/td>\nNow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Updates are only mild, but the Audi Q8 remains a practical and refined SUV 3.5 out of 5 How we<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Audi Q8 2023 facelift review: can it come out of the Porsche Cayenne\u2019s shadow? - AutoMotoBuzz.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Audi Q8 2023 facelift review: can it come out of the Porsche Cayenne\u2019s shadow? - AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Updates are only mild, but the Audi Q8 remains a practical and refined SUV 3.5 out of 5 How we\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-08T13:20:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/New-Audi-Q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-Porsche-Cayennes-shadow-.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/new-audi-q8-2023-facelift-review-can-it-come-out-of-the-porsche-cayennes-shadow\/\",\"name\":\"New Audi Q8 2023 facelift review: can it come out of the Porsche Cayenne\u2019s shadow? 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