Under the “Related” section of the Audi Q8’s Wikipedia page, there are five SUVs: the Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, and Volkswagen Touareg. They’re there because they all share the same chassis, VW Group’s MLB Evo. And while cynics may conclude that the six vehicles are simply the same car wearing different clothes, it’s hard to argue against that strategy when the underlying bones are as good as they are.
Because after an afternoon behind the wheel of the recently revised 2025 Audi SQ8—that is, the mid-level performance version of the Q8—I can see why everybody from Bentley to Lambo uses this as a base. It’s good at everything.
Big Batch Hot Hatch
In Audi’s lineup, the Q8 serves as a “coupe” version of the Q7 and by that I mean it’s more angularly styled, has a sportier slant in personality, and only seats five instead of seven. (See also: the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz‘s GLE Coupe, and the new Genesis GV80 Coupe.) The “S” in SQ8 throws in a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 (the base Q8 uses a V6), and the car slots below the full-bore RS Q8, the dog review of which you can read here.
Style-wise the Q8 is, far and away, the best-looking “coupe” SUV out there in that it doesn’t look like an SUV that’s been surgically given a hunched back. It actually looks like its own thing, like it was conceived to be that shape from the start. Boxy fenders and a blacked-out section between the taillights hark back to the original Audi Quattro, a vibe that’s in full effect in this example’s shade of Chili Red. For 2024 onward, the grille has been reworked, air intakes in the lower front fascia are bigger, new wheel designs range from 21 to 23 inches, and both the front lip and rear diffuser are new.
That subtle, solid beauty carries on inside. Clean, classy surfaces and attractive, easy-to-use screens are underscored by a new matte carbon twill inlay. It’s a nice vehicle to house four adults on a road trip since the Q8’s back seat is reasonably spacious, and despite this being a slopey-roofed “coupe” SUV, I found ingress, egress, and headroom back there to be perfectly sufficient.
Oh, and old Subaru Foresters had this too, but frameless windows on an SUV will never not be cool, that’s just a fact.
With its air suspension hunkered down to the lowest setting, it almost looks like a hot hatch that’s been lifting a lot of weights and eating lots of unseasoned chicken breast. Somehow menacing and understated at the same time, SQ8 is punchy and quite nice to look at.
Fast AF
On top of looking like a gigantic hot hatch, the Audi SQ8 basically drives like one too. The V8 makes 500 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque, zero to 60 mph is done in four seconds flat, and it’ll hit a top speed of 155 mph. For a vehicle that weighs 6,000 pounds on the dot, the SQ8 feels fast as fuck—and, remember, this isn’t even the RS Q8. I have yet to drive that one, but Audi’s spec sheet says the RS will hit 60 mph in 3.7 and top out at 190. For my taste, though, the SQ8 is Enough, guys. The RS Q8 must be downright excessive.
That V8 does the V8 thing: it’s rumbly-sounding and handily more charismatic than the regular Q8’s V6. But it’s also never too loud even when the car is in dynamic mode (read: sport mode). Again, this is just the S, after all.
Quattro all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, and standard adaptive air suspension combine to make the SQ8 annoyingly adept at cornering. Optional active roll stabilization puts a motor between the sway bars on both axles to keep the thing level when attacking bends. Opting for active roll also throws in a rear sport differential.
Hucked down a winding road, the SQ8 is technically and dynamically almost faultless. Given the segment it plays in and the mission it’s been given in life—i.e. be a mid-performance-grade five-seat luxury SUV—this Audi yields little to no real complaints from behind the wheel. It’s sharp, it’s quick, it’s fun, it’s comfy, and there’s even a nice sense of connection in the steering. No, it’s not as hunkered down, edgy, or addicting as its magnificent RS6 Performance sibling, but it feels very much cut from the same cloth.
Just like the RS6, the SQ8 also fulfills what is arguably its chief purpose as a regular commuter car spectacularly. It does that big German autobahn express thing of being extremely stable and quiet at highway-plus speeds while being perfectly livable and not unwieldy around town.
Are there performance SUVs out there that drive more flamboyantly? Sure. Are there performance SUVs out there that are quicker, louder, and more hardcore? You bet. But given the space the SQ8 occupies and the money Audi is charging, this car is irritatingly hard to fault.
It’s Audis All The Way Down
The 2025 Audi SQ8 starts at $97,795 or, in plain English, $100,000. Considering what things cost these days, that honestly feels right on the money. The SQ8 is a stylishly practical and competently sporting SUV that drives, looks, and feels like it could cost a lot more.
As predictable as a conclusion this may be, the Audi SQ8 is technically magnificent. High-performing and good at pretty much everything, I get why so many other SUVs use this as a base. Add some more sound deadening, airier air suspension, and half a cow’s worth of creamy leather and you get a Bentley Bentayga. Make it even sportier and you’ve got a Porsche Cayenne. Add power and a spiky body kit, take away its ability to feel shame, and it’s suddenly a Lamborghini Urus.
Out of the entire MLB Evo SUV gang, the SQ8 just might be my favorite. In addition to its material virtues, it’s fundamentally the most honest. (Fine, technically the VW Touareg is even more honest, but they don’t sell those here and I am a fancy boy, OK?) If everything else is just an Audi in a Halloween costume, why not just stop pretending and get the Audi?
| 2025 Audi SQ8 Specs | |
|---|---|
| Base Price (as tested) | $97,795 ($127,540) |
| Powertrain | 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 | 8-speed automatic | all-wheel drive |
| Horsepower | 500 |
| Torque | 568 lb-ft |
| Seating Capacity | 5 |
| Cargo Volume | 30.5 cubic feet behind second row | 60.7 cubic feet behind first row |
| Curb Weight | 6,000 pounds |
| 0-60 mph | 4.0 seconds |
| Top Speed | 155 mph |
| EPA Fuel Economy | 14 mpg city | 20 highway | 17 combined |
| Quick Take | Predictably, annoyingly good. |
| Score | 8.5/10 |
Got a tip or question for the author about the SQ8? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com