Audi hasn’t messed with a winning formula. The Audi Q8 – along with its sportier SQ8 and RSQ8 siblings – shares its platform with the more practical three-row Q7 , but features a sportier-looking, crisply styled body with just a hint of Lamborghini Urus to it. It’s different from the rival Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe , Porsche Cayenne Coupe and BMW X6 , which look like their GLE, Cayenne and X5 counterparts up front but wear even more rakish, coupe-like rooflines.
.. which arguably makes them look more awkward.
The comparison between the Q8 and Urus is apt, as the Audi actually uses the same MLB Evo platform as the Lamborghini. It also offers a twin-turbocharged petrol V8 engine in SQ8 and RSQ8 guise, like in the Lamborghini. It’s less powerful, mind you, but then the Audi is a lot cheaper.
For 2025, Audi has refreshed its large SUVs. The SQ8 we’ve tested is already in showrooms, and will be joined later by the updated Q8 and RSQ8. There are no mechanical changes to the Q8 and SQ8, while aesthetic changes are minor both inside and out – limited to detail updates like new badging and grille textures.
All models also now come standard with Matrix LED headlights, while the SQ8 is available with HD Matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light, as well as OLED rear tail lights with selectable signatures. There are also new wheel designs, with the largest measuring a whopping 23 inches, as well as new colours. Sakhir Gold is a highlight, as this almost flat, tan-looking met.