2024 Audi Q8 Facelift First Drive Review - Subtle Updates Worth The Price?

German luxury carmaker, Audi launched the facelift of its flagship SUV, the Q8 in August for the Indian market at Rs 1.17 crore (ex-showroom). As part of the new update, the brand has added some subtle design changes and added some new features to the SUV. Also, it now comes with new exterior and interior colour options. We recently got our hands on the new Audi Q8 facelift and in this piece, we'll find out if the new updates make the 2024 Audi Q8 better or if it's still the same. Moreover, you can join 91Wheels Whatsapp Channel to never miss out on automotive updates.

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What We Liked!

• The new grille gives it a more sporty look and a wider stance
• Standard 21-inch wheels enhance the side profile
• Customizable DRL signatures make it more appealing
• The 3.0-litre V6 offers an exhilarating performance, always ready to sprint and offer smooth performance
• Handles well and offers an engaging driving experience
• The interior is now more loaded with a 17-speaker Band & Olufsen system and 4-zone climate control
• Immense space on the inside and good boot space

What We Did Not Like!

• The 3.0-litre V6 is thirsty
• Some features like ventilated seats, and ADAS are not available at this price point
• No electric adjustment for steering
• The touchscreen is small as compared to the rivals and it's a bit distracting to operate while driving

2024 Audi Q8 - Design

The 2024 iteration of the Q8 comes with subtle design changes, making it more appealing. At the front, it gets an all-new single-frame grille with vertical chrome inlays, the new grille boasts new trapezoidal elements. Moreover, it now gets a new 2D logo, air intakes, and a new bumper diffuser. The new grille gives a wider stance to the SUV. The brand has also added new LED Matrix Laser headlamps and updated LED DRLs. The updated DRLs can be customized with four different patterns and also serve as a welcome light signature.

Moving to the side, the SUV boasts new 21-inch wheels with new 5-spoke alloy wheels. The side profile is further enhanced by red brake calipers, frameless doors which give it a sporty look, and a coupe sort of roof line. The rear profile is more or less the same with a connected tail lamp but it now comes with OLED lamps. Additionally, the rear bumper also gets a new diffuser. The SUV continues to get a dual-exhaust setup.

The design of the SUV makes it more appealing and sporty, the wider front grille gives it a good road presence, and the 21-inch standard wheels now offer a bigger stance as well.

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2024 Audi Q8 - Interior Space & Features

The interior of the 2024 Q8 speaks about its luxury with its soft-touch material all around the cabin, a neatly integrated dashboard layout with 10-inch touchscreen infotainment, and piano black treatment with brushed aluminum surrounds. The infotainment screen is crisp and offers smooth control but it is a bit distracting while driving, some physical controls for the screen would have been much appreciated.

The use of leather offers a premium feel inside the cabin, the seats are well-cushioned and offer immense comfort. Moreover, the front seats are electrically adjustable with a memory function for the driver seat. The Q8 now comes with 4-zone climate control and the HVAC controls are integrated in a separate screen in the center console. The center console also gets knobs for volume control. Talking about the speakers, the 2024 iteration gets a 17-speaker Bang and Olufsen system which offers a crisp sound quality. It also gets an Audi Virtual Cockpit with integrated navigation support.

If we talk about practicality, the Q8 boasts decent-sized door map pockets with bottle holders, two cup holders with covers in the center console, an armrest with storage and wireless charger, and a decent-sized glovebox. The rear row gets an armrest with cup holders and decent-sized door pads for your bottles.

If you are someone who prefers chauffeur-driven experience then you'll be happy in the rear row of the Q8. The Q8 is a 4-seater SUV that offers immense legroom at the rear, even the tall passengers can easily stretch their legs and feel comfortable on the rear. To make the ride more comfortable, the brand has offered individual AC controls for rear-row passengers as part of the 4-zone climate control. Additionally, there are two AC vents in the center, and each passenger also has dedicated vents located on the B-pillars. However, there is a downside in the rear row as well, if you are someone who's 6 feet tall, then you might feel that the headroom is limited on the back, thanks to the coupe-like roof line. The cabin feels airy due to the panoramic sunroof and large windows. The rear windows get sunblinds as well.

The safety features of the Q8 consist of 8 airbags, front, and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera for surround view monitoring, cruise control, hill-hold assist, TPMS, and traction control among other features.

One drawback of the interior of the Indian spec of the Q8 is the lack of certain features like ventilated seats, a head-up display, ADAS, and an electrically adjustable steering wheel. Even with a price tag of Rs 1.17 crore (ex-showroom), the Q8 doesn't include these features.

2024 Audi Q8 - Engine, Performance, & Handling

The India spec Audi Q8 continues to come with a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine. This engine produces 340 PS of power and 500 Nm of peak torque and comes mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive setup. The engine is further assisted by a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup which aids the idle start-stop function.

If we talk about the performance of this engine, the V6 motor offers smooth power delivery and the massive 500 Nm torque is delivered linearly and you won't feel any lag in delivery. The engine is always ready for a sprint and the claimed 0-100 km is 5.6 seconds. In our test run, I touched 140 km/h on the speedometer and it was a smooth experience. It gains speeds without much effort and the best part is that the engine is super refined and remains calm. The NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) is controlled well and the buzz of the engine is music to the ears. I feel this SUV deserves a bolder, meatier exhaust note for a more satisfying sound.

Coming to the ride quality and handling, the steering offers good feedback and it weighs well while sweeping the corners. The car's weight is around 2 tons but it does not feel heavy while taking corners or doing quick maneuvers. The steering response is nice and it will not give you much trouble while navigating in and around the city. Moreover, the Q8 offers multiple drive modes and the steering weighs accordingly to offer you a good driving experience. The air suspension offers well-cushioned rides and takes the undulations of the road with ease. The ride quality is a bit on the stiffer side. The overall ride and handling of the Q8 is precise and it remains stable on straight roads as well as while taking corners.

2024 Audi Q8 - Luggage Space

The Q8 offers nearly about 600 litres of boot space which can be expanded to 1,700 litres after folding the second-row seats. The second-row seats come with a 40:20:40 folding setting and with this, it offers a huge boot space to carry all your stuff. The boot can be accessed from the second row by folding the middle seat. The boot also offers a small concealed space to keep your small belongings, but most of that area is occupied by the subwoofer and hence, the Q8 misses on a spare wheel which is a bit of a downside after paying a hefty amount for this luxury SUV.