V8 Star Sounds Like A Future Classic

Inside, things are familiar. Audi lifts its sportier SUV with carbon twill dashboard inlays and metal trim, and it’s all sturdy and feels high-quality, but there’s no huge step from other high-end models from the automaker. Rotor Gray leather sport seats with diamond quilting are standard, heated and with a matching heated steering wheel. They’re comfortable, if somewhat sober; even Audi’s “red” hide is pretty subdued. Ventilation for the front seats, and heating for the rear, come in that Prestige package, along with a head-up display.

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Bang & Olufsen audio, quad-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging, and Audi’s MMI Navigation plus infotainment system — spread over dual touchscreens with weird haptic feedback that demands a firmer press than you expect, and paired with the virtual cockpit driver display — are standard. 

Chris Davies/SlashGear

So, too, are front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera, along with safety features like blind spot and rear cross-traffic warnings, forward collision warnings and avoidance assistance, and lane-departure warnings. The Prestige package adds Remote Park Assist Plus — allowing you to navigate the SQ8 in and out of parking spaces from your phone, outside of the SUV — and Intersection Assist.

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Chris Davies/SlashGear

Audi’s extras didn’t stop there, though. $5,000 upgrades the audio to Bang & Olufsen’s Advanced 3D version; $4,350 gets the Luxury package, most notably adding front seat massage and spreading the leather trim across the dashboard, upper doors, and armrests. I can see the appeal of both, though a little more gimmicky is the $2,500 Night Vision Assistant. After all, if you tap the SQ8’s most obvious party tricks, you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road, not the dashboard display.