What's New
The 2021 Audi Q8 receives some new standard and optional equipment. The entry-level Premium model now comes with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while a heated steering wheel and a surround-view camera are now available through the Convenience Package.
Meanwhile, the midrange Premium Plus trim gets a heated steering wheel as standard and offers a brand-new Executive Package, which includes adaptive cruise control, heated rear seats, and more.
Choosing Your Audi Q8
The Q8 is available in Audi's familiar three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. Pricing starts at $69,295 including destination for the Premium and goes up to $78,945 for the Prestige.
Engine Choices
Every Q8 is powered by Audi’s proven 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine, which goes by the moniker 55 TFSI. It generates 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Power is supplied to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Q8 returns an EPA-estimated 18 miles per gallon city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 combined.
Passenger and Cargo Capacity
The Q8 can seat five passengers in comfort, featuring 40.2 inches of rear leg room. Cargo capacity stands at 30.5 cubic feet with the rear seats in place, or 60.7 once they're folded down.
Safety Features
You’d expect plenty of safety features on an SUV costing between $69,000 and $79,000, and every Q8 delivers with automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, and automatic high beams.
The Premium Plus is further equipped with a surround-view camera, while the Prestige comes with adaptive cruise control.
Connectivity
The Q8 has a stunning interior that features a 10.1-inch upper and an 8.6-inch lower touchscreen at the center of the dashboard. Navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster are also included.
The Premium Plus trim gets standard wireless charging and a Bang and Olufsen audio system; the Prestige features a head-up display.
Premium Q8 models ride on 20-inch wheels with an adaptive damping suspension. It features a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights and taillights, a power tailgate, and power-folding and heated side mirrors with memory. The inside features three-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, and heated front seats.
New for 2021 is the $1,250 Convenience Package. It combines a smartphone signal booster, wireless charger, a surround-view camera, a heated steering wheel, and auto-dimming side mirrors.
Fitted with larger 21-inch wheels, Premium Plus models also receive four-zone automatic climate control and ventilated front seats. The stereo is a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen system, and Audi's wireless charger and signal booster come standard. The surround-view camera is also a welcome upgrade.
For $2,750, the Adaptive Chassis Package adds all-wheel steering and an adaptive air suspension, improving the Q8’s road manners. The $2,800 Executive Package adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, heated rear seats, and matrix-design LED headlights with animation.
The Prestige is all about luxury, with power soft-close doors, leather across the dashboard, heated rear seats, and second-row sunshades. The head-up display and adaptive cruise control also take it to the next level. It also gets the matrix-design LED headlights that are adaptive.
The $6,300 Luxury Package covers the front seats in Valcona leather with massage functionality and memory for the passenger, while dual-pane acoustic glass and an Alcantara headliner surround a cabin swathed in leather from the center console and instrument panel to the door armrests.
The features on higher-end 2021 Audi Q8 models are nice to have, but the Premium trim does a fine job of transporting its occupants in comfort and luxury. If you can live without a high-end stereo, this is the model to go for, with the added benefit of keeping the Q8’s price below $70,000.