By Jeff Glucker
The new Audi Q8 is a flagship crossover that boasts the automaker’s latest tech bits and styling. This means a cockpit laden with the latest MMI infotainment system, crisp displays, a gorgeous gauge cluster, and tech designed to make your life easier when you’re in your vehicle. On the design front this means looking forward… while remembering and paying close attention to the past.
Believe it or not, Audi has taken a few styling cues from its legendary Quattro coupe and applied them to the skin of the Q8.
This is most notable in the fenders. The box flares of the rally-bred beauty have become blister flares on the Q8. You can see the familial links. Out back, there’s a strip of black under the full-length taillight setup of the Q8. This again links to the tail of the Quattro. The clearest link, however, resides in the C and D pillars. The shape, angle, and cut of both appear extremely related.
Now, you may not love the idea of a sporty crossover. But the Q8 is just that. And if it can take and apply design cues from a real deal sports car legend, then that’s something we can get behind. Not surprisingly, the UrG Audi is getting its due in the value department too. If you think vintage 911s from the 80s are expensive, take a look at what people want for Group B road car dreams. The example above? Audi plucked it from its private collection. It’s a clean example with some real-world bumps spotted if you look close enough, and it’s worth over $200k.
Maybe less, now that my ass has been in it.
Am I the only one who sees a Ford Edge for badge snobs?
Good they are telling me, I would have missed it.
Less sarcastic, it’s well possible that they looked hard at the Quattro during the design process and how to tie in the corporate design lingo, but come on, it’s a 2 ton SUV not a SWB coupe.
Edit: disappointed that Jeff didn’t use his play Adequate Audiqueight yet.
Also,it took me weeks to see the connection between Q8 and Kuwait, famously embodied by the filling stations.
https://appscare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Q8-Gas-Station.jpg
So the Q8 is smaller than the Q7? I suppose they couldn’t have charged as much if it was called Q6.
The C pillar works and box flares are always good, but the Q8 really isn’t an attractive car IMO. Way too angular, and the current Audi front end smacks of just having to change from the old front, without a clear plan.
Actually, some discussion amongst the journos in attendance suggested this maybe should’ve been called a Q6. BUT, it rides on the Q7 wheelbase and has decent interior space thanks to only running 2 rows.
Urq hints have ended up in other cars. The shape of the rear pillar on the A5/S5 and the blister fenders on the RS6.
https://www.abt-sportsline.com/fileadmin/_processed_/b/0/csm_audi-s5-coupe-tuning-von-abt-sportsline-heck_acef9c902e.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Audi_RS6_-_Flickr_-_Alexandre_Pr%C3%A9vot_%289%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1920px-Audi_RS6_-_Flickr_-_Alexandre_Pr%C3%A9vot_%289%29_%28cropped%29.jpg
You have a point there. Did Audi marketing toot about it as they did for the Q8?
I don’t think so. The Audi enthusiasts were the only ones who noticed… or cared?