2019 Audi Q8 Off Road

The brawny Audi Q8 is the company’s first—and biggest—SUV coupe, exterior designer Sascha Heyde says. Left unsaid is the idea that consumers are increasingly turning their backs on traditional three-box sedans, resulting in the Q8 likely displacing the A8 as Audi’s flagship model when it arrives in the U.S. late this year.

The Q8 shares its basic structure with the three-row Q7 SUV, though the architectural hardpoints have been tugged and teased to deliver a sportier stance. The 117.9-inch wheelbase is the same, but the Q8 is 3.3 inches shorter and 1.4 inches lower than the family-friendly Q7. The key dimensional change is across the axles, however: The Q8 is an inch wider.

The broad-shouldered proportions are accentuated by the wide grille up front, a full-width light graphic at the rear, crisp sheetmetal pulled tightly out over the wheels, high shoulders, and a low roofline with a carlike greenhouse.

Graphically, the Q8 is more a tall five-door hatchback than a true coupe, but that brings practical benefits. Open the rear hatch, and two golf bags will sit crossways in the 21.4-cubic-foot load space behind the rear seats. Fold the seats flat, and the Q8 gulps 62 cubic feet of stuff. The rear seats also slide forward and back to optimize either load space or rear passenger legroom.

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