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This car represents the future of the German automaker and the poster child for the SUVs the brand will launch in time to come, as Generation T honouree Szue Hann finds out
The Audi Q8 is the newest member of the marque’s Q family, its sports utility vehicle (SUV) range. As the flagship of the brand’s SUV line-up, it boasts a strong and impressive presence on the roads, especially when it measures 4.99m long, 2.19m wide and 1.71m tall.
When Generation T 2017 honouree Tan Szue Hann, a motoring enthusiast himself, first saw the SUV in the flesh, he was pleasantly surprised that a car of such massive dimensions is “sleek, muscular and rather poised”.
“It certainly looks like a high-tech car, with a couple of tricks up its sleeve,” said the managing director of upcycling firm Miniwiz Singapore. “The crossover coupe form belies its sheer size. It’s a big car, but its proportions makes it seem otherwise. And its stance makes it look like it’s sure-footed and ready to go, in that minimum fuss Audi manner.”
The trained architect spent a morning cruising around central Singapore in the Audi Q8 and he shares with us his thoughts on the design and performance of the marque’s flagship SUV.
From a design perspective, what strikes you most about the car?
Tan Szue Hann (TSH) The octagonal Singleframe grille is splayed wide and large, and it seems to work for the new Audi Q8. The car looks like it’s hewn from stone, and its angular corners do correspond with the grille. The octagonal grille has also become emblematic of Audi’s recent releases, and while I personally still relate more to the previous-generation hexagonal ones, I think it works in this case.
While I’m not a fan of the overnight, industry‑wide “form over function” grille enlargements—the actual air intake openings tend to be much smaller—I get that the grille, more than ever, has become a signature of the marque. In Audi’s case, the growth of the grille has been evolutionary from one generation of vehicles to the next, so it has been easier to get used to.
