Driving Audi’s upper luxury SQ8 SUV – a coupe style SUV now with 4.0-litre twin
turbo petrol V8 power. Unlike the seven-seat Audi SQ7, the sportier SQ8 is a five-
seater with a sloped rear roof line, the SQ8 61mm shorter, 25mm wider and 85mm
lower. An upper luxury SUV at $168,800 it sells in relatively small numbers. A
distinctive SUV with four-wheel steering, four-wheel drive powered as I said by a
4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 driving through an 8-speed automatic. Visually big
and imposing with a wide stance sitting on 22 wheels it tips the scales at 2480
kilos with a braked towing capacity of 3,500kilos. The interior best described as
sumptuous and built for comfort, Nappa leather quilted power heated and cooled
seat, lashings of black piano finishes and two large touch screens, in this case
surprisingly user friendly. With a gutsy 770Nm of torque between 2 and 4,000 revs
the Audi SQ8 is a very docile driver about town with a cosseted ride and
surprisingly fuel efficient. But with its adaptive air suspension on an open
winding road it transforms into a taut driving machine offering amazing cornering
stability and performance. Expensive yes but just so competent. I’m David
Berthon

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German car maker Audi has 37 models in its portfolio, some very low volume like its upper luxury SQ8 TFSI SUV, a large boxy yet handsome coupe style SUV – now with 4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 power – 373kW of power in fact driving through a conventional 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive. At $168,800 this is a specialist upper luxury SUV, big, sporty with a large footprint on the road, sitting on 22-inch wheels and an adaptive air suspension. Its wide with a wide track offering enormous confidence on a winding road with great stability. Despite it 2480 kilos it jumps to 100km/hour in just 4.1 seconds with braking to match. What I like about this luxury Audi SQ8 is its ability to be docile around town with a supple ride yet unleashed on a winding country road it provides sports car handling – sensors on the steering, chassis and adaptive air suspension translate inputs to the anti-roll bars and the overall stability for a large heavy SUV is amazing. Of course, drive it hard and economy suffers, up to 16L/100kms but on a softer throttle down to 11 litres when cruising. I found this Audi SQ8 SUV very hard to criticise. I’m David Berthon

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A recent survey of 1,013 respondents by Finder has found more than half the motorists on the roads are guilty of multitasking while driving. The research found a wide variety of distractions that can put lives at risk – topping the list at 43 per cent was eating whilst driving, driving in thongs came in second at 20 percent. 13 per cent of respondents admitted to texting while driving, 11 per cent to accessing social media. 7 percent said they’d watched a TV show or a movie, 9 per cent had replied to an email and 6 per cent had applied makeup. 5 percent had even shaved behind the wheel. I’ve personally witnessed a driver on the M1 reading the newspaper on the steering wheel at 100km/hour. The survey proves that many drivers wrongly consider getting behind the wheel is a casual endeavour. I’m David Berthon

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