FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2019 AUDI Q8

How big is the boot of the Audi Q8?

The Audi Q8 has a very big boot for a five seater SUV and easily fitted all types of strollers. From empty it holds fifteen shopping bags, that is one less than the BMW X5, one more than the Range Rover Velar and two more bags than the Jaguar F-Pace.

The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with seven shopping bag.

The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with eight shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with eight shopping bags beside it.

The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with thirteen shopping bags beside it.

Or you could fit a large size dog in there!

The boot floor is flat and nicely carpeted all over which is good for an emergency nappy change.

There are storage wells on either side behind the wheel arches and a netted storage areas on the left-hand side as well as a bag hook, which is great for holding school or kindy bags so they don't slide all over the boot.

How good is storage inside the Audi Q8?

Storage in the cabin of the Audi Q8 is quite minimal. There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold my re-usable Luxey Cup or disposable coffee cup, there is a 12V socket beside them too.

Inside the central console storage box is a wireless phone charging well and a space for your sunglasses because there is not a case in the ceiling.

The glove box is also small, it would only hold my wallet with the manual, the iPad would not fit.

There is a hidden storage space by the driver's right knee too which I found great for leaving my phone or house keys in.

The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle but there are no handle wells in the front doors.

There is no glasses case in the ceiling which was disappointing but there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.

In the back, the door bins are smaller and willstill hold a large refillable water bottle and there are ashtrays in the doors.

There are net map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad and a 12V and two USB ports in the back of the central console box for rear passengers.

There is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback with two cup holders. They would hold a disposable coffee cup but my reusable Luxey Cup and large refillable water bottle wouldn't fit.

How noisy is the Audi Q8?

The Audi Q8 is quite a quiet BabyDrive, it is smooth and you are cocooned from a lot of the usual exterior noise and stimulation when driving which is great.

The media system in the Audi Q8 is split across two screens, like in the Range Rover Velar. They contain the controls for most things that would usually be controlled by buttons and dials on the dashboard and central console, I found the system quite simple and intuitive to use. The Q8 does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too, which was great.

The aircon, seat heating and cooling and some seat position controls are all within the lower screen (as well as the seat base length adjustment as I discovered earlier). You can even adjust the width of the seat so you could be hugged by the sides of the seat which I found nice for longer journeys. Auto engine cut-out and lane departure warning etc are also found within the lower screen, all of which you would normally find as buttons on your dash.

The reversing camera image is very good. It is clear and crisp and you can select between different camera angles. It is also very easy to mute the parking sensors with a button on the bottom of the screen.

There is also a button down in the central console for turning the camera on and off.

The indicators are not too loud in the Audi Q8 and didn’t disturb my sleeping daughter.

The lane departure warning has a great BabyDrive feature in the Audi Q8. Instead of a loud beeping warning, it rings a vibration sound almost like a quiet telephone but we found only the driver could hear it, which is great if you are travelling with kids or sleeping babies. It is turned on and off with a button on the end of the indicator stalk.

The Sat-Nav is good in the Audi Q8 and is easily located and used on the main home screen…

…and then has a fantastic clear image on the main media screen, where you can also adjust the volume and mute the guidance voice with a button on the left-hand-side.

There is also a visual in the screen in front of the driver which makes it easier to follow so you don't have to keep looking away from the road.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The doors and windows are both nice and quiet to open and close, I did find the doors heavy but they closed quietly which is great. I found I could come to a stop and get out with the engine running without sounding any baby-waking alarms which is fantastic!

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!

So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

The Audi Q8 has a great BabyDrive feature for being able to put the child lock on the rear doors indipendently, I love this because it meant when I travelled in the back I could just have the child lock on my daughter's side and I didn't have to wait to be let out of the car!!

The Audi Q8 is a really nice, quiet and gentle car to drive, it feels substantial when you sit in it but it is light to manouver and the ride is lovely and smooth and quiet. I found as in most cars the sport mode was a harder ride and you can feel more of the bumps in the road but in comfort mode it was asmooth and cushioned ride more suitable for the little passengers.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and a red warning icon comes up in the screen in front of the steering wheel to let you know as seatbelt has been removed.

The driver display also tells you your distance to empty which is another great BabyDrive feature.

The distance to empty display becomes extra important as a mum because getting fuel with a baby is a whole new world of difficult. If they are screaming in the car you definitely do not want your journey prolonged with a fuel stop! If they are asleep the turning off of the engine, doors opening and locking and unlocking, then re-opening the doors and closing, starting the engine again, beepers going off because you haven’t got your seatbelt on when you start the car or because you blink in the wrong direction, do you take them out of the car when you go in to pay? If you do will you get them back in the seat again or will they have a complete meltdown and you’ll be stuck on the fuel station forecourt with a screaming baby!! Hopefully you are starting to gather the anxiety that what was once a simple fuel stop can be for a mum!!!!

For this reason the distance to empty display can let you know if you have enough fuel to make it home with bub and then go out and get fuel another time when you will not have to take bub with you.

How many child seats fit in the Audi Q8?

There are three top tether anchorages in the back of the Audi Q8's rear seat backrests, they are clearly labeled and within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

The rear seats are lovely and big and flat however there is some plastic panelling besides the seat backs which made installing child seats a little bit harder than usual. I did manage to fit three child seats across, I tried two forward facing and on rear facing, which fitted nicely.

Three forward-facing seats fitted well too.

I found posting bub into their rear-facing child seat nice and easy from outside the car in the Audi Q8. From inside the ceiling is high enough that posting Bub into their seat from inside is good too. There are handles above both the rear doors to hang a child's toy from.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.

We found with a rear facing child seat installed there was enough legroom infront for a 182cm driver or taller.

How comfortable is the Audi Q8? And How good is the Audi Q8 to drive?

In the front of the Audi Q8, the seats are very comfortable, they are black leather with minimal fuss in stitching and panelling, so they are easy to wipe clean. The front seats are heated and cooled and controls are within the lower screen.

There are electronic controls on the side of the drivers seat and some other seat functions are within the media screen, like the length of the seat base and amount of seat hug! Massage seats are an option but unfortunately were not on my test car!

The headrests are adjustable forward and back as well as up and down, using a button on the sides of them, so I could have a ponytail in the driver's seat, which is fantastic.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are very comfortable.

There is a hump in the central seat footwell that you have to straddle in the central seat position.

For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down as well.

On a stalk behind the eft of the steering wheel are the cruise controls which are very simple and easy to use and you can see them while you are driving along, which I have found in other cars when the cruise control s on a stalk it is hidden behind the steeringwheel so you can not see what you are doing.

The cruise control is extremely accurate in the Audi Q8 on both straight, fast motorway driving as well as at lower speeds on undulating roads.

The air vents in the front appear to run all the way across the passenger side of the dash. Actually, there are still four vents, three within this panel and one the other side of the driver.

The aircon is easily controlled within the media screen for the front and rear aircon.

In the back, there are vents in the side pillars which are great BabyDrive features.

There are also vents in the back of the central console box and digital dual controls underneath them too. I did find these hard to control from the front whilst driving though because I coud not see the digital display.

The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling behind the sunroof, too far back or me to reach them from the driver's seat while driving!

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility in the Audi Q8 is quite good, with three child seats installed there was still a little visibility out of the back window and with forward facing child seats installed visibility out of the sides was good too.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the XC40 was easy to park.

The five-seater Audi Q8, is a luxury SUV that is both practical, aesthetically pleasing and very nice to drive.

How safe is the Audi Q8?

The Audi Q8 has yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating.

Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and the rear side passengers.

As standard, all models of the Audi Q8 come with attention assist, electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), emergency brake assist (EBA), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), rear collision detection closing windows and tightening setbelts, collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), exit warning system that detects vehicles and cyclists when opening doors; providing a warning light and initiating a slight delay in door opening, automatic high beam, intersection crossing assist, blind spot monitoring (BSM), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA),daytime running lights (DRL),

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!