Most impressive SUV ever!

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Larz
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Someone best call India and get hold of Tata Motors quick! The owner of brands such as Land Rover and Jaguar have just been out done! The 2020 Audi SQ8 is about to shame them and everyone else!
Seems the lads in the skunkworks over at Audi have been staying up late and they really outdid themselves this time. In the video below, if you are patient through the endless drive-bys with that stirring exhaust note, the details of this amazing SUV are quite staggering! A body that is at once both beautiful, graceful, and aggressive.
An interior that is hands down the best combination of sporty, elegant, and functional. (It appears they have even listened to me calling paddle shifters stupid and a waste cuz I don't see any!) And wait till you see the beast that hides beneath that artfully designed shell ....
Having lavished all that praise, I think it prudent to remember how things often go when Audi breaks out with stunning new technology and design ... I'll just say this:
If you want to do more than admire this gem and actually drive one .... be ready to trade or sell before the warranty ends .... you don't want to get stuck with a service bill on this!
.


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Bubba1
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I agree. It appears Audi fired an ingol..stadt across the luxo-barge SUV industry bow. I read about the diesel version. Very impressive for a big heavy beast. tuned 4 litre twin turbo V8 diesel hybrid plus Quattro awd. Enough torque to pull down a redwood tree without spilling the chardonnay. Makes the death star's complexity seem like a 60's beetle. I'd also be afraid to own one without a warranty. Sadly, I suspect 'Murica will only see the gas version.

Larz
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Well said, Bubba! This is a prime example of how a carmaker gets its name to mean more than a just a badge on the bonnet. When Infiniti released the Q45, then the M35 and 45, they were leaders of that time. They redefined the modern luxury sedan by offering a car with amenities, such as a Bose sound system, leather interior, power adjustable front passenger seats with two position memory feature that also electrically adjusted the steering wheel and exterior mirrors, one-touch power windows, digital climate control and keyless entry system. Then there were the btech features like VLSD (viscous limited-slip differential). Then in 2003 they added rain-detecting wipers and side curtain airbags - well before these were available on any other car in this range. Soon, though, other carmakers caught up whilst Infiniti stopped innovating, just producing the same flagship sedan with no new innovative creations for the next decade. In fact, that same Bose sound system was unchanged for 13 years and is still found in the 2019 Q70 sedan. After 2009, for Infiniti, it was follow the herd instead of leading.
Still, I love my 09 M35. It doesn't have the oil issues of the 4.5 or the timing chain issue of the 5.6 engines and at 10 years old it has never needed an expensive repair, minus a new dash I had to buy after the airbag fiasco that affected many other car brands as well. In fact, my M35 is the final year for the $9,000 'premium' option that includes temp controlled, reclining rear seats. an electric fold down movie screen with wireless headphones, and an armrest that contains the same controls as the center stack for the rear passengers plus an electric rear window shade. The 2019 Q70 flagship, with every available option has just cupholders and a heater for the rear passengers. And every bit of these features still works like new. No Jag, Benz, or Audi can match that.

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SQ8, and not Q8 QuattroDrive50i S Sport.

At least SOMEBODY has non-crackheads working in their marketing department.

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Bubba1
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It is kinda sad that Ghosn's goons let Infiniti stagnate for so long, plus they stupidly renamed the entire product line similar to the Audi suv lineup (Q+ something something).That accomplished little else but erase the good reputations created under the old model names.

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Modern "SUV's" are little more than station wagons.

When they all went car based, they gave up the Utility part in terms of offroad capability. I have no use for any of them because I like to play in the dirt. If I want a vehicle with nice on road manners, I buy a car.

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PalmerWMD
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Bubba1 wrote:
Thu Jul 04, 2019 1:46 pm
It is kinda sad that Ghosn's goons let Infiniti stagnate for so long, plus they stupidly renamed the entire product line similar to the Audi suv lineup (Q+ something something).That accomplished little else but erase the good reputations created under the old model names.
Bingo!
Those model names were WORTH something.
To just throw them away was absurd.

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PalmerWMD wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:55 pm

Bingo!
Those model names were WORTH something.
To just throw them away was absurd.
Agree.
I still can't tell you what models Infiniti are what.
Q30, Qx30, Q40, Q45, Q50, Q60, Q70...QXZ123T, etc.....blah blah blah.
I have no idea what the heck these are, or even which one's are cars and which one's are suv's. Whatever.
Gone are the days of great car names, like Jensen Interceptor, Oldsmobile Toronado, Studebaker Golden Hawk.
Absurd is putting it mildly.

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AZhitman
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PalmerWMD wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:55 pm
Bingo!
Those model names were WORTH something.
To just throw them away was absurd.
THIS. I've been working with the brand for 15 years now and I *still* don't instantly know which model is which by the model designation.

Huge failure on Infiniti's part. Foolish and short-sighted, like most of their decisions for the past decade.

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The original Model numbers were easy to decode M20 cost $20K, J30 cost $30K and Whatever 45s cost $45K.

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It's not just Infiniti that's confusing.
A few years ago, BMW changed their numbering system to reflect either a 2 door or 4 door model (I think) among other things. And then what the last two numbers in their models mean, I haven't a clue either. Engine size maybe? I still haven't gotten the hang of it.
Then there's Mercedes. I have no idea what their model and number designations mean. C class, E class, whatever. I don't get it.
At least with some naming systems, a higher number generally means a bigger vehicle, so that you have something to go on for starters.
Example, a Mazda CX-3 is smaller than a CX-5, which is smaller than a CX-7, CX-9, etc.
It's all nuts. What are these marketing geniuses thinking? Why do they do this?


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