If a Hollywood studio wanted to fake a Mars landing, I’d strongly suggest sending a film crew to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. The vast, empty stretches of reddish sand peppered with loose rocks form a convincing backdrop in which to embed UFO-related props. I’m not in an exploration rover, though, or in any kind of Rover for that matter. I’m taking it all in from the driver’s seat of the 2019 Audi Q8. It’s the newest addition to the brand’s growing lineup.

The Q8 finally catapults Audi into a segment it has spent the past few years bird-dogging from the sidelines. Its main competitors include Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport, the BMW X6, and the Porsche Cayenne. It’s the flagship of the Q range, much like the A8 occupies the top spot in the brand’s sedan hierarchy, and it’s the model that sets the design course all future Audi SUVs will follow. It shares its basic platform and its wheelbase with the Q7 but is shorter, lower, and slightly wider.

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

It’s also sportier. The Q8 receives a turbocharged, direct-injected 3.0-liter V-6 tuned to make 335 horsepower between 5,000 and 6,500 rpm and 368 pound-feet of torque over a broad, usable range that stretches from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm. If these specs sound familiar, it’s likely because the latest A6 sedan and A7 hatchback use the same engine. The difference here is that the power passes through an 8-speed automatic transmission instead of a 7-speed dual-clutch unit before reaching all four wheels. On dry pavement, 60 percent of the engine’s torque goes to the rear axle for a sportier, rear-drive feel.

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The V-6 works with a 48-volt electrical architecture to form a mild-hybrid system. The hybrid part of the drivetrain relies on a belt-driven starter-alternator to recuperate energy under braking and feed it back to the electrical system via a lithium-ion battery tucked under the trunk floor. It also ensures the stop-start system fires up the engine smoothly.

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

Desert-wise performance

Though the Q8 is no lightweight, it’s plenty peppy from a standstill. The turbochargers spool up as the engine revolutions rise and a rush of torque blasts through the driveline to help it overcome its not-insignificant 4,700-pound mass. Catch the V-6 in the middle of the rev range and there’s almost no lag; press the gas pedal and off you go. Passing—a common maneuver in the mercurial Chilean desert, where worse-for-the-wear compact pickups reign supreme—is easy.

Don’t look for jaw-dropping, bladder-emptying performance in the Q8. It’s no R8 or TT RS. Instead, it’s a champion of comfortable, usable daily performance. It's the kind of performance that effortlessly takes you up a mountain pass in the Andes or gets you up a sandy incline on torque alone. Still, the Q8 has a large amount of performance potential and Werner Kummer, the Q8’s lead engineer, told me it won’t remain unexplored for long. Though he’s sworn to near-Masonic secrecy, he suggested it’s safe to speculate there will be hotter S- and RS-branded variants of the SUV with V-8 power between the fenders. We've already spied the prototypes.

Chile offers vistas worthy of a National Geographic cover as the desert becomes the mountains. The Q8 doesn’t notice the transition. Driving on Chilean dirt roads represents the automotive equivalent of dog years. Every mile driven inflicts seven miles’ worth of wear and tear on the suspension. And yet, with the drive mode selector set to Comfort, the ride remains reasonably smooth and, above all, quiet, especially for a car equipped with frameless doors. The optional air suspension undoubtedly helps in that respect; I wasn’t able to sample a model with the standard steel-spring suspension.

I think I heard the Q8’s suspension bushings cheerfully clap when the pavement returned. The road continued to wind, which provided an opportunity to switch from Comfort to Dynamic mode and get a better feel for the capability of Audi’s latest. While the Q8 takes a turn with perceptible—but not alarming—body lean, it handles well considering its size. The steering is accurate but artificial without much feel, though the Dynamic mode adds a much-welcome serving of weight to the electromechanical rack. And when all that mass gets moving at a brisk pace, the brakes scrub off speed with little or no fade.

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The Q8 proves unexpectedly agile on the flowing roads of northern Chile, and it feels less top-heavy than the Q7. Meanwhile, the transmission minds its own business behind the scenes. I rarely used the shift paddles; the 8-speed is best left to its own devices unless you need to downshift in a hurry.

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

“I could see a Q8 with the 48-volt anti-roll system from the Bentley Bentayga,” I tell Kummer after exiting a particularly sharp corner. He smiles and reveals it’s a feature we’ll likely see on one or both of the upcoming performance variants. Bingo. There’s another piece of the puzzle.

Dynamic mode takes on an unexpected new role as we approach 15,000 feet. In these conditions, the Q8’s sporty profile helps prevent the engine’s performance from nose-diving as a result of the lower air pressure encountered at high altitudes. I didn’t notice a major difference, though our drive started at about 7,900 feet. It helps that the Q8 uses a turbocharged engine. Pushing a naturally aspirated V-6 at 15,000 feet would be a different story—just ask anyone who's ever raced at Pikes Peak.

2019 Audi Q8

2019 Audi Q8

2019 Audi Q8

2019 Audi Q8

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

Three-layer interior

The Q8’s dashboard houses Audi’s newest infotainment software. Highly intuitive to use, it’s displayed on a haptic feedback-enabled 10.1-inch screen with icons for the media, navigation, car settings, and radio menus, among other functions. It’s quick to respond to inputs, the resolution and the graphics both excellent, and I like the drag-and-drop functionality. If you can use a smartphone, you can navigate the Q8’s infotainment system without stopping to read the owner’s manual. Engineers did a good job of keeping the menus reasonably shallow, too.

The bottom screen replaces the various knobs, dials, and switches normally required to operate the climate control system. The front passengers also can use it to manually write an address into the navigation system. But the best part of the Q8, at least from a tech standpoint, is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster Audi calls "Virtual Cockpit." It’s a driver-configurable unit that shows exactly what you want to see, whether it’s navigation directions, the current playlist, or the car settings.

Audi is in the vanguard of infotainment technology. The aforementioned tech features form the part of the interior the company refers to as the digital core. It’s surrounded by a mechanical wrap, meaning the metal trim parts on the dashboard, door panels, and center console. Audi designer Sascha Heyde calls the third and last part the soft cover. It’s an assortment of materials nice to touch and look at that make the interior a pleasantly luxurious place in which to travel.

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2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

Audi refers to the Q8 as a coupe, and Heyde points out that some of the design draws inspiration from the emblematic Sport Quattro from the 1980s, but it’s more conventional-looking than other so-called coupe-like SUVs such as the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. It makes less of a design statement, you could argue. You could also opine it’s easier on the eyes; it’s a matter of personal preference. The trade-off is that five full-size adults can travel in the Q8 without feeling cramped in any direction. Cargo space checks in at 21.4 cubic feet with both rows of seats left up and a generous 62 cubes with the rear seats folded flat. That compares to the three-row Q7's 71.6 cubic feet of max capacity, 14.8 cubes with all seats up, and 37.5 cubic feet with the third row stowed. Even though it isn't exactly a coupe, the Q8's design costs it some cargo space, though not as much as its rivals.

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

2019 Audi Q8, Atacama Desert, Chili, media drive, June 2018

My trek across Chile in the Q8 revealed it’s as worthy of flagship status as the A8. Make no mistake, the Q8 is the start of something big. I'm still missing some factors in the equation, but I have a clear enough picture to predict the RS Q8 will ruffle feathers when it arrives on the market. The latest reports indicate it will come with a 680-hp plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which is just what Audi needs to counter the gasoline-electric setup Mercedes-AMG is developing to replace the venerable V-12 at the top of its lineup.

The 2019 Audi Q8 will reach showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2018. Audi hasn’t released pricing or equipment information yet.

—Ronan Glon, For Internet Brands Automotive

Audi provided travel and lodging for this Internet Brands contributor to provide this firsthand report.