SQ8

Some trips demand a car that can do everything: four hundred kilometres in a day, the approach road to a hidden cove, an elegant evening at dinner. The SQ8 was built for exactly this. In the north-west — Stintino, La Pelosa beach, the fortress of Castelsardo, the bastions of Alghero — the distances add up quickly, and a coupé SUV with a twin-turbo V8 and air suspension turns them into pure driving pleasure.

It is the model we suggest to anyone travelling with family or friends who refuses to give up character along the way — a philosophy we explore in our guide to luxury SUVs in Sardinia, balancing space and comfort. Five seats, an enormous boot and that raised-coupé silhouette which, in Mythos Black, carries a magnetic presence without ever looking showy. If your starting point is the north-west coast, we can also deliver it to Stintino and the surrounding area.

The SQ8's 507 hp does not shout: it works. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid V8 delivers with a rounded, effortless flow, holding a reserve of torque that turns overtaking on the Sassari–Alghero road into a formality. The eight-speed tiptronic prioritises fluency: gearchanges register as little more than a suggestion, and at cruising speed the engine drops its revs until it all but vanishes from the cabin.

Select the dynamic mode, however, and the V8's voice darkens, the air suspension drops and firms up, and the coupé-SUV threads the coastal corners with a composure that flatly contradicts its size. The steering is precise, the brakes powerful and easy to modulate. This is the car that leaves you rested at the end of the day, not worn down by it.

In a market that rewards excess, the SQ8 has taken the opposite road: genuine sports-car performance, connoisseur's aesthetics. No wings, no liveries: the Mythos Black absorbs the light and lets the proportions do the talking. It is the SUV for those who do not need to be noticed in order to be recognised — and in certain Sardinian settings, from the marina at Alghero to the resorts of the north coast, that restraint is the real luxury.

If instead you are after the maximalist take on the same idea, the fleet includes its sibling, the 640 hp RS Q8 Performance, more extreme in every dimension. The SQ8 remains the choice of balance: we recommend it for long itineraries, trips with children and holidays where the car is the means, not the end. For your dates, check availability with the WhatsApp concierge or through the quotation form.