Audi RS Q8 dares to go where Mercedes and BMW SUVs can't
Most powerful car from Ingolstadt trails only Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT on our time sheets.
A week ago, we were raving about the loud and proud Porsche Cayenne GTS coupe livin' la vida loca. Now it's the complete the opposite in the case of the unassuming Audi RS Q8 Performance, which is quite ironically a faster car.
To the untrained eye, the flagship product from Ingolstadt's exterior styling is, unlike that of the Cayenne GTS, rather subdued. While the RS Q8's optional milled Y-spoke 23-inch alloy wheels and red callipers, along with a blacked-out grille, looks stunning, it is still just cosmetics.
Besides the somewhat humble RS Q8 badge on the tailgate, there is nothing shouting about the car's mechanical prowess. No things like the usual red badge on the grille, red accents or other extravagant cues anywhere.
Audi RS Q8 not just a pretty face
But anyone who dares to underestimate this curved coupe-styled SUV when the lights turn green will soon find out the pretty face is very brawny underneath the bonnet. In fact, so brawny that it is the second fastest SUV on The Citizen Motoring's time sheets. A 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 3.71 seconds puts it second behind the 3.29 seconds clocked by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
In other words, the Audi RS Q8's sprint time is faster than any production SUV BMW and Mercedes-Benz have built – the two like-for-like German premium carmakers Ingolstadt often finds itself ranked behind.
The RS Q8 and Porsche Cayenne are incidentally built on the same Volkswagen Group MLB Evo platform alongside the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga. Not bad company to find yourself in.
It's hard to miss the 23-inch alloy wheels. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
And that is not where the similarities end. The Audi features the same engine that powers the Cayenne Turbo GT, the 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo petrol engine that produces 471kW of power and 850Nm of torque. This is the most powerful engine to feature in any Audi product yet. The power is sent to all four corners via eight-speed Tiptronic.
Poke the bear and find out
Adding the car's credentials is the lap record around the Nürburgring's Nordschleife as the fastest production SUV. Race driver Frank Stippler completed the 20.832km track in 7:36.698 minutes.
What we really enjoyed about the Audi RS Q8 is its soul that comes alive when you floor the accelerator. Something that we felt was missing with the BMW M5, that has become just too sanitised. The Audi does not put on an audible show quite like the Cayenne GTS, but has enough growl from the V8 to let you know you're in business. That along with a proper jerk during launch provides such great feedback that you become reluctant to lift.
ALSO READ: Sporty Audi Q8 leads brand's range of big family SUVs with pride
Should you leave the braking a bit late, the stopping power matches the urge and can give you a fright at first at how deadly effective they are. Ceramic brakes are standard, along with 10-piston callipers with the discs measuring 440mm at the front and 370mm at the rear.
State-of-the-art tech
The Audi RS Q8 features a 48-volt Active Roll Stabilisation system as standard, along with a mechanically locking central differential and retuned RS adaptive air suspension. The latter raises the overall ride height by 90mm.
Other hardware includes the RS exhaust system and the optional RS Driver's Package. The latter consists of rear-axle steering, RS sport differential and increasing the top speed from 250km/h to 280km/h.
Handling is superb and once you see how easy it is to throw into corners, you start yearning for the race track so that the RS Q8 can properly stretch its legs.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Audi RS Q8 parking by itself bad news for the male ego
Classy cabin
The inside of the RS Q8 is a combination of classy sportiness and elegance. The optional RS Design Package fitted to our tester featured a red interior theme and the stitching on the seats, floor mats, steering wheel, seatbelts, doors and centre console consisted of three colours. It works well together with brushed aluminium, oak wood, and carbon twirl touches.
The Audi RS Q8's cabin is a luxury lounge. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
The steering wheel is covered with Alcantara and Dinamica micro-fibres are generously used throughout the cabin.
On the tech side, there is a 10.1-inch infotainment system with MIB3 software and an 8.6-inch climate control panel underneath. The digital instrument cluster measures 12.3 inches.
Awesome all-round product
As you'd expect from a car costing more than three bar, it comes standard with a comprehensive set of safety systems.
The Audi RS Q8 is a superb package that does not have to bow down to its traditional rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW for a change. It can be extremely civilised on a school run, yet an absolute hooligan through the twists. It looks good, feels good, sounds good, drives fantastically well and most importantly, has a soul. Something that is few and far between these days.
Audi RS Q8 road test data
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