2021 (21) Audi Rs Q8 RS Q8 TFSI Quattro Vorsprung 5dr Tiptronic

Audi's fastest SUV, now subtly updated, aims to re-write just what's possible for a car of this kind. Jonathan Crouch drives the RS Q8.

Ten Second Review

Audi pushes on into six-figure territory with this improved RS Q8, targeted at those who come in search of the ultimate high performance luxury SUV. Its twin turbo V8 can now put out up to 640PS, so this car is astonishingly rapid, but perhaps what's even more impressive if the way it can transmit its torque to the tarmac along a twisting road. Politically incorrect the RS Q8 may be, but it's still very desirable indeed.

Background

I'm not quite sure what your idea of the ultimate money-no-object performance luxury SUV might be, but it's quite likely that it has a VW Group-sourced twin turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8 beneath the bonnet. That engine's common to the Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo, the Lamborghini Urus and this car, the Audi RS Q8. The other potential contenders for your sizeable cheque in this segment are also V8s, the BMW X6M Competition and the Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupe 63S. All are extreme, all are very fast and all are difficult to justify in a world of melting polar ice caps. But I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you'd love to own any one of them. But why this Audi in particular, here lightly updated? Well it's still the fastest SUV around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack (7m 42.253s if you're interested), so there are bragging rights with that. Perhaps more significantly, on paper at least, it's got more power than the Porsche, it's vastly more affordable than the Lamborghini and there's more technology than the BMW and Mercedes. Sounds promising. If for you, Audi's 507PS SQ8 isn't quite enough, here's an uber-fast Audi SUV that will really get your blood pumping.

Driving Experience

The key change with this update is that there are now two RS Q8 variants using the usual 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine; the standard one with 600PS and 800Nm of torque; and the top performance version, with 640PS and 850Nm of pulling power, which offers the most powerful series-produced combustion engine in Audi Sport GmbH's history. It improves the standard model's 3.8s 0-62mph time to just 3.6s. By reducing back pressure, the newly developed, lighter RS sport exhaust system increases the output of the RS Q8 performance model, while creating a sportier, more evocative sound. And with performance-spec, the usual 155mph speed limiter is removed, allowing the car to surge on up to 174mph. With both models, you'll need only around 10 seconds more to get to 125mph. And drive is delivered via an 8-speed tipronic auto gearbox to a quattro 4WD system that can apportion up to 80% of torque to the rear (though 40:60-split front-to-rear is its usual setting) and to manage it all, there's an active torque vectoring limited slip differential. Lots more has also gone on to help handle all that power. You get a wider track than with an SQ8 (10mm more at the front and 5mm more at the rear) for a squater stance - and there are bigger brakes of course. And revised damper rates for the adaptive air suspension. As standard-fit, there are two further features: a 48V anti-roll system and a four-wheel steer set-up that reduces cornering understeer and promotes the kind of turning ability you'd think would be impossible for a car of this size. When changing lanes quickly, the rear wheels turn up to 1.5 degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels. At lower speeds, they turn up to five degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels. This reduces the turning radius accordingly. There's the usual drive mode system and your favourite blend of attributes can be stored and summoned by pushing the provided RS button on the steering wheel which has two settings; RS1 (where perhaps you'd store your more laid-back settings) and RS2 (for when you want to select a more aggressive demeanour).

Design and Build

Visual changes here are slight, but an original RS Q8 owner might spot the honeycomb front grille and lightly revised front and rear styling. As before, there's plenty of pavement theatre here, as you'd expect from a coupe-style large sporting SUV, especially one this powerful. Specific touches here include RS bumpers, RS widened wheel arches, RS dual-branch tailpipes and an RS Manhattan grey front spoiler lip and rear diffuser insert. Plus the imposing octagonal single frame front grille gets a Manhattan grey surround. HD matrix LED headlights flank the grille and at the back, there's the full-width light strip which is characteristic of all high-end Audi models as part of a customisable OLED light panel. The wheels are 22-inches in size, with a 23-inch option on the Performance model. At the wheel, this updated model features an upgrade to the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which now features a gearshift indicator for optimal shifts when in manual mode. There's a head-up display too. Copious use of alcantara trimming differentiates the cabin from that of a more ordinary Q8. A key interior highlight lies with Audi's superb winged Super Sports seats, which are trimmed with diamond-stitched Valcona leather upholstery. As usual in a large luxury Audi, the centre part of the fascia is made up of two large touchscreens with haptic and acoustic feedback. The upper 10.1-inch MMI display, which is integrated in a large high-gloss black bezel, is almost invisible when switched off and is used to control the infotainment and navigation systems. The brand has now widened the range of apps available on the MMI infotainment system to include third party providers like Spotify and Amazon Music. You'll use the lower 8.6-inch display for managing the heating and air conditioning functions, as well as convenience features and text input (which can be done with your fingertips). Unlike the SUV this model is based on, the Q7, this design can't offer a third seating row, but Audi insists that there's ample room for three people across the back seat, pointing out that the interior space exceeds that of the direct competitors in almost all relevant dimensions. The 'rear bench seat plus' package is standard, which means that the rear seat can slide and recline. The luggage compartment holds 605-litres, which increases to 1,755-litres with the rear backrests folded down. Two golf bags can easily fit in diagonally.

Market and Model

There's a big step of just over £22,000 to go from the 3.0-litre TFSI six cylinder 507PS SQ8 to this V8 RS Q8 model. The standard 600PS RS Q8 costs around £117,000. The standard 640PS RS Q8 performance costs around £132,000, but with performance-spec, many potential buyers will want to take the opportunity offered to upgrade. Either to the 'Carbon Black' variant with its meaner look and RS sport exhaust system, which is priced from around £145,000. Or possibly to the RS Q8 performance 'Carbon Vorsprung' flagship version, which costs around £151,000. All RS Q8 models get four-wheel steering and a 48V anti-roll system. And all performance variants get RS ceramic brakes and an RS Sport exhaust system. Luxury standard equipment across the RS Q8 range includes RS sports seats, rear privacy glass, a multi-coloured extended LED interior lighting pack, a power-operated tailgate, Advanced Key' keyless entry and the 'Audi Virtual Cockpit' instrument binnacle screen. Plus of course there's a whole host of camera driven safety features, though plenty of additional ones also reside on the options list. Talking of options, there is of course, lots of scope to pay more. Red, grey, or blue RS design packages are available for the interior. With most versions of this model, owners will want to add the optional 'Technology Pack Pro', which includes a panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, a Night vision assistant, heated rear seats and USB-C ports for rear passengers. Customers for the performance model will want to consider adding the optional 23-inch light-alloy wheels, offered in a 6-Y spoke design. They are available in burnished metallic black, matte grey, or matte black.

Cost of Ownership

You won't be expecting this RS Q8 to be inexpensive to run - if that was at all an issue for you in buying a high performance Q8, you'd be more likely to consider the lesser 507PS SQ8 petrol version of model. With this RS Q8, you're looking at a WLTP-rated combined consumption figure ranging between 21.9-21.2mpg, depending on variant. And a (now much improved) WLTP CO2 emissions reading of 293-295g/km. Servicing your RS Q8 should be no more taxing than is the case with one of the company's smaller cars. As usual with Audi models, there's a choice of either a 'Fixed' or a 'Flexible' servicing regime, the choice between the two depending on the extent of your likely annual mileage. The 'Fixed' schedule is aimed at drivers covering fewer than 10,000 miles a year and includes an oil change service every 9,000 miles or every year, plus an inspection service every 19,000 miles or every two years. If you cover more than 10,000 miles a year, the 'Flexible' service schedule will be more appropriate, this regime including oil change and inspection services at variable intervals of up to every 19,000 miles or every two years. We'll finish by covering the warranty. All cars in this class get three years of cover, but whereas BMW and Mercedes don't limit your mileage in this period, Audi rather meanly restricts you to 60,000 miles. Optional extra-cost packages can extend the cover to either four or five years.

Summary

It's hard not to admire what this RS Q8 can do. It would be astonishingly quick on race track and fantastically fleet point-to-point on a twisting country road. You could even take it off road - the air suspension raises the whole car by 50mm for greater ground clearance on rough tracks. And towing will be straightforward too. It important that key driving aids like four-wheel steering and the 48V anti-roll system now come as standard; you'll need these to be able to experience everything this RS Q8 can really do. What it can offer is almost everything you get in a Lamborghini Urus for £40,000 to £50,000 less. Which in turn, makes it very special indeed.