In the old days, you would have bought an SUV if you were looking for practicality, a saloon if you wanted frills, and a sportscar if you wanted thrills. But nowadays you can get all three of those categories rolled into one, the only caveat is that you’ll need to have the means of reaching the summit of the SUV market. Offerings like the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga Speed, Maserati Levante Trofeo and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid have radically redefined the capabilities of the utilitarian SUV. Yet, while each of these products seem very different from the outset, three of the four actually come from a single stable – the VW Group. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see that they share the same platform and the same meaty 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (although the Bentayga switches it out for a 6.0-litre W12 in the Speed model), although they do get to play with those core ingredients however they see fit. And then, as if that wasn’t confusing enough, VW Group has now added one more rival to this gang in the shape of the Audi RS Q8.
First things first, let’s agree to not get too bogged down by synergies, as the power of brand is apparently mightier than one would think and we’re told that the customers for each of these product are quite distinct. It does beg the question though of who’s going to buy the RS Q8, doesn’t it? Well, having spent a couple of days thrashing one around the Canary islands, I can tell you the answer is someone who wants the very best of what Audi has to offer but who’d prefer not to stand out too much at the local parking lot. It’s also presumably someone who values the peace of mind that comes from having those famous four linked rings on their bonnet. After all, the RS Q8 had already clocked up 1.2 million kilometres of testing before it even hit a showroom floor. (That’s the same as going to the moon and back, twice!)
It’s weird but the moment the Audi technical team informed me of that testing fact I couldn’t help but remember an investigative piece I did a year ago on airlines. You see, as it turns out most airlines work with similar budgets but the allocation of those budgets varies significantly, which is why, if you want good food, you go Air France, and if you want amenities, you go Emirates. It’s the same with ultra-high performance SUVs I guess. So, if you’re searching for goosebumps, I’d recommend the Levante Trofeo, which is flawed in so many ways but boy is that operatic engine something to cherish. Now, if you’d rather scare the bejeezus out of your passengers then a Lambo is what you need. I could go on, but essentially you can bet your bottom dollar that no one but Audi in this rarefied group has clocked up 1.2 million kilometres in the pursuit of reliability.
The RS Q8 is not just Audi’s halo 4x4, it’s also the pinnacle of their RS range, and to someone like me it makes a lot of sense. I simply don’t fancy the flashiness of the Urus, the ugliness of the Bentayga, the familiarity of the Cayenne, or the compromise that is the Levante. But I do want the dynamism of the Urus, the interior of the Bentayga, the rock solid engineering of the Cayenne and the Levante’s thrilling engine. Think of the RS Q8 then as the sleeper of ultra-high performance SUVs. Better yet, think of it as a Urus without the bull.
Personally, I think it’s good-looking. Naturally, looks are an inherently subjective matter but proportions are not and the Q8 boasts very balanced proportions, at least for an SUV (although the optional 23-inch wheels feel like they’re over compensating for something).
Under the bonnet you’ll find, yup, you guessed it, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. This one knocks out 592bhp and 800Nm of torque, which goes to show that the directors of the VW Group didn’t want Ingolstadt embarrassing their stablemates, hence the Audi is 34 horses shy of the Bentley, which itself has 15 less than the Lamborghini.
For those of you who are Audi nerds, yes the RS Q8’s engine is pretty much identical to the RS6’s one – barring a different crank, crankshaft, turbos, pistons and injection valves. Interestingly, it also uses 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, which increases and smoothes out the use of the stop-start system, while also enabling it to run a trick electromechanical active roll stabilisation (EAWS) system that does an outstanding job of reducing the amount of body roll while cornering.
Find the right piece of road, align your senses and the RS Q8 will complete the dash to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds. What’s more, should you find yourself near the Nürburgring, you’d be able to corroborate the fact that the RS Q8 isn’t a duck out of water on a racetrack either. As a matter of fact Audi got one of their Le Mans Series drivers to give it a go on the Nordschleife and he managed to post a lap time of 7 minutes and 42.2 seconds, which is the fastest time ever recorded by an SUV at the Nürburgring (and means it’s quicker than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 and a Porsche 997 GT3 RS there!)
Of course, this was done while running on all eight cylinders. You see, the RS Q8 also has the wherewithal to try and appease environmentalists with a cylinder deactivation system that halves the engine output if you’re only cruising around, and a mild hybrid battery bank that allows you to “coast” the engine for up to 40 seconds at a time, whenever you lift your foot off the throttle between 55 and 160 km/h. In terms of cold hard data, the RS Q8 achieves a combined fuel consumption of 12.1 l/100 km, which is impressive stuff for a 600 horsepower car. It’s also pretty close to Audi’s Big Poppa A8. Indeed such a comparison also works when you’re inside the two cars, as the interior of the RS Q8 has wonderfully comfortable seats like an A8, and it has the same dual-touchscreen MMI infotainment system as well as an excellent level of sound insulation. It even adds a standard panoramic roof up top.
But by this point though you’re probably wondering how sporty this high-rise A8 really is. Well, there’s a little RS button on the steering wheel and it’s from there that you access your preferences for the characteristics of engine, transmission, air suspension, all-wheel steering, engine sound, differential and traction. Audi suggests bundling the parameters that support a relaxed driving style and allocating them to RS1 while reserving RS2 for the typical preferences of a more aggressive mindset. The good news is that under RS2 mode, this car is mind-boggling. Given its large mass (2315kg) and elevated driving position, you’d expect it to drive like an SUV, right? It doesn’t. The RS Q8’s clever suspension gizmos keep it neutral and flat at all times, while its rear-wheel steering lends it a dynamism you’d never expect. If you want to, you can fling the RS Q8 into a corner and it’ll somehow make it out the other side without even getting lairy. It’s ridiculously good at eating up swift esses in fact. Sure, your passengers will hate you and/or throw up on you, but the bottom line is that the RS Q8 is a mighty capable all-rounder, and a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
