The term full-size performance SUV was considered something of an oxymoron only a handful of
years ago, but fast forward to 2020, and it seems like everyone's getting in on the act,
especially in the premium segment.
Now, Audi is the latest to join the party with the new RS Q8.
And since we're talking about high riders making a statement, this officially claims
to be the fastest SUV around Germany's Nürburgring.
Let's see how it transfers to the road.
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The RS Q8 joins a growing fleet of go-fast, large SUVs in Australia, and whether you agree
with the concept or not, it's clear this high-riding performance blueprint is here to stay.
For many the Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne are the kingpins in this segment,
and the RS Q8 doesn't just take a leaf out of their book, it virtually copies them with
a carry-over platform, engine, and bits and pieces from the Volkswagen family's go-fast
parts catalogue.
Yet the RS Q8 does so for considerably less money.
Priced at $208,000 before on-road costs, it's nearly half the price of the Lambo and about
$50,000 less than the equivalent Porsche.
This is the major talking point for the new RS Q8, a 441 kilowatt, 800 Newton-meter, twin
turbo V8, that enables a naught to 100 time of 3.8 seconds, nothing to sneeze at for a
2.3-ton SUV.
While we're here, check this out.
23-inch wheels and tires, 10 piston callipers up front, and 440 millimetre front disc.
There's some serious performance on offer.
The engine features a 48-volt, mild-hybrid system that claws back energy under braking,
ensuring quicker stop-starting, and allowing engine-off coasting.
It also brings the official fuel claim down to a respectable and achievable 12.1 litres
per 100 Ks.
The same electrical system also powers the active anti-roll bars that counteract roll
and can completely disconnect if the RS Q8 ever ventures off-road.
Air suspension quattro all-wheel drive, a sport differential, and rear wheel steering
are also standard inclusions.
Inside the cabin, it's a go-fast yet luxurious affair, with soft-closing doors, a trio of
screens across the centre fascia and the instrument cluster, and the highest-quality leather available
on this level of Audi.
Above all else, it's a beautiful place to be with adequate storage and charging points
across both rows and a level of finish that you'd have to argue is worthy of the lofty
price tag.
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It's incredible just how quickly you can get an SUV to hustle along when it's motivated
by a B engine, but that is a case in point with the RS Q8.
Picking up acceleration is simply effortless.
There's no hesitation.
There's no binding from the gear box.
It's just smooth, linear, and tractable progress across the dial.
Of course, at the press of the RS button, the engine takes on added intent, and at that
point it's explosive and enough to throw you back in your chair.
It's remarkable given the curb weight on offer.
Incredibly, it is possible to augment that standard performance by taking an optional
$20,000 RS Dynamic package, which introduces carbon ceramic disc breaks and a higher official
speed ceiling of 305 kilometres an hour.
Why you ask?
Well, because it can.
It really hustles, and I've got no doubt that if you option for the right package, you'd
have no trouble surpassing 300 Ks an hour.
Now, aside from the engine, the real redeeming feature with this car is it's ride and handling
balance.
Of course, being a performance SUV, it needs to go fast, and it does that really comfortably
using its electronics and using the all-wheel drive system to deliver a really convincing
dynamic experience.
Now granted, it's not gonna deliver the kind of driver feedback and engagement of something
like the RS6 wagon, but it harnesses it's weight really well.
It's quite graceful with the way that it moves direction, hitting into and out of corners.
And the way that it allows you to get on the gas so early out of the corners means you're
not gonna have any trouble holding on to an RS6, at least at road-legal speeds.
Now, the flip side of all that is that the RS Q8 remains supremely comfortable as well.
Yes, there is a firm bias to the suspension, but the damping is such that there's no head
toss inside the cabin and it feels controlled whether you're wafting over drawn-out imperfections
or going over pitter-patter star bumps or broken sections of bitumen.
It conducts itself really convincingly.
There's no disguising the RS Q8's sheer size and weight on the road, but it's not a blunt
instrument by any means.
Furthermore, those big proportions enable acres of rear seat room and a sizeable 605-litre
boot area as well.
No doubt, it's an impressive machine.
About the only things it could really do with are a more generous warranty and some form
of spare tire.
Now a lot of people might watch this and think, "Well, why would you go a super SUV?
Why wouldn't you just go an SQ8 or an SQ7?"
Well, the truth of the matter is that the RS Q8 probably is over the top and probably
does have surplus performance, but it's the fact that it just does it so comfortably,
so easily, it's really an effortless driving experience because the dynamic envelope of
this car is so broad, you can do all the really fast, fun stuff, but it does that and it does
all the comfortable stuff as well.
I agree that an RS6 is probably a more rounded offering, but this is $8,000 cheaper.
It doesn't really miss out on anything in terms of equipment and SUVs are in vogue at
the moment, so there's no reason to think why the RS Q8 won't be a success.