Audi RS Q8 4.0 TFSI quattro 2020 Review

If we’re being honest with ourselves, no-one in their right mind really needs a large performance SUV-coupe. Less so a proponent that boasts a segment-best lap time around Germany’s Nurburgring. And yet, here we are.

Enter the new 2020 Audi RS Q8. The German car-maker’s rival to the BMW X6 M Competition, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 Coupe, Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe, Maserati Levante Trofeo and Lamborghini Urus, the RS Q8 sits at the penultimate rung of Audi’s performance line-up, second only to the R8 supercar.

If those aforementioned SUVs don’t give the game away, this segment is quickly becoming the vanguard of volume-selling performance in Australia – and the RS Q8 holds a distinct value advantage.

Let’s see how this record-breaking, physics-defying behemoth translates on-road.

The Audi RS Q8 is priced from $208,500 plus on-road costs in Australia. It’s certainly not an insignificant sum, but it does undercut vehicles offering similar performance quite significantly.

Under the bonnet of the RS Q8 is a familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid V8 that lives under the bonnet of everything from the latest Audi RS 6 ($216,000), Bentley Bentayga ($334,700), Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe ($259,000) and even Lamborghini’s Urus ($390,000) – all courtesy of the Volkswagen Group’s ownership.

The RS Q8 manages to undercut all of those, including the RS 6, while not forgoing any essential equipment.

Audi Australia doesn’t provide a particular reason why, but we’d imagine the projected volume of the RS Q8 has something to do with it.

Additionally, the BMW X6 M ($213,900) and Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe ($222,700) come in over the top.

In any case, standard features for Australia include an RS sports exhaust with twin outboard oval outlets, Audi Drive Select with new RS 1 and RS 2 modes, virtual cockpit digital instruments, dark-tinted HD Matrix LED headlights, dynamic front and rear indicators and, for the first time on an Audi production vehicle, 23-inch alloy wheels.

Other standard Aussie equipment includes anti-theft wheel bolts with loose wheel detection, electric tailgate, power-assisted door closure, rear privacy glass, panoramic glass sunroof, convenience key (including gesture control for boot opening), metallic paint and heated, power-folding, auto-dimming exterior mirrors with memory.

Inside, there’s premium Valcona leather with honeycomb stitching, ventilated and fully-electric RS sport front seats, heated front and rear seats, four-zone climate-control air-conditioning, multifunction flat-bottom three-spoke RS leather-clad steering wheel, electric rear window sunblinds, illuminated door sill trims with aluminium inlay and RS logos.

Rounding out the list is Audi’s dual-screen (10.1-inch upper and 8.6-inch lower) infotainment and climate-control systems with Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay, a 17-speaker/730-Watt Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, 360-degree cameras with kerb view, head-up display and tyre pressure monitoring.

The RS Q8 is backed by a three-year warranty in Australia – two years less than Mercedes-Benz. Audi also offers a five-year service plan that sets buyers back $4060, spaced across 12-month/15,000km intervals.

In case you were wondering, each of the RS Q8’s giant 295-35 23-inch Continental tyres retails for $605 a pop. Ouch.

The key performance numbers for the Audi RS Q8 are staggering, especially when you stop to consider this tech is encased in a vehicle that weighs in at more than 2.3 tonnes and measures about five metres long and more than two metres wide.

The 4.0-litre biturbo V8 engine pumps out the same 441kW and 800Nm as the new RS 6 and RS 7 and drives all four wheels via an eight-speed torque-converter automatic.

Noted, that’s less than the 478kW/850Nm Lamborghini Urus with which it also shares some internals. The Italian SUV is claimed to hit 100km/h in 3.6 seconds, while the Audi RS Q8 is only slightly behind at 3.8sec, although it’s a lot slower to 200km/h (13.7 v 9.2sec).

A 48-volt mild-hybrid system allows coasting, aids idle-stop and saves up to 0.8 litres of fuel per 100km. The engine also features cylinder deactivation to conserve fuel, helping cultivate a claimed combined-cycle economy rating of 12.1L/100km.

The same electrical system also powers the active anti-roll bars that counteract roll and can completely disconnect if the RS Q8 driver ever ventures off-road.

Other hardware includes adaptive air suspension, dynamic all-wheel steering and quattro permanent all-wheel drive that distributes 60 per cent of torque to the rear wheels in normal driving conditions, and up to 85 per cent when required.

There’s also a quattro sport differential that splits torque across the rear axle.

Braking-wise, the RS Q8 comes standard with red-painted 10-piston callipers clamping 420mm front discs, with 370mm rotors at the rear. An optional RS ceramic braking system saves 34kg in unsprung weight and comprises even larger (440mm) front discs and the choice of grey, red or blue calliper colours.

The RS Q8 is rated to tow 3.5 tonnes braked, while the air suspension offers more than 200mm of ground clearance for bush-bashing… But would you ever really want to do that in this?

To give you an idea of the Audi RS Q8’s positioning, the German brand says it has furnished the seats with the highest quality of leather available at this price point.

The RS Q8’s internals are lavish, tech-savvy, accommodating and Teutonic all at once, with spatial proportions that go some way in justifying its huge, heavy footprint.

After slotting into the chair and closing the soft-close door, the driver is greeted with a trio of digital displays – two in the centre fascia, one in the digital instrument cluster – that soon become second nature in navigating the RS Q8’s myriad menus of infotainment, navigation and more.

Leather seats aside, the cabin is adorned in premium materials and soft contact points, along with two USB ports in each row.

Deep door pockets and a smart assortment of open cubbies and storage compartments bode well for the RS Q8’s family amenity, as does ISOFIX child anchorage points at the rear outboard positions, plus sunblinds.

From the moment you depress its starter button, engage drive and amble away from the kerb side, the pronounced feature of the Audi RS Q8’s driving experience is its ease of use.

For a vehicle that offers supercar-bothering outputs, it’s supremely comfortable, quiet and refined, with no hesitation or heavy lifting on the part of the driver.

That’s because the RS Q8’s underlying tech – be it the rear-wheel steering, electro-mechanical anti-roll bars, surround-view camera – conspire to streamline the driving process.

Tight car parks are a cinch, as is navigating stop-start traffic, with light steering and a sporty yet controlled ride over road joins and broken bitumen. Similarly, the damping on country roads is excellent, with quick recoveries over drawn-out undulations and mid-corner bumps alike.

Then, when you thumb the RS1 or RS2 drive mode setting on the RS Q8’s steering wheel, parking spaces are the furthest thing from your mind.

Audi’s performance SUV is legitimately quick, offsetting its huge kerb weight and size with the kind of acceleration that will put a smile on even a seasoned enthusiast’s face.

The engine is prodigiously smooth, rapid and nonchalant all at once, working in concert with its all-wheel drive system and torque-converter gearbox to deliver seamless acceleration that is virtually devoid of hesitation.

Smaller engines might be in vogue, but in this application there’s truly no replacement for displacement. The gurgling V8 sounds good across the rev spectrum, enamouring its driver and occupants without taking away from the sophisticated cabin ambience.

On a tight, winding back road, the dynamic envelope of the RS Q8 is incredible. It sits flat through fast, sweeping bends, yet shifts its weight gracefully on approach and exiting tightening radius turns.

The ease and expediency in which you can lay down the power is phenomenal, too, thanks to the sport differential.

Ultimately, the RS Q8 feels a bit more ‘point and shoot’ than the lower-riding RS 6, which manages to rotate faster and with more feedback.

Similarly, the big Audi’s surfeit of tech trickery means it foregoes traditional feedback via the controls. It means you could easily walk away from the experience feeling a bit disconnected, compared with a traditional sedan, coupe or wagon.

But you also have here acres of interior space, ease of use, useable boot areas and split-fold seats, all of which lend the RS Q8 a lot of real-world relevance.

The world needs another heavy, excessive performance SUV as much as Donald Trump needs negative press right now, but the RS Q8 acquits itself remarkably well.

Rapid, comfortable and on-point in buyer trend terms, Audi’s RS Q8 balances its complex juggling act with seeming ease.

It’s the SUV you didn’t know you needed. Partly because SUVs like this haven’t long existed.

How much does the 2020 Audi RS Q8 cost?
Price: $208,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 441kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 276g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)