With their small production runs and technical innovations, there has always been a special fascination surrounding the Audi RS models. Many of these models are pioneers in their market segments and trailblazers when it comes to new technical developments – this was the case 20 years ago with the Audi RS 4 Avant and its impressive biturbo V6 engine and it remains the case today with the Audi RS Q8, the high-performance SUV coupé from Audi Sport. The top model in the Q range combines the performance of an RS model with the elegance of a premium coupé and the flexibility of an SUV.

“For the first time in the 26-year history of the Audi RS models, we are putting an SUV coupé with the genes of a real high-performance sports car on the road,” says Julius Seebach, managing director of Audi Sport. “The Audi RS Q8 with its V8 biturbo gasoline engine (fuel consumption, combined*: 12.1 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions, combined*: 277–276 g/km. Stated specifications apply only in Germany and are not applicable in other regions.) is yet another highlight in the RS family.”

At the heart of the RS Q8 is an impressive engine, which is perhaps best described in terms of its imposing performance data: 4.0-liter V8 TFSI engine (fuel consumption, combined*: 12.1 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions, combined*: 277–276 g/km. Stated specifications apply only in Germany and are not applicable in other regions.) with 441 kW (600 hp) and 800 Nm torque between 2,200 and 4,500 rpm. The turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine accelerates the SUV coupé from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 13.7 seconds. The standard model will electronically limit the speed to 250 km/h, but the optional dynamic plus package permits a top speed of 305 km/h ¹.

State-of-the-art engineering is responsible for transferring the power in the drivetrain. This power flows from the 4.0 TFSI engine (fuel consumption, combined*: 12.1 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions, combined*: 277–276 g/km. Stated specifications apply only in Germany and are not applicable in other regions.) to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive via the standard eight-speed tiptronic transmission. The wheel-selective torque vectoring improves the agile and stable handling of the Audi RS Q8. When negotiating dynamic bends, the optional quattro sport differential¹ splits the torque between the wheels of the rear axle as required, resulting in active torque distribution for improved traction, stability, and dynamics.

A well-engineered chassis brings the right dose of power to the road. The standard adaptive air suspension sport¹ with controlled damping combines dynamism and comfort by balancing the spring and shock absorber parameters to enable a particularly broad spread between a comfort-focused and extremely sporty ride. The optionally available electromechanical active roll stabilization¹ minimizes the lateral movements of the chassis when taking a bend at speed.

The standard all-wheel steering also makes the big vehicle easy to handle¹. At low speed, the rear wheels turn in the opposing direction to the front wheels by as much as five degrees to improve the vehicle’s agility. When changing lanes at high speed, they turn by up to 1.5 degrees in the steering direction of the front wheels to provide additional support and boost stability.

The Audi RS Q8 stands on ten-spoke 22-inch alloy wheels with 295/40 tires – the biggest tires ever fitted to an Audi production model in the factory ¹. However, these wheels don’t just look impressive. Above all else, they transfer the considerable driving force to the road in commanding style. In addition, exclusively for the Audi RS Q8, there is an optional selection of 23-inch cast aluminum wheels in the five-spoke rotor design in a range of colors ¹. Besides acceleration and power handling, another important factor for being able to control an RS model is the ability to slow it down. That is why an RS brake kit with internally ventilated discs (420 millimeters at the front, 370 millimeters at the rear) is at work behind the large wheels. Its ten-piston brake calipers come in black as standard, but are optionally available in red ¹. The brake calipers on the optional RS ceramic brakes ¹ are available in gray, red, or blue, while the discs have dimensions of 440 millimeters at the front and 370 millimeters at the rear.

The Audi RS Q8 has already impressively demonstrated during its development that its performance doesn’t just exist in facts and figures. In the fall of 2019, the SUV coupé was tested over the course of an 18,000-kilometer endurance drive around the North Loop of the Nürburgring, during which racing and test driver Frank Stippler set a new North Loop lap record for a production SUV. The time of seven minutes and 42 seconds over a distance of 20.832 kilometers demonstrates the special ability of the performance SUV, its incredible controllability even when being pushed to its limits, and the brilliantly tuned chassis systems.