This super-SUV is super niche
Audi has released what is essentially an exercise in affluence. finds out if it’s worth its nearly $250k asking price.
Nile Bijoux
The Audi Sport boffins have had their way with the Q8, the largest SUV in Audi’s fleet. The resulting RS Q8 is the most expensive Audi on sale in New Zealand, aside from the R8 supercar.
Isn’t this a little... pointless? Which part; the car or this review? I’m going to assume you’re talking about the car.
First off, I’ll put my hand up and say I’m not a huge fan of the ‘‘superSUV’’ subgenre but, evidently, there are deep-pocketed fans out there, so here we are. But I shall put my personal biases aside to find out whether this is worth spending the better part of $250,000.
So what do I get for my quarter-of-a-million dollars?
The RS Q8 is, essentially, an exercise in affluence. It’s what happens when Audi decides to throw the kitchen sink at its biggest SUV, recruiting the 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 from the RS 6 and RS 7 for power, adding some trick suspension and ratcheting the tech levels right up.
Make no mistake, this is a hugely competent vehicle. The RS Q8 has the 48V active roll stabilisation setup seen elsewhere in theVWstables and it works the same magic here.
The Quattro all-wheel-drive system divvies power smartly, depending on where it’s needed (up to 85 per cent can go rearward, with the standard split being 40/60 in favour of the front) and adaptive suspension keeps the big SUV hunkered low to the ground. Result: push into a corner and you get endless grip. Even planting the accelerator a bit early doesn’t ruffle the big SUV, it simply hauls you around the rest of the way, assuming any passengers are holding on to something.
The twice-boosted V8 doesn’t feel quite as epic as it is in the RS 6/7, largely because it’s moving a 2.3-tonne SUV, some 300kg more than the aforementioned estate and fastback. It still produces 447kW and 800Nm and hitting 100kmh takes amere 3.8 seconds, so you can’t call the RS Q8 slow. Emissions standards in Europe have strangled the exhaust note somewhat, as have the turbos and plentiful sound deadening, so there isn’t much theatre in the noise department. You still get the pops and parps when in Dynamic mode, but they’re muted.
Folks outside will hear the turbos though, they sound like jet turbines winding up. If you want cold, hard numbers, Audi says the exterior noise levelwhen stationary is 83 dB and, oddly, 73 dB when driving past.
What about tech?
The RS Q8 has Audi’s latest MMI interface, which comprises two haptic touch panels, one measuring 10.1 inches and the other 8.6 inches. The former is responsible for
controlling infotainment and vehicle settings and the latter takes care of heating, ventilation and airconditioning.
They’re nice to use, the pressure-based system means you don’t accidentally touch the wrong button while driving and the haptic feedback feels like you’re pressing something physical.
There’s a comprehensive driver assistance package as standard that includes adaptive cruise control, lane-change assist, collision presense front and rear (which detects if you’re about to have a crash from either end and adjusts various vehicle settings to reduce the impact), parking assist and a 360-degree camera.
That camera is really cool. It lets you swing the point of view all around the car, taking in every angle for maximum visibility when manoeuvring in tight areas.
Handy, because this thing is huge. The turning circle is fairly generous, measuring 12.3 metres, thanks to all-wheel steering, but the sheer size of the car means tight city streets are a no-go unless you want to raise your blood pressure.
It’s powerful, fast, has tonnes of tech and looks great. Has it converted you?
Not entirely. This is a very good vehicle, without doubt. But its weight and size go against my
personal list of wants for a car. The V8 is nice but it’s thirsty, averaging anywhere between 12L/100km and 30L/100km, depending on how you’re driving. Given it’s a V8with a pops-and-crackles exhaust mode, chances are you will be more generous with the throttle.
While you could make the argument that people looking to part with nearly $250k are probably unconcerned with filling the tank, the 278g/km of CO coming out of
2 the exhaust can’t be ignored in the same way (or can it?). I’m clutching on to the last years of my 20s with the same desperation someone clutches onto the last years of their 40s and it’s difficult to leave behind environmental sensibilities. Now, if the RS Q8 had a plug-in hybrid system similar to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, this would be a different conclusion. Maybe next time?
Any other cars to consider?
Unfortunately, that Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid costs $300k and so puts it above the RS Q8 in direct competition. Dropping the plug-in system gives you the Cayenne Turbo, which costs $258,600. It’s not as fast as the RS Q8, its version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 only making 404kW.
Elsewhere are the $237,900 Range Rover 5.0 V8 Autobiography and $242,900 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63.