I could start by describing the Audi RS Q8 as an imposing SUV, tremendously aggressive and full of technology, but you already know that – and if not, at least you imagine it. The big question to get your hands on it is whether 600 hp and the Lamborghini Urus heritage can make a 2.4-ton beast worthy of fast laps on the track. We are not left with the doubt.
Audi invited us to test the RS Q8 to the limit, which is one of its most powerful models. This is not just a powerful Q8, but one that was meticulously worked by the Audi Sport team to achieve a model with the highest performance, capable of bristling the skin with the roar of its V8 and surprising with its dynamism on the track.
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I shouldn’t be surprised at how easy it is for you to move – even around tight corners – knowing that many of its irons come from the Lamborghini Urus, and still the experience was fascinating. The RS Q8 surprises, above all, by how well it conceals its weight. We still have a hard time understanding how an SUV this big can accelerate so fast – it reaches 100 km / h in 3.8 seconds– and curve like the big boys.
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How much it supports lateral acceleration, the precise steering feel and the way it grips the asphalt are to be applauded. Audi Sport paid special attention to tuning the steering and suspension, although the palms go to him. all-wheel drive system Quattro, which is also linked to a rear axle steering. Not only does it improve low-speed maneuverability, it also aids in better cornering.
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With all of the above, and under the command of a 4.0-liter turbo V8, assisted by a 48V micro-hybrid system, the Audi RS Q8 is rabid, explosive and tremendously easy to ride. It moves right where we want it to when we point the wheel. If at any time we overspeed or turn the steering wheel very abruptly, all the electronics will intervene to bring the vehicle back under control in fractions of a second.
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The Audi RS Q8 is a delight on the road
Once we got rid of the thorn to push it to the limit on the track, we went out into the real world to test it on the road. That rabid SUV that we met on the track, now becomes a delight, which even in its sportiest programming – and with 23-inch wheels – is extremely comfortable.
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The suspension —with variable damping and adjustable height— not unnecessarily stiff. It has the toughness necessary for the sporty character of an RS and the smoothness that is required on a day-to-day basis to absorb any jump on the road. The only risk of RS Q8 is that it is so well insulated and supports so much speed, that you do not feel when you go fast. Going 110 km / h takes as much effort as an A1 moving at 50 km / h.
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What the brand is pursuing with this model is not just performance; your proposal is round. It is true that the central axis of development was speed, to the extent that we will have meters and special programs in the digital instrument panel, but the RS Q8 also hugs the comfort Yet the technology.
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As the flagship of Audi’s SUV family, in its equipment We will find four-zone automatic climate control with different fragrances to choose from, massage programs in the front seats, ambient lighting in different colors – different tones can be combined -, a spectacular Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D sound system, online services and the possibility to configure the intensity of the ventilation or heating in the seats individually – in case we want more air in the backrest than in the seat.
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In short, the Audi RS Q8 It turned out to be an incredibly dexterous SUV on the track, delicious on the road, and imposing to look at. You may be wondering what is the need for an SUV this powerful with the RS7 in the range as a much more suitable option for the tracks. The answer lies in both comfort and design; With those proportions, an RS Q8 commands more than an RS7.
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Like everything good, this beast of the asphalt doesn’t come cheap, but whoever is looking for a fun SUV in a track day and kind to day to day, you may not find a more interesting option for 2,689,900 pesos. Among its rivals are the BMW X6 M, with a vocation closer to the tracks than to the streets, and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63, which looks a little more at technology.
Photography | Mao Carrera for Audi of Mexico
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