640 hp in a 2.4 ton family SUV, but what’s the point? Nothing, obviously, even if we must recognize the flagship of the brand with the Rings, just retouched, for its surprising versatility.
Once is not customary, it is on the track that we first discover the new RS Q8 Performance. It is the ultimate “sporty” evolution of the Q8, this large 5-seater SUV which displays, behind a few styling tweaks, 5.02 m long, 2 m wide without the mirrors and which weighs 2,350 kg with the “pilot” on board. With a 4 liter twin-turbo V8 which proudly announces 640 hp – the largest thermal cavalry ever seen in an Audi – and 850 Nm of torque from 2,300 rpm, needless to say that the German SUV swallows the straight lines of the Castelloli circuit , near Barcelona, with relish. Behind a 0 to 100 km/h announced in 3.6 s and a maximum speed of 305 km/h (€3,000 option, otherwise this SUV is limited to 280 km/h), the RS Q8 seems all the more comfortable that with all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering, this SUV does not wallow at the first turn. In Dynamic mode, the air suspension limits body movements as required and ease of driving and balance are there… although the huge 22-inch tires suffer greatly and struggle to keep the car on course.
Weight, this enemy of sportiness
But after only two very angry laps, the brakes already signal that you need to take your foot off. The RS Q8 may well be equipped with huge carbon-ceramic discs as standard, but the pedal bite quickly disappears, soon signaling the end of playtime – Fortunately, just afterwards, we will be entitled to a few laps at the wheel of the new RS3 (see here), which has brilliantly demonstrated that a (lighter) car is clearly more gifted for the track. But as no one is going to use rubber on the track with an RS Q8 there is no reason to be offended. The large Audi SUV is much more at home on the road. Including on the winding sections which are legion around Montserrat. The ease with which this heavy vessel twirls from one bend to another without coming apart demonstrates the quality of the development of the machine. The flexibility of the V8 and the goodwill of the automatic gearbox. 8-speed adds to the pleasure of driving. You just have to remember to avoid the most extreme driving modes, otherwise you will be constantly shaken. Even on coverings that look perfect at first glance. Better to drive in Auto – or create an individual mode – where the damping is much more accommodating without degrading efficiency. In short, you can ride at a very good pace with this big guy… at the cost of a solid appetite, the on-board computer indicating an average of 22.5 l/100 km on our test loop.
A welcoming family with surroundings
Behind its performance and its enviable balance for an SUV which exceeds 2.5 tonnes with four people on board and luggage, the RS Q8 also reveals itself to be a talented family car. Failing to offer 7-seaters, it offers a particularly generous interior in the rear seats, the price of the 3 meters of wheelbase – like on an A8. As a bonus, the bench seat of the Audi SUV is sliding, just to enlarge a trunk which already announces 605 dm3 under the shelf. If “real luxury is space” as an old advertisement claimed, then this Audi is a limousine… As confirmed by its fine finish and its serious, slightly revised presentation. Even if the overabundance of black lacquer in our test version turns out to be as messy as usual. Spacious storage and fairly successful ergonomics – even if the air conditioning management screen is a little low – finally convince us that this SUV is completely liveable on a daily basis. And it is all the more true thatThe air suspension manages to control most of the beats generated by the big wheels and that the soundproofing is careful.
Finally, the last asset of this astonishing vessel, the RS Q8 offers a towing capacity of 3,500 kg. But not sure that this is an argument for the German SUV enthusiast, even if the price of €191,550 – without forgetting the inevitable options and the €60,000 CO2 penalty – does not make it accessible to all budgets.
