Audi is expanding its high-performance RS-line of products into the world of SUVs, and its latest addition is the RS Q8. Packing a twin-turbo V-8 making 600 horsepower and some muscular looks, it's the company's most capable high-riding vehicle yet.
The engine is Audi's familiar 4.0-liter unit, also found in the new RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback. It's paired to a 48-volt mild hybrid system, tuned to 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, going to all four wheels via the company's signature Quattro all-wheel drive system. In normal driving situations, torque split is 40:60 front to rear, but if there's a loss of traction, up to 70 percent of the power can be sent to the front wheels, or 85 percent to the rear wheels. There's also an optional sport differential that can distribute torque as necessary between the two rear wheels.
Audi quotes a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds, a 0-124 mph time of 13.7 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
Of course, the engine isn't the only thing that's been upgraded. The suspension uses a five-link setup front and rear, with lightweight aluminum pieces. The standard adaptive air suspension has RS-specific damper tuning, with 3.5 inches of ride height adjustability. It's backed up by all-wheel steering, which can turn the rear wheels by as much as five degrees at low speeds, and up to 1.5 degrees at high speeds. There's also optional active anti-roll bars that decouple when you're driving straight and tense up during cornering to provide optimal response.
Option the Dynamic package, and top speed is raised to 189 mph. Additionally, the sport differential and active roll bars come included. You also get carbon ceramic brakes. Sounds like a must-have to us.
The upgrades were enough to get the RS Q8 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 7:42 earlier this month, breaking the lap record for quickest SUV around the German track.
Audi says deliveries in Europe for the RS Q8 will start in the first quarter of 2020, with a starting price of 127,000 Euros (around $141,000). Neither U.S. availability nor pricing has been revealed, though considering the car just made its debut in Los Angeles, that information should be available soon.
Brian Silvestro is Hearst Autos' former lead deputy editor for rankings content. He spent over seven years as a staff writer for Road & Track Magazine where he contributed car reviews, industry interviews, and more. He has a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
