600hp, Audi RS Q8 SUV review

We head to the volcanic island of Tenerife to take a look at the similarly explosive RS Q8 – Audi’s most recent, swiftest and wildest SUV.

The sporty and design and style-focused Q8 was sure to have sportier variations, and it did – the S Q8 and the quicker however RS Q8. But the latter, which we have in this article, isn’t just Audi’s fastest SUV, it is also the world’s swiftest SUV!

Clocking a time of 7min forty two.253sec close to the Nürburgring, the de facto efficiency yardstick, the RS Q8 bettered the Mercedes-AMG GLC sixty three S file by close to 8sec. Audi says it did not set out to create a file holder, but the moment they realised just how fast it was, they made a decision to give it a shot. And so, even just before its official unveil, Audi take a look at driver Frank Stippler went and broke the file on a damp day had the circumstances been ideal, Stippler reckons another 5sec were being there to be had. In any circumstance, RS Q8 bagged the file and consequently the bragging legal rights to becoming the world’s swiftest SUV. And the good news is, it is headed to India.

Bang on

Audi could not have selected a much better venue for the drive. We were being on the volcanic island of Tenerife, which offers of Spain’s greatest point – Mount Teide – at an elevation of three,718m. The approach was to drive from the beachfront all the way up to the base of the volcanic cone: from sun and sand to snow and as a result of a mix of fast open highways and well laid-out twisty mountain roads. It was the ideal natural environment to highlight the car’s monitor-file-breaking strengths of power and poise.

For power, Audi utilizes the 4.-litre TFSI V8 which is also the motive force for the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the Lamborghini Urus. Below the hood of the Audi, it places out 600hp and a significant 800Nm of torque loads of bang, additional than the Porsche’s 550hp and 770Nm. It, however, is reduce than the Urus’ output of 650hp and 850Nm.

Hearth the RS Q8 up and it growls to lifetime. Decibel-clever, the rumble is fairly very low though, and at slow speeds, with the drive method set to ‘Comfort’, you’d be challenging-pressed to explain to this version has some really serious firepower underneath its hood. Go into a sportier method and the mighty V8 will make its arrival identified clearly there’s also an optional RS activity exhaust method that pipes points a notch greater. Signaling the breadth of its abilities, the RS Q8 has fairly a couple of drive modes – there’s Auto, Comfort, Dynamic, Effectiveness, All-street, and even an off-street method in which ride height can be amplified by 90mm. There are two additional individually configurable ‘RS’ modes, identified as RS1 and RS2. RS one allows you set up the engine, gearbox, suspension, when RS 2 influences the Digital Stability Program. The two modes allow you store your favorite set up for a rapid simply call to responsibility via the steering wheel-mounted ‘RS’ sizzling key. It’s fundamentally the programmable asterisk button from other Audis, but calling it the ‘RS mode’ is additional enjoyable.

Ahead of we can relish the mountains, there’s the metropolis to deal with, and with the car in ‘Comfort’, it is shocking how quickly you can potter close to city. The RS Q8 is large, of course, but it gets 4-wheel-steering, which offers it some good manoeuvrability in site visitors and limited parking spots. Supplied the SUV’s size, I envisioned to make frequent two-point turns, but I truly did not have to.

The 8-speed torque converter is clean and rapid, but, at occasions, when you need to overtake in site visitors, it takes a when to downshift. Furthermore, in Comfort method, upshifts are fairly early as it runs at a incredibly economic environment heck, there’s even a mild-hybrid method with cylinder deactivation. What is additional, Audi says among speeds of fifty five-160kph, if the driver lifts off the throttle, the engine can deactivate for up to 40sec, if particular powertrain circumstances are achieved. I experimented with this out but it did not shut down. I did not consider for prolonged though with this becoming an RS-spec Q8, I wasn’t interested in driving economically.

Out on the freeway, the RS Q8 in ‘Dynamic’ is massively effortless in the way it gathers speed. The wave of torque flowing from the V8 is immense and is accompanied by a pleasant baritone growl from the exhausts.

Comfy and sensible, rear-seat travellers will have minor to complain about.

Gripping Stuff

The moment we’re in the mountains, my breath is practically taken away – the RS Q8 has power, of course, but the authentic showstopper in this article is the managing. Road grip is excellent, and there is negligible body roll – in actuality, considering the car’s size, I’d say it is as good as almost nothing. The steering as well is well weighted and rapid. I’m before long attacking corner right after corner, and the RS Q8 desires to go quicker however.

The managing is just chic, you will want to thrust on and on. This isn’t a thing I love carrying out in an SUV, even some of the sporty kinds, as hustling close to all that mass at some point gets to you. But in this article it is just so phenomenally car-like of course, there’s good cause for this. Bestowing the RS Q8 with its monitor-file-busting managing is some really serious hardware. For starters, the front and rear monitor are wider, there’s 4-wheel steering, and it utilizes the similar air suspension set up as the S Q8 but with the spring and damper costs firmed up for RS responsibility. In addition to the Quattro method, there is an choice of what Audi calls the ‘Quattro Activity Differential’ for energetic torque vectoring at the rear axle.

Extra magic will come from the 48V energetic anti-roll bar method that decouples two halves of the roll bar for much better ride comfort and ease, but then in corners, an electric motor twists them in the opposite route to counter body roll. What is attention-grabbing is that the motor also functions as a generator, charging the method when the wheels are deflected, like by bumps on the street suffice to say, we’ll normally have a fully billed method in Mumbai.

RS button: a efficiency shortcut key.

Rounding off the managing bits are the significant 22-inch 295/40 tyres made available as standard – the biggest factory-set up units on an Audi. There’s also an choice of 23-inchers. Audi says the large rims were being also a requirement owing to the large disc brakes utilised. The brakes function continuously, but arresting two tonnes of rushing metal will tax any method, and on some fast downhill driving, the optional carbon-ceramic brakes heated up and started squealing. Backing off for a when delivers points again to usual though.

Like the metropolis streets, thehighway and mountain roads are so fantastically well surfaced (even much better than individuals in the Spanish mainland) that they make it challenging to judge general ride high-quality. There is an indicator of a slightly business ride – easy to understand, specified the firmer spring and damper costs – but we’ll have to see how it fares on our roads.

Versus the Grain

The Q8 is meant to be part of the SUV-coupé bandwagon but its roofline does not dip as sharply as its rivals. So, if you adore the mash-up of a sharply sloping coupé roof and a substantial-sided SUV body, then the RS Q8’s rivals would be additional to your flavor. To me, however, the mildly sloping roofline will make it look sporty and purposeful.

Adding to the sporty look are the enlarged front air intakes, the glossy black honeycomb grille, and RS-specific roof spoiler, rear skirt and oval tailpipes. Audi has also utilised a good deal of black as a substitute of chrome, as viewed on the standard Q8, and, of course, there’s RS badging, each on the outside the house and inside of.

One particular of the several RS-specific shows.

As with the exterior, the interiors are shared as well. So, you get the touchscreen and contact-area-intensive dashboard but with RS goodies, these kinds of as a good deal of Alcantara and carbon-fibre finish, exclusive RS shows in the Virtual Cockpit, and multimedia display for power, torque, lap occasions and G-forces. The optional head-up display gets RS-specific screens as well. The total dash space seems incredibly state of the artwork, and it is only the space in advance of the front passenger that seems as well slab-sided.

Our car had the RS activity seats, which were being comfy sufficient and did not go away us with any problems. Just to much better the practical experience, Audi has even thrown in a massage functionality, as well as heating and cooling. As for other products, the RS Q8 will come loaded with all the goodies you’d be expecting from a substantial-close Audi – the Virtual Cockpit display, a killer 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen seem method, and loads of driver assists like collision avoidance aid and intersection aid.

Badge of Honour

Although the Audi RS Q8 will keep on being a specialized niche design, it could be among the much better-faring alternatives. Its very low roof lends it a sporty sufficient look, and by steering clear of the sharp coupé-like dip at the rear, there’s additional headroom, and consequently it could charm to a wider audience. Also, in ascending to the altar of speed, Audi has not created any sacrifices – the RS Q8 is comfy, sensible and well loaded. You could drive it to your golf club, acquire your family members out on a rapid dash across the nation, or even acquire it to the racetrack for a bit of enjoyable.

The RS Q8 isn’t going to be low-cost though, as it will be a whole import and is very likely to price tag near to
Rs 2 crore. As a competitor to the BMW X6 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE sixty three Coupe, it would sit well against them and the Cayenne Turbo Coupe as well. Apparently, though, look at it against the Lamborghini Urus and it would be a relative discount. No question the Urus is an particularly capable SUV, with a fancier nameplate to boot, but then again, the Audi has the title of the world’s swiftest SUV.

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