By Paul Gover.
There are plenty of ways to arrive at the top end of town in your shiny new SUV.
Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Porsche have already made a heavyweight impact, Lamborghini touts its Urus, and even Ferrari is about to join the SUV gang with its Purosangue.
Even so, if you also want to also make a speedy exit then it’s hard to go past the Audi RS Q8.
It looks great, it is sumptuous inside, and it is ballistically quick thanks to a twin-turbo V8 petrol engine and all-wheel drive.
Audi says the RS Q8 will hit 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds and is only held back to 250 km/h because that’s the autobahn limit for the socially-conscious German carmakers.
Just as impressive, on the numbers side, is the 800 Newton-metres of torque that gives massive thrust at any time in any place.
So think of the RS Q8 as a WWE wrestler in a designer suit.
It’s not cheap, at $213,900, but that’s less than half the price of some of its rivals.
It also lines up nicely against the top-end coupe-style SUVs from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the GLE63 and X6 M, undercutting them on price and out-punching them from the engine room.
From the start, the RS Q8 – one of only a handful of RS models in Australia, and one of only two SUVs – scores with its great looking body.
It’s big and bold, but is more curvaceous and restrained than the Benz, BMW and look-at-me Lamborghini.
Inside, it’s only a five-seater but Audi also has the boxy Q7 for well-heeled families.
The rest of the package is six-figure awesome, from the look and feel of the quilted leather to the giant LCD display screens and punchy sound system.
Safety is not rated by ANCAP, but it’s safe to assume a 5-star rating because it has every driver assistance system in the book and the basics of the body are top quality for crash protection.
So the RQ Q8 looks good, and often great, on paper.
Drive it, though, and the reality is even better.
Some of its top-end SUV rivals feel like giant whales, flopping and wallowing, but the flagship Audi feels surprisingly taut. That’s partly down to the air suspension, which even ensures a smooth ride on giant 23-inch alloys.
But it’s the quality of the basic engineering work – which Audi shares with other members of the VW Group, including Porsche and Lamborghini and Bentley – which allows the Q8 to defeat any driving challenge.
It’s smooth and comfy on freeways, thunderously quick for overtaking, and is a brilliant interstate travel companion.
Did I mention parking and fuel economy? Maybe not, as it’s tough to park and the economy can be awful and well above 15 litres/100km.
But the stonking torque is always on tap, from an engine which is both punchy and refined, and that means driving can be huge fun.
The RS Q8 is brutally quick from the lights but has a more refined feel on twisty or undulating roads, yet still with the underlying performance credentials that come in an RS package.
It’s not a Porsche, but in lots of ways – and the ways that count – it beats is VW Group cousin, and would be my pick.
Come to think, it’s hard to go against the RS Q8 regardless of the opposition, and even at more than $200,000 it’s still a – relative – bargain at the top end of town.
THE BASICS
Audi RSQ8
Price: from $213,900
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8
Power: 441kW/800Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Position: flagship SUV
Plus: luxury, sledgehammer performance
Minus: price, fuel economy
THE TICK: only if you have a big bank account
Score: 7/10
