2025 Audi RS Q8 Performance review
This family SUV has the same hardware as a Lamborghini – for half the price.
Luxury
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Life is getting busier. These days parents are expected to drop the kids at school, get to work, take the kids to sport, get to the shops and on and on …
So, if you need to get all your running around done quickly, why not buy the world’s fastest SUV? The new Audi RS Q8 Performance has just landed in Australia, promising performance that will leave even a Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne trailing in its dust – for much less money.
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Audi has proudly claimed the RS Q8 Performance is the fastest production SUV around the famous Nurburgring in Germany and packs the most powerful engine ever offered by the brand in a production car.
But why do you need an SUV? Well, because you can – obviously. Not everyone can afford a $275,000 SUV, but for those who do have such money, the appeal of having ‘the best’ or ‘the fastest’ is hard to resist. Especially if it represents a significant saving over the equivalent Porsche or Lambo.
And in that regard, the RS Q8 Performance has plenty of appeal.
As mentioned, it has the most powerful internal combustion engine the four-ring brand has ever built for sale, a twin turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that produces a supercar-like 471kW of power and 850Nm of torque. That’s enough for this family-sized SUV to sprint from zero to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds and keep going to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
Of course nobody actually ‘needs’ that much performance in an SUV, but when you’re spending a quarter of a million dollars, it’s nice to have some things to brag about.
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But the RS Q8 Performance isn’t just fast in a straight line, what really makes it special, and what owners will get to enjoy in Australia, even with our strictly enforced speed limits, is the handling. A complex array of technology is deployed beneath the surface to ensure this huge SUV, capable of fitting for adults in comfort, handles like a sports car.
For starters, there’s the way it stops.
The RS Q8 Performance comes equipped with RS ceramic brakes as standard, these race-bred rotors provide both stopping power and consistency to pull up such a big machine.
These brakes sit behind lightweight 23-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in sticky Pirelli P-Zero tyres, which are connected to the complex suspension and steering set-up. The RS Q8 Performance has active air suspension, adaptive dampers, active roll stabilisation and all-wheel steering.
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What does that all mean? You’d need an engineering degree to understand it in detail, but the net result is the RS Q8 Performance rides and handles like a dream. It soaks up the bumps in the road, while also feeling direct and responsive when you turn the wheel, which is usually a tough duo to get right in such a big SUV.
And make no mistake, it is a big SUV. Again, you’re handing over a quarter of a million dollars, so you should also get yourself a pampering luxury car – not just something fast. On that front the RS Q8 Performance delivers again.
Despite its sporty, sweptback, coupe-style roofline, there’s room for four adults to sit in absolute comfort inside. Each occupant gets a Nappa leather upholstered seat and their own climate control setting and a 17-speaker 730-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system to entertain them.
Audi has always been a leader in interior design, and that’s very much the case in the latest RS Q8. There’s a nice blend of traditional, high-quality materials, but balanced with technology. There’s a fully digital instrument panel, with multiple display settings, including a new ‘RS specific’ graphic, as well as digital panels to control both the infotainment and the climate control.
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On top of all this there’s a generous sized boot. So the RS Q8 Performance will feel just as home doing the school run, trip to the shops or family holiday as it would setting records at the Nurburgring.
Of course, no-one is likely to take their RS Q8 Performance to do hot laps at the racetrack, but it’s just another element to help you feel good about handing your Audi dealer $275,000.
Audi RS Q8 Performance
PRICE About $275,000 drive-away
ENGINE 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol, 471kW and 850Nm
THIRST 12.2L/100km
PERFORMANCE 0-100 in 3.6s, 250km/h
BOOT 605 litres
SPARE Space-saver
Originally published as 2025 Audi RS Q8 Performance review
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