2025 Audi RS Q8 Performance review
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Gives us justification': Angry bunch of taxi drivers win payout in Uber legal row
Cabbies and hire-car drivers and owners who lost out in the introduction of Uber to Australia will share a colossal $271.8 million compensation package. The massive victory for 8700 drivers and owners nationwide who registered to be involved in the class action has been confirmed after the appeal period in a world-first action expired last week. Assessment will now begin to determine how much individual members of the action will receive. Law firm Maurice Blackburn has been running the legal fight. Former taxi driver and ex-Victorian member of parliament Rod Barton said the seven-year fight against Uber had been justified by the massive settlement. 'We've just got past the last hurdle and we will work towards distribution,' he said. 'But it doesn't get close to the cost and harm that was done to this industry. 'No one is going to get Tattslotto amounts out of this but it gives us justification. 'The government failed the whole industry, they failed to protect us. 'And it's really cool that an angry bunch of taxi drivers were able to drag a unicorn company into court and get this payout.' Mr Barton said other class actions were being explored by taxi drivers in other jurisdictions. 'We set the wheels in motion,' he said. Kim Adey, the manager of Maurice Blackburn's settlement claims assessment team, said last week's passage of the appeal period marked a significant step forward. 'There are thousands of claims to process, so the work will take some time and we will need some help from class members to finalise things along the way,' Ms Adey said. 'We're really looking forward to the claims assessed and payments made as soon as possible.'
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Advice - Explosive Hazard - Threat is Reduced
This Advice message is being issued for Wangaratta, between Sisely Avenue and Vincent Road. * The threat is reduced following the vehicle collision and fire on Frank Hayes Road. * Firefighters have made the acetylene cylinder safe. * There is no longer a risk of explosion. * This Advice message replaces the Warning issued at 1:26pm . People located within the area are now able to resume normal activities. What you should do: * You should avoid the immediate area of Frank Hayes Drive as emergency services are cleaning up. Impacts in your area: * There is a 50 metre exclusion zone in place on Frank Hayes Road while emergency services remain on scene. * This will be in place until approximately 3:30pm. * Tone Road has reopened. * The railway line has reopened and trains are running at a slow speed. This message was issued by Fire Rescue Victoria . This will be the final message issued for this incident. Use multiple sources to stay informed: * [ ] * VicEmergency Hotline [ ] - freecall 1800 226 226 * VicEmergency app [ ] * Facebook [ ] or Twitter [ ] * Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV. Accessibility: * The following services can help you, or someone you know, access information during an emergency. To access this information in other languages, call the Translating and Interpreting Service [ ] on 131 450 (freecall) and ask them to call VicEmergency Hotline. * If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech/communication impairment contact the National Relay Service [ ] and ask them to call the VicEmergency Hotline.
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Polestar exec calls for change to ute tax
The boss of one of Australia's greenest car companies has called for an end to tax breaks for utes that have become the nation's best-selling cars. Scott Maynard, managing director of Polestar in Australia, says lucrative tax concessions for high-riding utes have gone too far, resulting in taxpayers subsidising cars that are harmful to the environment. Large four-wheel-drive utes can be exempt from luxury car tax and fringe benefits tax that apply to other vehicles. Maynard says the fringe benefits tax concession 'continues to disproportionately serve the sale of dual cab utes and not what I would consider to be a far more progressive style of transportation, which is electric vehicles'. 'Consider that three of the top five selling cars in Australia for the entire first half [of the year] were dual cab utes and their variants,' he said. 'We've now got more than one and a half times the dual cab ute to tradie ratio, which doesn't make sense. 'If you consider some of the positioning of some of those particular vehicles, which are clearly no longer tools of trade, I don't think it's a difficult jump to make to put that on the fact that they've enjoyed tax let off since 2000. 'Wouldn't it great to see benefits like that afforded to vehicles that are now cheaper to own um easier to live with and better for the environment?' Rod Campbell, research director at The Australia Institute, made headlines in 2024 when pointing out the 'considerable costs on society' of subsidising large utes such as the RAM 1500 and Ford F-150. The Australian public is subsidising big, dumb utes by hundreds of millions of dollars each year,' he said. 'These vehicles are damaging roads, reducing safety and increasing emissions, yet they are given a massive tax break. 'Removing the luxury car tax exemption will not affect most ute drivers, particularly tradies. 'Instead it targets those buying large luxury vehicles, worth sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, for personal use. 'Economics 101 says that governments should tax things they want less of, and subsidise things they want more of, and it is stunning that the Australian Government seems to want more big, dumb utes.' Maynard's views differ from peers at the top of the car industry. Polestar has effectively split from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, a collective that lobbies on behalf of member companies such as Toyota, Ford and Mitsubishi – brands that rely heavily on the sales of utes such as the HiLux, Ranger and Triton. But Polestar doesn't have a ute. It doesn't have any cars that require petrol or diesel fuel – every Polestar sold in Australia is a pure electric vehicle. Maynard said the brand's all-in stance on electric vehicles 'does open a window for us' as rival brands water down their commitment to EVs. The brand has recorded an uptick in interest from customers who were considering plug-in electric vehicles before a tax break expired on April 1, pushing them toward EVs. 'Anecdotally, I feel like I'm talking to more and more customers that say now that's done,' he said. 'At a function last night, I spoke to three people at a table that said, 'you know, we were squaring up for a PHEV [but] we will probably just go full electric now'. 'And I know that there was a lot of people that were trying to get their PHEV deals secured before that FBT incentive [expired].'
