Page 58 - MotorTrend (March 2020)

FIRST DRIVES I Audi RS Q8 I RS 6
irst things first: The 2021 Audi RS Q8
drives nothing like the platform-
sharing Lamborghini Urus. I defy
you to find anything about the Audi’s
driving manners, engine note, shift
Fpatterns, steering, braking, design, or the track.
styling that would conjure thoughts of its
Italian affiliate.
Does it drive better than an Urus? I
guess that depends on the type of driver
you are. And whether “better” is worth it
depends on the depth of your pocketbook,
as the Lambo is likely $100K upward of
Ingolstadt’s edition.
In fact, the RS Q8 seems to have more
similarity with Audi’s RS 6 wagon than
it does the Urus. It’s the same sausage,
different shapes in this corner of the Audi
delicatessen.
Can the Audi match the Urus’
3.0-second 0–60? Audi suggests a
3.8-second dash to 62 mph (100 kph)
is routine. Does that mean the RS Q8 is
slower than the Lambo? Not necessarily.
A few months back, the Audi Sport unit
ran the RS Q8 to a 7:42.253 SUV-record
lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
HORSES FOR
58 MOTORTREND.COM MARCH 2020
(Lamborghini’s unofficial time is 5
seconds slower.) Tester Frank Stippler
says he could have shaved another 4 or 5
seconds off his time if not for intermit-
tent ground fog and patchy wet spots on
And all this was with an engine that is
down on power compared to the Lambo.
Whereas the shared 4.0-liter twin-turbo
V-8 makes 641 hp in the Urus, in the Audi
it makes a more modest 590 hp. Not that
any ordinary American driver will notice.
An eight-speed Tiptronic torque-
converter automatic gets that power to
the pavement. It’s mated to an all-wheel-
drive system that normally splits power
40/60 front to rear but can swing it
anywhere between 70/30 and 20/80. Any
more than that, with this sort of power,
could damage the driveshaft. Hence, 100
percent rear drive isn’t possible.
The RS Q8 gets a 48-volt mild hybrid
system that can recoup 12 kW in the
trunk battery pack. What’s more, the V-8
engine comes with cylinder deactivation
and can even coast, powerless, at speeds
from 30 up to 100 mph. Overall, in the
WORDS MARK RECHTIN