Remember when Audi only had one RS model on sale at a time? Maybe not, because it was ages ago. But rose-tinted spectacles always fit comfortably, and it made the models memorable if nothing else. Nowadays the RS range can be a little hard to keep track of, however good the cars might be - a job that's only going to get harder with a new flagship: the RS Q8.
There'll be no missing it if you see one, at least. Finally freed from disguise following its Nurburgring hi-jinks, the RS Q8 and its "strikingly self-confident face" are here for all to see. Modifications from the standard Q8 include a new RS-specific grille, modest body width increases to accommodate the new tracks, RS skirts, exhausts and spoilers (with extra downforce!) and a set of standard 22-inch wheels.
Mechanically, much is carried over from the recently-announced RS6. Audi's most powerful SUV coupe ever uses the same 600hp, 590lb ft, mild hybrid 4.0-litre V8 as the estate, sufficient for it to shoot it out of sight very quickly: 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds, 0-124mph in 13.7 seconds, and an optional top speed of 190mph. Cylinder deactivation and mild hybrid for efficiency can go hang as far as the stats go - this will still be a monstrously fast, fast Audi. Should sound good, too; because these V8 Audis always tend to, but also because its firing order - 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8, in case it comes up at the pub quiz - is said to create a "sportily voluminous" sound.
The RSQ8's chassis is extensively overhauled from a regular Q8, with a lot of aluminium introduced for weight, stiffness and, er, Nordschleife benefits. The standard spec can probably largely be ignored, given the typical popularity of the options, but is worth noting there's RS-tuned adaptive air suspension (with 90mm of adjustability in the ride height), four-wheel steer, wheel selective torque control (with a typical axle split of 40:60) and 420mm front brake discs. The extras list includes electromechanical active roll stabilisation, the sport differential, 23-inch cast aluminium wheels and ceramic brakes, boosting that front rotor size to a frankly ludicrous 440mm. Despite all this, Audi claims the RS Q8 can continue "calmly and confidently" when the tarmac ends. Best of luck with that one...
That assortment of dynamic witchcraft and wizardry is controlled by the familiar Audi drive select system, now with individually configurable 'RS1' and 'RS2' buttons. Given how much technology it's possible to get in an RS Q8, and how successful similar modes have been integrated elsewhere, expect these buttons to come in very handy.
Inside Audi's "prestigious spearhead" of the RS range is much as you might expect: huggier seats, sportier graphics, suedier surfaces, flat-bottomed wheel. It's recognisably an RS product, but also still clearly a Q8; it even keeps a three-seat rear bench and 1,755 litres of boot space, so there.
"For the first time in the 25-year history of Audi RS models, we are putting a large SUV coupe with the genes of a true high-performance sports car on the road," said Audi Sport's MD Oliver Hoffman. Certainly it's hard to imagine many in 1994 predicting a car like this when the RS2 came out; that said it's also hard to imagine the RS Q8 not finding success in that niche of X6 M, Cayenne Turbo Coupe and GLE63 Coupe. You may not like that niche, but Audi doesn't care - more than enough buyers will want the Q8, and others that don't can have an RS6 instead. Those whose fancy is tickled by this latest RS can place an order soon, with deliveries in Q1 of next year - colours other than green are available...
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