Visual changes to the mildly refreshed Audi RS Q8 are subtle. Distinguishing the new one from the previous model is a redesigned honeycomb grille flanked by huge air intakes, new front and rear bumpers, new Matrix LED headlights, new wheels, new interior trim, and new colours. The 23-inch Y-spoke forged-aluminum wheels on our tester are optional, and each weigh a remarkable 5 kilos less than the standard 22 inchers.
Would you take the 2025 Audi RS Q8 to the racetrack?
Why would anyone even consider lapping their favourite closed course in the RS Q8, anyway? Well, maybe because it’s powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that claims 631 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque without electric boost (up from the previous model’s 591 hp and 590 lb-ft). It’s Audi’s most powerful engine to date, and it pulls hard enough to shove you into the seat when you put the pedal to the floor — taking just 3.6 seconds to blast from zero to 100 km/h.
Or maybe because its adaptive, height-adjustable air suspension and electronically controlled active roll stabilization are designed more for making hard passes on the Stelvio than for plodding along during the daily commute. Perhaps because its mechanical central differential distributes power to the front and rear axles accordingly (up to 70% torque up front or up to 85% rear), and works in unison with all-wheel steering to round off corners when pushing hard. Or possibly because its massive composite front rotors and 10-piston calipers do an exemplary job of slowing the behemoth from racetrack speeds.
We took the Audi RS Q8 to the racetrack!
The racetrack portion of the RS Q8’s international press test was held at the technically challenging Parcmotor Circuit Castelloli, northwest of Barcelona, where it proved quite capable — within reasonable limits. At this tight track, the RS Q8 rewarded a steady, calculated approach to speed, with hard braking done before corner entry, and smooth, yet deliberate steering and throttle inputs allowing the SUV to rotate mid-corner and shoot out the exit courtesy of that aforementioned seat-compressing power. At full song in Dynamic mode, the V8 sounds rich and raw, and it rows through its eight-speed gearbox in rapid succession and with fervour, burbling angrily between shifts.
Don’t push it too hard
Drive it in anger, though, and Audi’s biggest RS will not-so-subtly remind you that it isn’t meant to be pitched around a racetrack like a post-adolescent manhandles an STi at an autocross. Push too hard and those pricey, optional 23-inch Pirelli P Zero tires plow into corners, while those extra-large-pizza-sized rotors glow red. Oh, it still goes fast, but you’re kind of fighting physics and working hard to manage its mass.
But that’s not to say that the RS Q8 isn’t equipped to handle hard cornering in the right hands and at the right venue. An indication of just how competent the RS Q8 can be on a racetrack is its record-setting 7:36.698 lap at the fast and flowing Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. Nurburgring savant, Frank Stippler, set the SUV lap record. It was just 3.5 seconds off the fastest time he’d recorded in the smaller, lighter and nimbler 2025 Audi RS3. And that’s for an SUV that has a towing capacity of 7,700 lbs.
What’s it like on the road?
Where the RS Q8 excels, however, is in the real world. On the winding roads snaking through the mountainous Spanish countryside, its coddling interior provided a quiet, comfortable ride. It is exquisitely finished (it’s an Audi thing) and roomy enough for four, or five if it’s a shorter drive. While the V8 roared and cackled with anger from trackside, from the interior the sound is surprisingly subdued. So much so that the folks at Audi have even removed some soundproofing panels on the RS to make it more engaging. I found the sound just right, preferring long-term comfort over the short-lived rowdiness of lapping.
At a spirited backroad pace in the most aggressive Dynamic drive mode the RS Q8 handled sharply, exhibited almost no body roll through turns, and despite its bulk, steered precisely with moderately light steering effort. Of course, it growled, popped and burbled out the tailpipes when downshifting in this mode, but the rush of acceleration between corners was simply divine.
And those massive brakes — well, they’re overkill on the road, with an overly sensitive pedal at lower speeds — but boy do they haul the beast down in a hurry when needed. Switching to Comfort mode softened things up and quieted things down, thus transforming the RS Q8 from unruly delinquent to almost gentlemanly. Aside from the firm suspension and somewhat harsh ride (the latter a result of those 23-inchers), the RS Q8 can be as stately and comfortable as its civilian Q8 sibling.
How much is the 2025 Audi RS Q8 and do you need one?
You most likely don’t need an Audi RS Q8. If you’re even just thinking about it, though, it’s because you have high performance in mind. And with that in mind, the 2025 SQ8 will fulfil most of your needs (500 hp and 568 lb-ft isn’t enough?), and you’ll pocket more than $38,000. The RS Q8 starts at $168,820, including dealer fees and luxury tax. But there’s no doubt that the RS Q8 looks meaner, sounds angrier, and yes, it’s faster, too. Those factors alone make a good case that while you don’t really need the RS Q8, you will probably want one.
While two variations of the 2025 Audi RS Q8 are available globally, Canadians will have to make do with the more powerful Performance model. Woe is us. It arrives at dealers next spring.
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