Looked at from another angle, it is Lamborghini’s performance at Audi’s price
– 4.0-litre engine producing 640 horsepower and 850 Nm torque;
– Eight-speed Tiptronic transmission;
– 0-100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds, with an optional top speed of 305 km/h;
– Quattro all-wheel drive for superior handling;
– And Lamborghini-like power at the price of an Audi (Rs 2.49 crore).
If this isn’t stuff of dreams, what is?
Audi has launched its most powerful SUV, and we took it for a spin on roads around Delhi, to find if it’s a good daily-use vehicle.
Comfort & space
It’s a Q8 – Audi’s plushest SUV – and therefore comfort and space are the best you can experience. It has 4-zone climate control with air ioniser and fragrance function, and even in 45-degree May, the cabin reminded us of a January stroll in a fragrant garden. Front seats have a massage function, and rear seats are extremely spacious. The RS-specific layout reminds you it’s not your regular Q8, and needs to be handled carefully.
Drive & performance
Shift into the Sport mode, check the road ahead, and press the accelerator. It’s so quick that, by the time you take in a deep breath, the RS Q8 Performance would have crossed 100 km/h, and by the time you exhale and relax, it would have crossed 200 km/h. This is racecar-like performance, to be experienced on a racetrack, but on regular roads also it gives you the adrenaline rush that is somehow lost in the daily rigmarole.
Price & value
It’s definitely expensive (Rs 2.49 crore, plus taxes), but looked at from another angle, the RS Q8 Performance is almost as powerful as Lamborghini Urus, looks almost as handsome, but costs more than a crore less, and will save you enough money to buy the Q8 e-tron to offset any kind of carbon emissions.
