Living with an Audi RS Q8 Performance: faster than a Lamborghini Urus and over £20,000 cheaper, but how is it as a daily?
May 23, 2025 by Jamie Edkins
Car changing is a big deal
We were handed the keys to the Audi RS Q8 for six months to see what this super SUV is like to live with. It’s blisteringly fast and practical, but there are a few niggles.
This is our Audi RS Q8 Performance, and we’ve been using it as a daily driver for six months. You may have seen it featured in a few Carwow drag races, and if you have then you know this is a properly fast SUV.
That was never in any doubt though, what we want to know is if this V8-powered supercar slayer works as a practical family SUV. It’s practical and spacious, but there have been a few little things which have annoyed us.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: price and specs
Let’s start by taking a closer look at our Audi RS Q8 Performance. Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 640hp and 850Nm of torque, and this is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system.
It’ll do 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds, and the top speed is 174mph. This is also the fastest SUV to ever lap the Nurburgring. It’s faster than a Lexus LFA, just as quick as a Honda NSX and only a second off the BMW M3 Touring. Not bad for an SUV pushing 2.3 tonnes.
This is a range-topping Performance Carbon Vorsprung model, meaning it gets a few tasty upgrades such as a panoramic roof, night vision, adaptive cruise control and 23-inch matt black alloy wheels.
All-in this car costs around £160,000, making it more than £20,000 cheaper than the mechanically-similar Lamborghini Urus.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: what’s it like to drive?
If you’ve watched any of the drag races featuring this car, you’ll already know that it’s blisteringly fast. We’ve managed to get an 11.5-second quarter mile from our RS Q8, and it beat the V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue.
But what’s it like when you’re not hammering it up a drag strip? Well the answer is it’s very civilised. It’s not quite as comfortable as the standard Q8, as you’d expect from a car riding on 23-inch wheels and stiffened suspension, but it’s still comfortable over bumps.
It’s quiet and refined on the motorway too, and the adaptive cruise control helps take the strain out of long journeys. It comes as standard on mid-spec cars and up, but it seems insane that the entry-level RS Q8 doesn’t come with this fairly basic feature for £140,000.
Get out on a twisty road and this car hides its 2.3-tonne bulk very well. The rear-wheel steering makes it feel agile through the corners, and it also helps make this massive car feel more manoeuvrable around town.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: interior and practicality
As a family hauler, the RS Q8 Performance works just as well as the normal Q8. You get loads of interior storage, and the boot is a good size as well despite the sloping roofline. We did notice that, while you can open the boot from the keyfob, you can’t close it this way.
We also found it a squeeze fitting three child seats in the back, and you don’t get three ISOFIX anchor points in this car either. If you’re after the most practical fast Audi, you’ll want to check out the SQ7.
As for the interior itself, it feels suitably high quality. There are no creaks or rattles, and almost all of the materials look and feel top notch. We say almost because there is one annoying detail letting the side down, and that’s the piano black plastic. It looks a bit cheap and it marks really easily. Beyond this though, it’s a lovely cabin.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: three cool things
We’ve found a lot of things to like about the Audi RS Q8 Performance over the past six months, here are three which really stood out.
Panoramic sunroof
Our car is fitted with the opening panoramic glass roof, and it’s a great feature to have as things start to warm up. It lets loads of light into the cabin, and we love having it open on a sunny day. It’s an expensive optional extra at £1,810, but we reckon it’s well worth it.
Light shows
The Audi RS Q8 has some really clever lighting features. The Matrix LED headlights do a really intricate show when you lock and unlock the car, and the puddle lights look great as well with the car’s full name spelled out.
Alcantara trim
The RS Q8 Performance gets loads of Alcantara trim inside, which looks and feels great and makes it feel even more special.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: three annoying things
No car is perfect though, and the RS Q8 Performance is no exception. Here are three niggles which annoyed us over the last six months.
Squeaky brakes
Our car is fitted with ceramic brakes which are great when you’re driving the car hard on track or a twisty road, but around town they can be quite squeaky – especially when they’re cold.
Too quiet
An issue which plagues a lot of modern performance cars is noise, or lack thereof. The legally mandated petrol particulate filter muffles the sound of this V8 – we’d like to be able to hear it a bit more.
The paintwork
We picked this Sakhir Gold paint because it looked really metallic on the configurator, but in the metal it looks much flatter. We still think it looks great, but a bit of extra pop in the sunlight would be nice.
Living with an Audi RS Q8: final verdict
We already knew that the Audi RS Q8 was fast, but after six months of living with it it turns out it can also be a very civilised family car as well. It’s practical, comfortable and easy to drive in town, but when you want to let your hair down it can behave like an absolute hooligan.
It’s certainly not a cheap way to have your cake and eat it, but compared to the Lamborghini Urus, which is almost identical under the skin, it seems like a bargain. If you’re looking for the ultimate performance SUV, look no further than the Audi RS Q8 Performance.