Audi RS Q8 Performance: Performance Car of the Year - autoX Awards 2025

It’s a strange, strange world out there. Politicians are doing comedy, comedians are doing politics, Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, and SUVs are beating sports cars around racetracks. Take the Audi RS Q8 Performance, for instance – a full-blown luxury SUV turned all the way up to eleven to keep the boy racer in every family man alive.

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It’s the most powerful ICE car ever to come out of Ingolstadt, and since it wears the RS badge, it obviously goes like stink. Need proof? It currently holds the Nürburgring Nordschleife record for the fastest production SUV, with a lap time of 7:36.7 – faster than some of your bedroom-poster icons like the Lexus LFA, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and Lamborghini Murciélago SV.

With a resume that strong, we expected the RS Q8 Performance to be among the fastest cars in our test. What we didn’t expect was for it to absolutely annihilate the competition, which included the Aston Martin DBX 707, BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG CLE 53, and Porsche Macan Turbo EV. With a staggering lap time of 1:02.8, the RS Q8 Performance is our ‘Performance Car of the Year 2025’.

The RS Q8 Performance’s recipe for speed starts with its impeccable 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which produces 631bhp and 850Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic and Audi’s legendary quattro system. The result? A 0 – 100km/h time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 305km/h – those are supercar numbers, period.

What truly boggles the mind, though, is its handling. Thanks to the immense grip provided by its chassis, AWD system, and sport differential, the RS Q8 Performance behaves more like a surgical tool than a sledgehammer on the track. The steering is quick and precise, and that massive grille can sniff out apexes like a bloodhound. The whole experience is thrilling but never intimidating. You can stand on the throttle through most corners, and it won’t bite. The AWD system helps rotate the rear mid-corner, allowing you to flirt with four-wheel drifts like a rally car before catapulting you out of bends with incredible traction. All the while, the V8 roars with a wicked, muscle-car soundtrack that adds drama to the whole experience. It’s almost laughable how sharp and fast this high-riding family SUV is on the racetrack.

As a luxury car, the RS Q8 Performance impresses just as much. The cabin is exquisitely built, laden with features, and tastefully garnished with RS-specific touches. The space inside is generous for family and friends, and with a simple press of the Drive Select button, it transforms from a track monster into a subdued luxury car.

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What further seals the deal is that it’s mechanically identical to the Lamborghini Urus Performante. Sure, it may not have the Italian’s flash or flamboyance, but when it comes to delivering a supercar-like experience in a family SUV body, it’s every bit as capable, if not better. And the best part? It costs only half as much. Makes you wonder why anybody would want an Urus over the RS Q8 Performance, doesn’t it? But, then, for better or worse, that’s the new world order.