Audi RSQ8 review

The introduction of the RSQ8 Performance has changed the way you’ll spec Audi’s super-SUV. The ‘standard’ RSQ8 is now available in the UK in just a single trim, with prices starting at £122,280.

For that you get 22in wheels, steel brakes, Matrix LED headlights, the Bang & Olufsen sound system, black exterior trim, black or cognac leather and a choice of free metallic paint colours. 

The more powerful RSQ8 Performance is then available in three trims, with the entry-level no-name starting at £137,280. That gets matte grey exterior trim, ceramic brakes, the sports exhaust and all the other Performance upgrades.

Then you’ve got the £148,250 Carbon Black trim with 23-inch wheels, fancier rear lights, carbon fibre trim and an ‘RS interior design package’, before the range-topping Carbon Vorsprung costing a terrifying £154,900. For that you get most options thrown in (we'd bloomin' well hope so at that price) including a panoramic roof, night vision and all of the available active safety tech.

Talk finance to me.

On lease, you’re looking at around £1,450 per month for the ‘standard’ RSQ8, rising right the way up to £2,100 for a fully loaded Performance with the Carbon Vorsprung trim. That’s on a four-year agreement with a £20k down payment and a 10,000-mile annual limit, through Audi’s own finance scheme.

How does it compare to rivals?

Well, none of them are less than six figures, but you might be surprised to learn that the Audi RSQ8 is actually the cheapest of the lot compared to its main rivals. 

A BMW X6M starts around the £130k mark and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe an extra £15k or so more. But it’s an even steeper climb to the rest of the pack, with the Range Rover Sport SVV costing around £175k and the Aston Martin DBX 707 and Lamborghini Urus starting over £200k. Yikes.

Then again, you could just have an Audi RS6 (and yes, we know we sound like a broken record here), and that starts around £115k... 

What's the best spec?

Obviously you may as well go for the Performance if you’re even considering an RSQ8, but we’d be tempted to go for the lowliest Performance to avoid the rather ugly carbon fibre goatee surrounding the front grille. The forged 23in wheels are a brilliant design (from the RS6 and RS7) too, but we’d take slightly more subtle 22s.

Of course, that’s an entirely subjective view, but it does seem that you get most of the goodies of the higher Carbon trims for significantly less dosh.

Any cash you’ve saved can then be spent on additional luxuries, such as Java Green paint (£5,750), the Technology Pack (£3,295) and the panoramic sunroof (£1,810). Or, indeed, a six-month luxury cruise for a medium-sized village.