The treacherous curves, changeable weather, huge drops and narrow buffer zones have given the Nürburgring Nordsleigh the title of "Green Hell", which is not only a paradise for many fans, but also the "ultimate testing ground" used by the world's top car manufacturers to test vehicle performance.
When some people can't accept the combination of SUVs and high performance, Audi has already carried its flagship performance SUV Audi RS Q8 in New North, and in 2019, it won the title of the fastest mass production SUV in New North. This record was not broken until two years later by Porsche's performance beast Cayenne Turbo GT.
With Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne born on the same platform it comes with a star aura, perhaps it also has a bit of Audi Q8 visual sense, but the arrogant gilded orange color scheme is the best portrayal of "live people do not approach", just standing in the parking lot, RS Q8 can easily become the focus of the whole field.
The wide, sunken octagonal honeycomb grille is painted in all black, and the radar and camera are cleverly hidden in it. The lamp group configuration can still carry the name of the "lamp factory", the matrix LED can automatically light up the corresponding light source unit according to the road conditions, and when it is automatically switched to the high beam lamp, the illumination area will also be spread out like a curtain, which is very ritualistic.
Frameless doors are loved by performance cars, it is like a gentleman exposing the jewel cufflinks on his suit, it is definitely an important means of handsomeness, the addition of electric suction doors can make the door appear elegant when closing, and the moment of fit is exchanged for an excellent sense of tranquility. The 23-inch giant two-tone wheels are extremely lethal, and hidden in it is the powerful first 10-piston carbon ceramic brake system, and the German-made logo is to show the "hard power" of RS.
The pursuit of extreme performance does not mean sacrificing comfort. The Audi RS Q8 series is equipped with air suspension, and even if the flat ratio of the tires is reduced to 35, the excellent vibration filtration of the suspension can also keep the passengers in the car calm. On the other hand, the RS Q8 also has hard power in terms of passability, and the approach angle and departure angle in the off-road mode reach 25° and 29° respectively, and the 36° slope and cross axis are not a problem.
The family-style interior atmosphere of the car can no longer be familiar, the large area of black paint and the through-style air outlet make the sense of elegance jump out, the MMI and the multimedia interaction system with touch screen feedback function make the touch more playful, and the 30-color ambience light in the vague one presents you with a feast of light and shadow. The RS's performance logo is evident in the details, as are the red stitching under the steering wheel and at the centre armrest, as well as the carbon fibre trim.
The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel fits snugly into the palm of your hand, the 12.3-inch LCD gauge is still very combative, the power/torque rail displayed in real time on the right works better with the HUD, and the 16-unit B&O sound allows you to temporarily forget the roar of the V8 engine, thanks to the vehicle's excellent NVH performance.
The front seats are wrapped in leather, with heating and ventilation, and all support power seat memory, if you want to experience seat massage, you must also choose 6600 yuan.
The test drive model is equipped with a 4.0T twin-turbo V8 engine, the maximum power is 600 horsepower, the maximum torque is directly pointed at 800 Nm, under the blessing of full-time four-wheel drive, this medium and large SUV with a length of more than 5 meters can break through the hundred in only 3.8 seconds (the home measured 3.66 seconds).
When driving every day, I prefer the comfort mode of this car. Although the adjustment of the accelerator pedal is heavy, the release of power is very gentle, even if it is a slight temptation of the second half of the pedal, it will not be exchanged for the expected sharp acceleration; the 8-speed manual transmission brings a perfect smooth performance, even if it is carefully felt when lifting and downshifting, it is not easy to perceive, and the excellent transmission tacit understanding makes this RS Q8 almost the same as the Q8 in comfort mode. Excellent NVH performance insulates the V8 from urban noise, but the B&O sound in the car immerses you.
In dynamic mode and RS mode, the power of RS Q8 can be fully released. The output performance of the V8 engine will follow the rhythm of the accelerator pedal, and a slight change in the amplitude of the toes is almost the key to determining whether to speed or not. Of course, leaving aside the low-torque performance (it is really outstanding), the strong power reserve is still fierce until the mid-high-speed cruise stage of more than 100km/h, directly step on the accelerator pedal to Kick Down, the nearly 600 horsepower charge will directly make the front of the car rise instantly, the strong feeling of pushing back will still push you into the seat, the bottomless power is accompanied by a sonorous and powerful gear change rhythm, you will definitely be surprised that this RS Q8 can be so grumpy.
Manual paddle experience is even better! When driving in the closed section, if the speed is used to the red line area of 7000rpm, the second gear can break the hundred, the third gear can reach a speed of nearly 150km/h, the LCD instrument in RS mode and the HUD will be through the yellow, green and red light flashing for gear change prompts, and the visual impact will be very strong. When the oil is collected under the current gear, the echo of the exhaust is pleasant, and the upshift at the limit speed can also bring a strong sense of shift impact.
The steering feel is still a familiar feeling of the RS family, the preservation of the road sense is also excellent, the load and working state of the front wheels can be clearly transmitted to the steering wheel, and the driving will be very flexible; the addition of the 48V electric anti-roll bar effectively controls the body roll, but the brakes and the longitudinal pitch at the start are still obvious. When cornering, the limit of the RS Q8 will be higher than imagined, and the blessing of the four-wheel drive system will further increase the control fault tolerance rate, and many times it can even be quickly thrown into the corner. In addition, the performance of the ten-piston carbon-ceramic brakes is very good, the braking force intervention is smooth and fast, the performance of the hard braking is beyond expectations, and it also gives the driver more confidence to find a later braking point.
It's an RS model, but it's also practical in terms of fuel saving. With the blessing of 48V light mixing technology, the RS Q8 can achieve engine shutdown and taxiing in the speed range of 55-160km/h, while the V8 engine also has a closed cylinder function, which can close four cylinders at low load and directly enter the four-cylinder mode. Still, the RS Q8, which can only accept No. 98 gasoline, is indeed an "oil tiger", and you still have to bear a lot of fueling costs.
epilogue
In terms of absolute power, the RS Q8 can crush almost 95% of the city's models. As a huge SUV, it is violent enough, the 4.0T twin-turbo engine released by the flood force is enough to catch people off guard, and then there is unlimited joy; on the other hand, as an SUV model, the RS Q8 can also afford the necessary space attributes and comfort of a five-seat SUV, not to mention that in off-road mode, it can also take you over the mountains together, if it is not slightly inferior to RS 6 in acceleration performance, I prefer to call the RS Q8 "the strongest grocery cart on the surface".