Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
The rumor mill is alight with RS Q8 guesstimates, and according to Autocar.co.uk, the most potent member of the Q8 family and Audi lineup will get the 680-horsepower drivetrain from the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. The British motoring publication doesn’t base its claim on official information from the German automaker, and RS Q8 test mules don’t even have a charging port door.
Supposing Audi does transplant the Panamera’s drivetrain into the range-topping model, where does that leave the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus? In their most potent applications, the two luxury SUVs develop 608 and 650 horsepower. Wouldn’t be wrong for an Audi-badged SUV to trump both the Bentley and Lamborghini? It would, but still, the Volkswagen Group works in mysterious ways.
Ignore the fact the spied prototypes don’t feature a charging port and the fact that Audi won’t be allowed to step on the toes of Bentley and Lamborghini. Even if the RS Q8 receives the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain, the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese plans to one-up the segment with the Urus PHEV next year.
If Audi were to do it, the more reasonable approach would be to downtune the nitty-gritty to below 650 ponies. Even though we have our doubts about the plug-in hybrid part, it’s certain the RS Q8 will gain the twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 550 horsepower and 770 Nm (568 pound-feet) of torque in the Panamera Turbo S.
Last, but certainly not least, think about the direct competitors of the RS Q8 from rival brands. The next generations of the BMW X6 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe come to mind, both churning out at least 600 ponies of the metric variety. To this effect, it’s hard to imagine that Audi will overperform those two.
Before the RS Q8, the SQ8 will be revealed with heaven knows what sort of drivetrain. It’s safest to assume that Audi will borrow the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 diesel from the SQ7 TDI (435 horsepower), but on the other hand, don’t forget that the Q8 Sport Concept is equipped with a 470-horsepower hybridized V6. The Q8 Concept before it, meanwhile, combines the 3.0 TFSI with a plug-in hybrid system.
Ignore the fact the spied prototypes don’t feature a charging port and the fact that Audi won’t be allowed to step on the toes of Bentley and Lamborghini. Even if the RS Q8 receives the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain, the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese plans to one-up the segment with the Urus PHEV next year.
If Audi were to do it, the more reasonable approach would be to downtune the nitty-gritty to below 650 ponies. Even though we have our doubts about the plug-in hybrid part, it’s certain the RS Q8 will gain the twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 550 horsepower and 770 Nm (568 pound-feet) of torque in the Panamera Turbo S.
Last, but certainly not least, think about the direct competitors of the RS Q8 from rival brands. The next generations of the BMW X6 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe come to mind, both churning out at least 600 ponies of the metric variety. To this effect, it’s hard to imagine that Audi will overperform those two.
Before the RS Q8, the SQ8 will be revealed with heaven knows what sort of drivetrain. It’s safest to assume that Audi will borrow the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 diesel from the SQ7 TDI (435 horsepower), but on the other hand, don’t forget that the Q8 Sport Concept is equipped with a 470-horsepower hybridized V6. The Q8 Concept before it, meanwhile, combines the 3.0 TFSI with a plug-in hybrid system.
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