Audi RS Q8 Drag Races R8 Supercar, Results Are Surprising

Up until the McLaren 12C came along, supercars were mainly an Italian thing. Ferrari had the perfectly balanced V8 track tools and Lamborghini delivered flamboyance. But the 12C and later the 650S were winning all the drag races with their turbo setups, and now people expect supercars to just be quick in a straight line.

Thus, the R8 feels like a relic from the past, and if it loses this drag race against an SUV, it would justify Audi's probable decision to end its life. But before we jump in, let's look at some specs.

The RS Q8 shares its V8 engine with several other SUVs, and at 592 horsepower, it sits right between the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the Lamborghini Urus. Its sleek exterior hides a hefty body, but the torque of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter should somewhat compensate for that.

Meanwhile, the R8 in this drag race is an older base model. But the 5.2-liter has been modified to produce the same 592 hp as the SUV. Obviously, with this being a naturally-aspirated, high-revving V10, torque is low. But at least it's lighter.

We honestly expected the SUV to win the first part of the drag race, and that's what happened the first time. However, once the R8 owner learns the ropes, kills the chubby SUV for a convincing win. But it doesn't end there.

The RS Q8 also gets decimated in the rolling race, the engine response just isn't there. Normally, we don't talk about the brake test because it's a bit boring. But it does look like the SUV somehow won that. So even though it looks like a tall, awkward kind of performance car, you really can say this RS 4x4 stops as well as a supercar.