Yahoo Autos Audi RS Q8 Packs a 591-HP Wallop of V-8 Power
The Audi RS Q8 is the new high-performance version of Audi's mid-size Q8 SUV.
It has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine with 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.
Sales will start in Europe first in spring 2020, with more U.S. information set to come later on next year.
Capping off Audi Sport's 25th anniversary year is a completely new RS model that isn't exactly the German automaker's best-kept secret. Camouflaged versions of the new RS Q8 were spotted on the Nürburgring ages ago—and even set a new SUV record there recently—but now Audi has finally revealed most of the details about its performance-minded mid-size SUV "coupe."
The real story here is the powertrain, which combines a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with an eight-speed automatic transmission and a Quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system. This engine, an huge upgrade from the V-6 cylinder in the standard Q8, is also used in the Audi RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback. In the Europe-spec RS Q8 (Audi has not yet provided full details for the U.S.-spec model) it will produce 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque and offer a claimed zero-to-62 miles per hour blast in just 3.8 seconds. The RS Q8 has an electronically governed top speed of 155 mph, unless you get the optional dynamic package, which pushes that to nearly 190 mph.
A 48-volt hybrid system uses a lithium-ion battery to boost efficiency when decelerating and when full power isn't required. Start-stop operation is also possible at speeds under 14 mph, and the front-facing camera tells the system that the car in front of you has started moving again, triggering the engine to start up again. Moving your foot to the accelerator has the same effect. Audi's cylinder on demand system further improves fuel economy by shutting down half of the cylinders at what Audi calls "low to intermediate load." Like in the RS6 and RS7, a "coasting" feature that can shut off the engine between speeds of 34 and 99 mph won't be enabled in the U.S.
