Is this Audi RS Q8 better than a Lamborghini Urus?

Audi’s impressive RS Q8 is one of our favourite high-performance SUVs, and it’s one of the best you can buy. Is it better than its uber-expensive Lamborghini cousin though?

You might think that with an £80,000 price difference there’s no comparison between the Lamborghini Urus and the Audi RS Q8 Performance. That’s until you remember that the flashy Italian super-SUV is directly related to the (slightly) less in-your-face Audi.

When it comes to performance at least, there’s very little in it. The Urus produces 666hp and 850Nm of torque – a fraction more power than the RS Q8’s 640hp. Seeing as both cars come equipped with different tyres the real world performance difference between the two is negligible, though the RS Q8 is a fraction quicker from 0-60mph and the Urus stopped a smidge faster from 60-0mph.

The reason why the cars perform so similarly becomes abundantly clear when you take a look underneath them. Volkswagen owns both brands, and as much as their prices say otherwise, there’s a shockingly large amount of Volkswagen Touareg under the skin of both posh SUVs. You’ll struggle to find a Lamborghini badge among the sea of Volkswagen and Audi branded parts beneath the Urus’s striking exterior.

Even the engine covers can be swapped around and popped straight onto one another’s engine – as the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the RSQ8 and Urus are in essence identical.

Both fast SUVs are about the same size but that’s where the visual similarities end. The Audi RS Q8 is aggressive in a sleek, stylish, classically German way with clean lines and some bold features. The Urus looks like a fighter jet for the family. It’s absolutely covered in sharp angles and creases, so much so that it looks like you could almost cut yourself on it if you’re not careful.

The interior of the Lamborghini is full of striking details and bright materials compared to the Audi, with contrasting stitching and Alcantara accents all over the place. The RS Q8 interior is much better in terms of layout and usability, the Urus is a tad confusing, but there’s more sense of occasion in the Lamborghini.

In fact, that’s where the biggest difference between the cars comes in: theatrics. The exhaust note is more exciting and the Urus feels faster on the road, even if it isn’t. It just feels a bit more special, where the RS Q8 can feel like any other model in the Audi range if you’re just pottering about in it.

Objectively, for an extra hundred thousand pounds the Urus simply isn’t a better car than the RS Q8. The RS Q8 is such a competent all rounder that it makes a fantastic buy for a rapid family bus. The Urus is more exciting though, so while it may not be a better car to own, it’ll put a bigger smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel.

Starting at almost £140,000, the RS Q8’s price is a totally different ball park to the Urus’s starting price of £220,000. Yet when the time comes to resell, the Urus holds its value much better than the Audi, so strangely enough it might be the more sensible purchase.

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