The current most powerful Audi is the fully electric Audi E-Tron GT sedan, but Audi has made significant upgrades to its most powerful SUV: the gas-powered 2025 Audi RS Q8 and the new, even more powerful Audi RS Q8 Performance at the top of the lineup. Audi also set a new Nürburgring track lap record with the RS Q8 Performance, demonstrating its capabilities. What else can you expect from this updated luxury SUV?

Audi now names its highest-performance trims with the simple “Performance” label. We prefer to capitalize it, so it’s the Audi RS Q8 Performance. This top trim boasts 631 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbo V-8, the most powerful production combustion engine in Audi Sport GmbH’s history. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated (and likely conservative) 3.6 seconds. The Performance model includes the RS ceramic braking system as standard in a grey finish, with red and blue options. Externally, the Performance trim features unique matte gray mirrors, a front spoiler, and a rear diffuser, with upgrade options for matte carbon or high-gloss black treatments.

The Performance trim also offers exclusive forged 23-inch light-alloy wheels in metallic black, matte gray, or matte black, reducing unsprung weight by about 11 pounds per wheel.

Inside, it includes a unique blue interior treatment available only on this trim, a diagonal brushed black aluminum interior trim option, and a special shift light indicator in manual mode on the digital cockpit.

The new RS Q8 Performance set a production SUV lap record at the Nürburgring with a time of 7:36.698 minutes, the fastest lap by a production SUV on this legendary German track so far. Although other high-powered SUVs, such as the V-8 Aston Martin DBX 707 and the new all-electric Lotus Eletre, haven’t attempted a Nürburgring record yet, the record belongs to Audi for now.

Audi has not yet announced U.S. pricing for the 2025 RS Q8 and its Performance trim, but in Europe, the standard RS Q8 starts at over $151,000, and the Performance starts at over $166,000, not including additional fees and options.