Fans of the performance cars AND of the Audi brand always had ample choice when perusing the German automakers’ lineup, but in the coming months they will be spoiled for it. First there was the presentation of the RS6 Avant in the fall, and now the company has confirmed two more performance-focused models will be crossing the Atlantic to reach our market.
These would be the S versions of the Q7 and Q8 SUV models, and it won’t take long for them to appear either, as both will be debuting at dealerships here this coming spring. Hawkeyed observers may have noticed, in fact, that the two models have been present on Audi’s Canadian website since December 2019.
Under the hoods of the big beasts sits a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine with an output of 500 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque. Incredibly, that’s 92 hp and 22 lb-ft less than what you get from the 2020 RS Q8. Power is, of course, sent to all four wheels in conjunction with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
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0-100 km/h acceleration time is given as 4.3 seconds.
The powertrain features a sport differential which, in normal driving situations, sends 60% of torque to the rear. That can change so that up to 80% of power can be relayed there, and distribution can vary between left and right wheels as well depending on need.
Audi has installed a four-wheel steering system to give these elephants the nimble agility of ballerinas, or almost.
Esthetically, the Audi SQ7 and SQ8 get more-aggressive front fascias and ride on 20- or 21-inch wheels in the case of the former model, and 21- or 22-inch in the case of the latter. Pricing has not been announced, but keep in mind that the Q7 has a starting price just north of $71,000, while the bidding starts at $82,000 for the Q8.
