Features / 8 April 2021 / Albert du Toit

Audi RS Q8 vs Lamborghini Urus – The difference R1.6 million makes

Audi has made the flagship RS Q8 super SUV available in South Africa, asking R2.3 million per unit.

This is a significant amount of money, but it is barely comparable against the R4 million that Lamborghini charges for their Urus.

The price difference is staggering considering that the RS Q8 and Urus are nearly the exact same car if you take off their outer shells.

In fact, one can argue that the RS Q8 is a better vehicle as it gets a more sophisticated powertrain and a few extra features that the three-year-older Urus does not.

So why does it cost R1,640,500 more to own a Urus? We find out below.

Proper power

The main selling point for these super SUVs is their power.

Both get a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine with huge outputs.

The Urus, however, produces more power and torque than the RS Q8 – coming in at 478kW and 850Nm.

The Audi gets a mild-hybrid system and cylinder-on-demand technology that saves power and improves efficiency, and this set-up produces 441kW of power and 800Nm of torque.

Due to the increased power, the Lamborghini does accelerate from 0-100km/h 0.2 seconds faster than the Audi – at 3.6 seconds – but this discrepancy is not going to bother many people.

The Lamborghini also gets an unlimited top speed of 305km/h, whereas the Audi has to make do with an electronically-limited 250km/h.

Both sport an 8-speed automatic transmission, and are driven through all four wheels.

Air suspension is also present no matter which one you get, and this will let you adjust ride height by up to 90mm.

All the features

You would need to be trained in automotive engineering to spot a flaw inside the cabins of either of these SUVs.

There is carbon fibre, leather, metal, and glass in these spaces – and plastic is nearly nowhere to be found.

The leather seats can be adjusted by the push of a button, and the leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheels sit in front of huge digital instrument clusters.

The Urus is fitted with the newest Lamborghini Infotainment System III, while the Audi gets the equivalent MMI navigation plus system.

These systems support all the newest features such as smartphone mirroring, but also have some exclusive sections that are not mimicked by other models.

These sections provide the driver with performance figures such as lap times, g-forces, and vehicle angles.

The audio is experience is then provided by a 23-speaker Harman/Kardon system in the Audi, with the Lamborghini having an optional 21-speaker layout from the same brand.

Heating and ventilated seat settings can be accessed from one of the several displays in either, but the RS Q8 pulls ahead here as it gets these features as standard – whereas the Urus only gets heated functionalities.

The RS Q8 takes it a step further, and also gets a standard heads-up-display: a feature that is an option on the Urus.

Audi connect services is the next feature that the Lamborghini can’t compete against.

It provides you with online traffic information, point of interest search, sat nav, live weather updates, and Car2X services.

Car2X services provide safety and service features in the event of an emergency, and will allow an emergency safety or service call to an Audi call centre.

Both, however, provide the occupants with a moving Wi-Fi hotspot thanks to an integrated SIM in the dashboard.

There are more shared abilities between the two, namely a 360-degree camera, park distance control sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

The Audi receives efficiency assist, intersection assist, lane change warning, exit warning, and rear-cross traffic alert on top of this – while the latest Urus has high beam assistance, automatic emergency braking, a trailer backup mode, and a PreCognition system that aims to prevent collisions.