Audi RS Q8 a red hot scorcher

It does not put on an audible show like the Cayenne GTS, but has enough growl.

- Jaco van der Merwe

week ago, we were raving about the loud and proud Porsche Cayenne GTS coupe livin' la vida loca. Now it's the complete opposite in the case of the unassuming Audi RS Q8 Performance, which is quite ironically a faster car.

To the untrained eye, the flagship product from Ingolstadt's exterior styling is, unlike that of the Cayenne GTS, rather subdued. While the RS Q8's optional milled Y-spoke 23-inch alloy wheels and red callipers along with blacked-out grille looks stunning, it is still just cosmetics.

Besides the somewhat humble RS Q8 badge on the tailgate, there is nothing shouting about the car's mechanical prowess.

But anyone who dares underestimates this curved coupe-styled SUV when the lights turn green, will soon find out the pretty face is very brawny underneath the bonnet. In fact, so brawny that it is the second fastest SUV on The Citizen Motoring's time sheets.

A 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 3.71 seconds puts it second behind the 3.29 seconds clocked by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.

In other words, the Audi RS Q8's sprint time is faster than any production SUV BMW and Mercedes-Benz have built. The two like-for-like German premium carmakers Ingolstadt often finds itself ranked behind.