by At the end of last year, Audi presented two models at once, with a combined power reaching 1200 hp, while the company’s approach remained unchanged: in addition to horsepower, all-wheel drive and practicality of a 5-door body are offered…
Not so long ago, when talking about two cars with a total of over 1000 hp, we would mostly be talking about sports cars. But times are rapidly changing — and now such a herd under the hood can quite possibly be found in a wagon and a crossover. So, let’s get acquainted: the fourth generation of the Audi RS6 Avant and RS Q8, the most powerful among Audi crossovers. It’s about this technology that we decided to talk to Maxim Shkil, founder of Audi Center Odessa South. — Maxim Viktorovich, ending last year, Audi presented two 600-horsepower models from the RS line.
How would you characterize these two premieres?
— Starting the conversation about the RS6 Avant 2020 and RS Q8 2020, I would like to draw your attention to the following: with the debut of these cars, the company completed the formation of the new generation model range. Now there’s a clear division between S and RS models of the ‘sixth’ and ‘eighth’ family crossovers. Namely: “S” — which means, S6 and SQ8 — are not only fast but also have relatively moderate fuel consumption for their power thanks to turbo diesel engines (3-liter 349 hp and 4-liter 435 hp respectively). And with 5 victories in the world’s most prestigious endurance marathon “24 Hours of Le Mans” precisely on diesel prototypes, it would be strange if the company did not use the acquired experience. As for the fastest and most powerful RS modifications, which primarily speak to dynamics, engineers used a 600-horsepower 4-liter twin-turbo hybrid petrol engine built using the “mild hybrid” scheme.
— If I’m not mistaken, the previous RS6 had a 605-horsepower 4-liter twin-turbo V8. However, such a figure was only for the top version RS6 Performance, and the “regular” RS6 offered 560 hp…
— Exactly. However, the new RS6 has 600 hp from the get-go. Yes, the manufacturer-reported acceleration dynamics from a standstill improved by only 0.1 seconds — which is within the margin of error. But thanks to the powertrain, built on the “mild hybrid” scheme using cylinder deactivation systems, the new RS6 can save several liters of fuel at each refill, since you can save up to 0.8 liters per 100 km of everyday mileage.
— So, should buyers of the 600 hp model with a claimed acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and to 200 km/h in 12 seconds be attracted by better fuel consumption compared to its predecessor?
— In my opinion, simplifying the work done by engineers is not worth it. And, by the way, the designers as well. In a few years, we will be able to compare the sales figures of the previous 2013 model year generation and the new RS6 2020 model year — then it will become clear which of the cars turned out more attractive in the eyes of buyers. But I believe that the concept of “less rationality, more emotions,” which was embedded in the previous, “third” RS6, will also work now — moreover, given the appearance of the RS6 2020, it might even work better.
At least because it looks even more emotional. And speaking of emotions: allow me to remind you that the engine installed in the new RS6 allows you to obtain power significantly higher than 600 hp. So, it is quite possible that in a year or two we will see, so to speak, a new Audi RS6 Performance, which will offer even more power and dynamics improved by a tenth or two of a second. And returning to the present, I want to emphasize: Audi considers the new RS6 Avant so successful that for the first time in history, the management decided to supply this model to the US market. — In that case, can you elaborate: what exactly should attract attention to the RS6 2020?
— The appearance and 600-hp engine with improved fuel consumption were already mentioned above. In addition to this, I would note the ability to choose the type of chassis: the standard for the new RS6 is a suspension with 5-link designs at the front and rear and adaptive air elements, but the buyer has the opportunity to choose a suspension with conventional springs. At the same time, to improve handling, engineers implemented a fully steerable system: at low speeds, the rear wheels turn up to 5 degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels. This significantly improves maneuverability in the city and in slow turns — for example, thanks to this solution, the turning radius is reduced by a meter. And at high speeds, the rear wheels turn up to 2 degrees, improving the speed of steering reactions.
Of course, the proprietary quattro all-wheel-drive system will traditionally be a strong weapon, distributing the maximum 800 Nm of torque between the front and rear axles in normal conditions in a 40/60 proportion, and if necessary, can redistribute up to 70% of the thrust to the front wheels and 85% to the rear. Buyers should like the ability to adjust the loudness and timbre of the twin-turbo V8 “voice” at their discretion. And customers in Germany with its unlimited autobahns will be interested in the RS6 2020 equipped with optional Dynamic and Dynamic+ packages that allow reaching speeds of 280 and 305 km/h respectively (the standard for the car is a limit of the maximum speed at 250 km/h). Another option is carbon-ceramic brakes, which perform significantly better under high loads, and this system is 34 kilograms lighter compared to a regular one. And finally, the interior: it will definitely be appreciated on both sides of the Atlantic.
Personally, in my opinion, the new RS6 salon can in itself bring new customers to dealership points. 
— Yes, the changes in the interior are simply revolutionary. What do you consider the main feature of this interior?
— I think the ability to control car settings from the steering wheel will play an even more important role than the digital transformation of the interior. Let me remind you: the integrated Audi drive select system allows you to choose one of the modes — comfort, auto, dynamic, efficiency — according to which the engine, transmission, steering, suspension, quattro sport differential, and even the climate control will operate.
But the most interesting are the two modes, RS1 and RS2, which allow for individual tuning of the car’s systems. And for the first time, the RS6 will offer the driver the ability to select one of these modes without taking your hands off the steering wheel: there is an RS Mode button on the right spoke. Although, without a doubt, for someone, it will be more important that the fully digital instrument panel now can provide the driver with such information, for example, as the amount of power and torque used (in percentage), as well as time g-value of lateral load. Overall, if you previously had an RS6, the fully digital three-dimensional cockpit of the fourth generation is an entirely new level of interior impressions. 
— After presenting a 600-horsepower wagon, RS6, in three months, Audi showed a 600-horsepower crossover RS Q8.
Isn’t it a too tight schedule for the debut of 5-door cars with quite close positioning?
— In my opinion, the choice between a powerful wagon and an equally powerful crossover is something like choosing between living in a prestigious residential complex in the city center and owning a house outside the city: both options have their undeniable advantages and certain drawbacks. But both options definitely have a right to exist. — But why did Audi need a crossover with over 500 horsepower? The brand is a proponent of the all-wheel-drive philosophy in the premium sector, and it was Audi that made powerful wagons with all-four-wheel drive full-fledged players in the sports car class… So, Ingolstadt is quite capable of creating its own rules.
The 435-horsepower SQ8 is already introduced — so, was an even more powerful version of the Q8 really necessary?
— Firstly, the production of the RS Q8 completes the formation of the S/RS model line. Secondly, Audi had all the necessary developments to release such a model — so not doing so from an engineering standpoint would have been wasteful and a frank loss to direct competitors. Add to this a good demand for such cars — so, by refusing to create the RS Q8, the company would have simply lost a significant amount of money. Thus, we have two reasons, of which as a whole are sufficient for starting work on a new car. — In that case, what do you think of the result?
— As they say, the result is on the scoreboard: 600 horsepower under the hood, permanent quattro all-wheel drive, a claimed acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, the ability to get a fully steerable chassis, a new digital interior — and thus, five people can travel with a cargo volume of 605 liters, which will fit into the trunk.
At first glance, it’s very similar to the characteristics of the RS6, but when it comes to RS Q8, in terms of off-roadness, you have functionality just unattainable for a sports-wagon. And this is yet another victory for the company’s “power + practicality” philosophy. — If the cars have so much in common, what do you think — besides ground clearance and overall height — is the main difference of RS Q8 compared to the new RS6 2020?
— The answer to this question continues from what’s been mentioned above since it’s necessary to understand the very nature of the crossover’s properties. The engineers working on the RS Q8 were tasked with bringing the driving experience at the wheel of this cross-coupe as close as possible to those impressions that can be felt behind the wheel of a classic sports car.
This means that they had a significantly more challenging task due to physical factors: no matter what adaptive dampers or air elements you use in the suspension for better handling, no matter how powerful the engine can be equipped in a crossover, there will always be one condition that cannot be overcome — SUVs, in any case, are significantly higher than wagons, not to mention classic sports models. This is the main difference. Sit in our TT or R8, and then switch to the RS Q8 — the sensation is like entering a bus. This difference in sensation quite thoroughly conveys the essence of the entirely different tasks that engineers working on each of these types of cars must resolve: true coupes and crossovers. When comparing to the wagon, which is the RS6, everything, of course, is not as radically different as with the coupe — although, for instance, the standard new RS6 is 20 mm lower than the regular A6 Avant — but the question remains about the level of issues engineers face when developing a crossover: neither the height nor the weight of a 5-door body can be put anywhere.
And at the same time, the SUV provides advantages that will never be offered in a classic sports model — from the ability to go where you can’t even think of going in a sports car in winter, to the number of doors and the convenience of seating passengers and their cargo. Therefore, the popularity of crossovers among buyers is quite understandable to me — and I also well understand the engineers who are very interested in adding real drive to such cars’ properties. This is undoubtedly not the simplest of goals, but the efforts made are worth the result. — And the final question: how do you feel about the RS Q8’s record among crossovers at the Nürburgring, which was set at the beginning of last November?
— My attitude is very pragmatic. We understand that thanks to the modular production strategy, the same 4-liter engine that we see under the hood of the RS Q8 is also installed in the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus.
All of these models are made by brands that are part of the Volkswagen Group. At the same time, there exists a fairly tough competition among these producers — albeit not direct, as there is a clear internal subordination within the group, but at the level of engineers working on settings, a rivalry exists. Each team wants to prove that despite the extensive unification of nodes and units among the group’s models, their philosophy yields the best result, that they found hidden reserves of the shared MLB Evo platform. And as a result of this “internal” competition, it is the Audi RS Q8 that drives onto the Nürburgring track, not one of its platform and engine relatives, and it is the RS Q8 that sets the best time among crossovers in this class. This is the main thing for me.
What was happening in the depths of the Volkswagen Group — that’s their business. I care about the result. And it is this: 7 minutes 42.253 seconds. That is, the selection of tires, chassis settings, engine power, and the speed of the engine’s reactions allowed improving the previous result, established in November 2018 by the 510-horsepower Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC, by 7 seconds. And that’s quite an impressive advantage — for example, the previous Ring record holders had a difference of 2.3 seconds.
So, it is not surprising that the previous record lasted only a year. Generally, before that, the best result among cars of this class at the Nürburgring was set in October 2017 on the 510-horsepower Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV and also held for just one year, and before that, the bar was set at the end of 2014 — then, the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S 2015 model year with a 4.8-liter bi-turbo 570 hp V8 completed the Ring in 7 minutes 59.14 seconds. By the way, in the end, an interesting picture emerges: the Cayenne Turbo S was only 30 fewer hp weaker than our new record holder, while the Porsche record was beaten by a significantly weaker Alfa Romeo. Thus, it’s not about the trivial increase in power — this is exactly what I mentioned earlier: engineers are looking for hidden reserves in the modern car design. And they do find them: from the fall of 2014 to the fall of 2019, the fastest production crossovers have improved the best Nürburgring score by 17 seconds.
By sports standards, this is a chasm! Here are the highest values of progress, embodied in numbers. And of course, I am very pleased that Audi inscribed its name in the history of this progress — as well as the fact that the corporate strategy, which combines power, an all-wheel drive, and practicality of the 5-door body, continues to conquer the world. pre-publication preparation Yuri Bugayev
photo — Audi AG
