2020 Audi RS3 Reviews

Audi have launched the performance grade for the Q6 SUV line - the SQ6 e-tron. Is this the taste-test for what to expect from their high-performance RS that Audi has teased for the future? Only time will tell.

Audi is swimming against the electric car tide, launching its flagship RS Q8 Performance super SUV in Australia with the most powerful V8 the company has ever given birth to.The RS Q8 is the sportiest version of Audi's flagship five-seat Q8. The RS Q8 Performance has taken things further, with a twin-turbo V8 making more grunt than any other in the company’s history with an output of 471kW and 850Nm. That’s an increase of 30kW over the outgoing RS Q8.That’s enough oomph to hurl the 2.2-tonne SUV from 0-100km/h in a supercar-like 3.6 seconds. The RS Q8 has also set a lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife of 7:36.698. Pulling the RS Q8 up fast are huge 440mm ceramic front brakes in 23-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.   A freshly redesigned exterior with carbon-fibre grille frame, mirror caps, redesigned matrix LED headlights and new tail-lights make the RS Q8 look as mean as it is quick.Standard features inside include Nappa leather upholstery, RS sports front seats with heating and ventilation, four-zone climate control, brushed aluminium trim elements, a 17-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, a panoramic sunroof, power assisted doors, and a power tailgate.The price, however, is a little bit more expensive then the outgoing model with the RS Q8 Performance listing for $255,800 before on-road costs, an increase of $27,500.That's a little pricier than the 460kW BMW X6 M Competition ($250,900 before on-road costs), but less than the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S Coupe 4Matic+($275,300 BOC).

Why tough new emissions laws face a reckoning the world over.

In 2011 there was a seismic shift in the Australian car market - the Holden Commodore was dethroned as this country’s favourite car by the Mazda3.

Audi's refreshed range gets price-tags ahead of full details later this year.

The SQ6 tops out the Q6 e-tron range, offering both the most powerful drivetrain but also a significant lift in standard equipment which is otherwise optional on the rest of the range.

The debate around Australia's tough new emissions laws heats up, as manufacturers pick sides on the issue.

You may have thought the retirement of Audi’s R8 in late 2021 marked the end of the German brand’s latest supercar era. But if reports out of the UK overnight are accurate, the mid-engine machine is set to make a spectacular comeback, with a twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain replacing the previous version’s howling atmo V10.

Sitting in the middle of the Audi Q6 e-tron range is the Quattro.

The Audi Q6 e-tron Performance is the entry option to the mid-size electric SUV range.