Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class vs Audi RS Q8

What's the difference?

Let’s make one thing clear from the very beginning - this new Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Performance is technically superior to the model it replaces. Whether it’s actually better or not, is the real question at the heart of the matter.

Why? Because, like the C63 sedan stablemate, AMG has opted to replace the previous model’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. It was a move brought about in part because of increasingly stricter emissions standards in Europe, but also ties-in with the German firm’s success in modern Formula One racing.

While the new hybrid system offers more power, more torque and better fuel economy, as the lukewarm response to the C63 has demonstrated, the hard reality for AMG is that its buyers associate it with V8 and even V12 engines. That emotional pull is hard to replace with logic, even if the new model offers technical superiority.

But how does the new powertrain suit the GLC63 - is it just technically better or is it holistically improved?

Not to spoil the illusion, but at their core the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne all share the same base mechanical DNA. And yet despite their huge price tags and enviable reputation for performance, the fastest SUV isn’t one of them - it’s an Audi.

The new Audi RS Q8 Performance, to be precise, which has lapped the famous Nurburgring in Germany in record time, usurping the Cayenne Turbo GT in the process.

Boasting the most powerful internal combustion engine Audi has ever installed in a production car, ceramic brakes and a highly advanced suspension package, the RS Q8 Performance takes the German brand’s SUVs to a new level of, how do I put this… performance.

So it’s an appropriate name, but is it an appropriate car for Australian buyers looking for something fast, spacious and special? Read on to find out…