Audi RS Q8 vs Lexus LM 500H

What's the difference?

The Audi RS Q8 is every bit as competent as it is striking to look at - and it’s plenty striking to look at. It surely won’t appeal to everyone, but if you’re in the market for a big, boisterous SUV, the Audi ticks plenty of boxes. 

And if you happen to be in the market for a Lamborghini Urus, be sure to drive this before signing on the dotted line...

The Lexus LM 500h is luxurious, comfortable, practical, easy to drive and expensive. While it may appear to be the ultimate family car, with only four seats it's limited in terms of how many kids and their friends you can carry. On top of that, the privacy screen introduces accessibility issues to the kids you wouldn't encounter on other vehicles. If you are thinking of a Lexus people mover as your next family car I'd suggest looking at the LM 350h which has seven seats and no privacy screen. If you’re looking at a business class executive van the LM 500h would be perfect. 

It looks plenty striking, the RS Q8, especially dressed in the bright green paint work of that harks to its Lamborghini sibling.

There are the massive black-on silver alloys, the bright red brake calipers the size of dinner plates, and the body creases that bulge out over the rear arches like a 1950s’ pin-up model. All of which looks great.

Step around to the rear of the vehicle and you’re greeted with twin exhaust exits bookending a massive textured diffuser, a single light LED that splits the multi-globe LEDS, and the slick roof spoiler.

It’s the front-on view, though, that’s the most imposing, with a black meshed grille that looks as big as a hatchback, two LED-filled slimline headlights and massive side venting.

Climb into the cabin and you’re met by a wall of leather and technology, not to mention a sense of immense space.

Everything is digital and touch activated, of course, and yet it doesn’t feel garish and overdone.

The LM 500h doesn't look real. More like a concept vehicle with its vertical face wearing that enormous grille. Feels like if you watched it for long enough you’d catch it transforming into some kind of robot. Yet, at the same time its styling is elegant and prestigious.

I have a confession to make. I used this Lexus as my office. Its interior is that comfortable and spacious. I'm also a parent and there were times where it was the quietest place to get some work done.

It also let me observe people's reactions as they walked past with their dogs not knowing what was going on inside behind those tinted windows. The people that noticed were clearly car enthusiasts as they knew what they were looking at and couldn't pass without gaping it awe.

The LM 500h’s interior is superbly plush with thick carpets, beautiful copper metallic trim and nappa leather seats.

As I’ve said, the cockpit up front is less luxurious than the extravagant first class section in the back behind that dividing wall.

And yes, I’ve seen large screens before but nothing that stretches the width of the vehicle.

Very damn practical, actually. Which is no great surprise, given the size of the thing, but still impressive when you consider the performance it can conjure. 

It stretches more than 5.0m in length, and those dimensions translate to an absolutely massive cabin, which is actually most noticeable in the backseat, which is gigantic. You can essentially park an Audi A1 back there, such is the space on offer, but you’ll also find two USB ports, a 12-volt power outlet, digital air-con controls and leather as far as the eye can see.

There are two cupholders up front, another two in the pull down divider in the rear, and bottle holders in all doors, as well as ISOFIX attachment points for child seats. 

Storage? Well, there’s lots… The backseat slides forwards or backwards to prioritise space for either passengers or cargo, unlocking 605 litres of luggage room, but with them folded flat, the RS Q8 will deliver 1755L of space. Which is a lot.

You might be able to take Lexus out of Toyota but it's very hard to take Toyota out of Lexus and this particularly applies to the practicality of the LM 500h.

Every day I discovered new compartments, tray tables and storage areas. There are so many cabinets, lockers and hidey holes that we almost left my belongings (an entire family of plushie toy capybaras) behind because there are so many places to check.

Of course, I'm talking about the rear compartment here because up front there's not much storage. In fact, it proved to be quite a problem in that I had nowhere to put my bag with somebody sitting next to me and no area behind the front seats to stow it, either.

Talking of seats, the LM 500h only has four of them, with two up front and two in the rear. Up front, the seats are supportive and large, but the rear seats - those are, well... have a look at the images.

We’re talking two large captain's chairs that look as though they’ve been removed from the first class section of a plane.

And while this might be suitable for businesses shuttling a couple of executives to and from meetings, for a family, even with two children, the extra couple of seats a third row offers would come in handy.

The LM 350h has seven seats over three rows and no privacy screen. A far better choice for families.

For device charging there are USB ports up front and in the rear. There are wireless phone chargers for those in the back seats but not up front.

The LM 500h has a cargo capacity of 752 litres with all seats in place.

The Lexus LM 500h sits at the top of its range and is without a doubt one of the most expensive people movers on Earth with its list price of $220,888.

As you would imagine the standard features list is as extensive as it is extravagant.

For starters, while the regular LM 350h has two rows of seating in the rear (seven seats all up, including the front two), the 500h has the third row removed and just two super luxurious and enormous fully reclining seats fill the entire space. It’s like a theatre back there.

That theatre theme keeps going with a media screen in the back so large it stretches the width of the vehicle. Seriously, it's a 48-inch screen to watch movies or connect to your device.

The sound system is probably the best I’ve experienced - a spine tinglingly incredible 23-speaker Mark Levinson set-up.

What else can I tell you? Those rear seats are upholstered in beautifully soft semi-aniline leather. They’re heated and ventilated with a massaging function and... ridiculously comfortable.

There’s four-zone climate control, windows which have an electronic shade that turns the glass opaque, there are wireless phone chargers in the doors and carpet throughout so thick you sink down into it as you step inside.

Our LM 500h was upholstered in the 'Solis White' leather which also brings contrasting and mesmerising copper metallic trim.

Oh, and there’s a wall with an electric glass screen that can be raised or lowered to separate the rear passengers from the driver.

I should have mentioned this earlier. The kids loved it, but these parents spent a lot of time telling the 10- and three-year old not to put the screen up again.

The rear occupants, aka the kids, can also lock the screen in place. Which they did, and so sound proof is the dividing wall that we can only just hear their uproarious laughter.

Up front, the cockpit is comfortable but it’s clear all the space and luxury is for those being driven around.

Still, the front seats are leather with heating and ventilation, there’s a 14-inch media screen and 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a head-up display. Sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard.

The Audi RS Q8’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 produces a monstrous 441kW and 800Nm, sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed triptronic automatic.

At more than two tonnes, it’s a lot of car, but that’s also a lot of power, and so the go-fast SUV can produce a cracking sprint to 100km/h of just 3.8 seconds. 

The RS Q8 is also equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that is ostensibly designed to lower fuel use, but is actually more useful at plugging any turbo holes when you really plant your foot.

The LM 500h is a petrol-electric hybrid with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which makes 202kW/460Nm and works in concert with two electric motors.

The front motor makes 64kW/292Nm and the rear makes 76kW/169Nm. The combined maximum power output of the two motors and the petrol engine is 273kW.

The LM 500h is all wheel-drive and has a six-speed automatic transmission.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, right? Well the reaction to all that power is a whole lot of fuel use. 

Audi reckons the RS Q8 will sip 12.1L per 100km on the combined cycle, but we suspect that’s wishful thinking. It will also reportedly emit between around 276g/km of C02.

The big SUV is fitted with a huge 85-litre tank.

Lexus says after a combination of urban and open roads the LM 500h should use 6.6L/100km. In our own testing we found consumption was higher at 9.4L/100km.

Worth noting my driving environment was mainly a hilly suburban one filled with school drop offs. Achieved some personal bests this week, with one long run to Sydney’s outskirts, only to return in nightmarish peak hour traffic.

Premium (95 RON) fuel is required and the tank size is 60 litres. In theory the driving range is a smidge more than 900km, which drops to around 640km using our real-world average.

How do you describe the drive experience of the RS Q8? Utterly, utterly surprising.

I’ll give you an example. You approach the hulking SUV, check out its massive alloys wrapped in performance rubber, and you know - just know - that it will ride like a broken billycart on anything but the most silky smooth of road surfaces. 

And yet, it doesn’t. Aided by its clever air suspension (which drops the ride height by 90mm when switching between Off-Road and Dynamic modes), the RS Q8 positively glides ever dodgy road surfaces, stifling lumps and bumps with surprising aplomb. 

So then you think, ok, we’re set up for compliance, so this big behemoth will go around corners with all the dynamism of a spilled bowl of cereal. 

But again, it doesn’t. In fact, the Audi RS Q8 attacks corners with incredible stiffness, the active anti-roll systems weaving their dark magic to keep the towering SUV straight and true, and with barely a hint of body roll.

The grip is ferocious (we’re yet to find its outer limits) and even the steering feels more direct and communicative than in other smaller, ostensibly sportier Audis. 

The result is a tech-heavy spaceship that’s surprisingly easy at slow speeds, and quiet too, even over rough roads. But one that can also activate warp speed at will, leaving smaller cars in its considerable wake on the right stretch of road. 

Downsides? It’s not quite willing to pounce off the line. Sure, it makes up for it in the long haul, but there is a noticeable moment of hesitation, almost as though it’s contemplating its considerably weight, before it finally lunges forward. 

It’s also so competent, so efficient, that it can leave you feeling a little detached from behind the wheel, or like the Audi is doing the heavy lifting for you. 

Quite simply, driving the LM 500h is like piloting a limousine on stilts. Superbly comfortable, but with an elevated driving position that offers outstanding forward and side visibility, the LM 500h is an easy vehicle to drive for long periods of time.

A digital rear vision mirror means visibility behind is good and unobstructed by the privacy screen or the seats.

The drawbacks are down to the lack of space up front, with the driver’s chair limited in its ability to recline or slide back due to the bulkhead behind it.

And that's compounded by the lack of cabin storage for bags if the front passenger seat is taken.

As for the rear passengers there aren't many people movers offering this level of comfort, except perhaps the Zeekr 009.

Variable suspension that adjusts continuously keeps the vehicle composed and provides a high level of comfort for those in the rear. At the same time, the LM stays nice and flat through roundabouts while remaining civilised over speed bumps.

And then there's the acceleration, which, while not supercar-like is incredibly brisk for a van. The all-wheel drive system provides outstanding traction in wet and slippery conditions, too. 

Our family used the LM daily for everything from school runs to shopping trips and weekends away and not only was it fun to drive, our lucky rear passengers enjoyed sitting high and being able to see clearly out their windows along with the luxury of a giant movie screen.

The Lexus  LM 500h is yet to be tested by ANCAP so it doesn't have a safety assessment score. There is, however, a high level of safety tech onboard including AEB which can detect pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other vehicles, emergency steering assist, lane keeping assistance, road sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors as well as six airbags.

For child seats there are ISOFIX points and top tether anchor mounts on the two rear seats. We have a forward facing child seat and found it easy to install.

A space-saver spare wheel is located under the boot floor.

All Audi’s are covered by a three year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and require annual servicing. Audi will allow you to prepay the first five years of service costs for $4060.

Lexus covers the LM 500h with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. 

The Lexus Encore Platinum program is complimentary for LM owners for three years, providing 24-hour roadside assist, a loan vehicle or pick-up/return service at service time, 'On Demand' vehicle evaluation options, valet and airport parking benefits as well as exclusive offers and event opportunities.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 15,000 kilometres, and impressively, pricing is capped at $695 per service over five years.