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Audi RS Q8 vs Mercedes-Benz A45

What's the difference?

VS
Audi RS Q8
Audi RS Q8

2021 price

Mercedes-Benz A45
Mercedes-Benz A45

$56,990 - $88,888

2020 price

Summary

2021 Audi RS Q8
2020 Mercedes-Benz A45
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Twin Turbo V8, 4.0L

Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded/Electric

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
12.1L/100km (combined)

8.9L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Can feel disconnected
  • Turbo lag not erased completely
  • Not entirely necessary

  • Rear head- and legroom limited
  • Looks a bit too low-key without the aero pack
  • Can be thirsty
2021 Audi RS Q8 Summary

Close your eyes for a moment and picture a mountain of pure performance - a towering, glimmering mound of unbridled grunt.

Okay, got it? Right, now open your eyes and look at the pictures of this all-new Audi RS Q8. There are some similarities there, right? 

Audi’s first performance SUV in the upper-large segment looks the business. It also looks, if you squint a bit, a little like the Lamborghini Urus with which it shares an engine and platform. 

But while the Lamborghini tips the pricing scales at a hefty $391,968, the Audi RS Q8 is a comparative bargain at just $208,500. 

So, can you consider it a cut-price Lambo? And is there go to match all that show? Let’s find out. 

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Interested in an Audi RS Q8?
2020 Mercedes-Benz A45 Summary

Driving the first-generation Mercedes-AMG A 45 in 2013 was an intense, noisy, brutal experience and I loved every bone-shaking, ear-bleeding moment of it.

But I’m older now, married and have children, and while this is also an intense, noisy, brutal experience I now prefer cars to be less like a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week continuous cage fight. So, I was surprised to find the new-generation A45 S has grown up a bit, too.

So, like me, is the new Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ not as quick as it used to be, and does it have a dad bod, now, too? Far from it. If anything, it’s matured into the serious weapon of a hot hatch it was always supposed to be.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Audi RS Q8 2020 Mercedes-Benz A45

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