Abt RSQ8 Signature Edition: Ultimate Audi SUV?

Fast SUV? No, no, no, the 800-horsepower, twin-turbo Abt RSQ8 Signature Edition is an RUV. You know… RACING Utility Vehicle!

Generally speaking, if you were to label a road car as a “racing utility vehicle,” most people would assume that’s a bit of an oxymoron. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a plethora of performance SUVs and crossovers on the market. From the 2000s with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Dodge Ram SRT-10, to the modern Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk and Lamborghini Urus. Audi has their own entry to this niche but passionate market, of course: the RSQ8 TFSI Quattro. Which Audi equips with the 4.0L V8 twin-turbo punching out 590 horsepower capable of slinging the SUV to 60mph in 3.5 seconds (according to MotorTrend). Certainly no slouch. Or at least, that’s what normal people might say. But for legendary Audi and Volkswagen tuner Abt, stock is NEVER good enough.

Not satisfied with stock RSQ8 figures, Abt first unleashed the RSQ8-S, which ups power levels to 690 horsepower with 649 lb.-ft. of maximum torque. But when that wasn’t enough, the tuner went one step further into full insanity territory, the RSQ8 Signature Edition, a car they market as “Designed by racing drivers, made for the road.” Let’s check out this beast of a crossover and see how it measures up and surpasses just about everything else with a warranty sticker.

Abt RSQ8 Signature Edition Specs

So first and most impressively, the power figures. Abt lists on their website that they squeezed an eye-watering 800 horsepower and 1,000 nm torque (738 ft.-lbs) from the V8, launching the car to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, with is 0.6 seconds faster than the stock model. Now of course, it is still a crossover. But even with the aero limitations, Abt claims a blistering top speed of 315 km/h (197 miles per hour). In other words, this crossover moves. And bear in mind, this comes from the same 4-liter V8 permanent AWD powertrain as the standard model. Which goes to show just how utterly overengineered the Audi V8s are.

Perhaps less surprisingly, Abt equipped the Signature Edition with a whole host of premium interior creature comforts. Naturally, you’ll receive all the amenities you’ve come to expect of such a car, such as premium infotainment, audio, hand-stitched leather upholstery, and so on. Abt further refined the interior to their specifications, however, adding subtle motorsport-inspired touches wherever they could. The seats feature custom-embossed lettering. Same with the carpets and center console. The shifter wears naked carbon bearing the company logo. Even the start button features Abt’s motto for the vehicle. Put simply, Abt didn’t bother touching most of the luxury features, since it’s not like Audi skimped in the first place. Rather, they went crazy with the details, adding in personalizations and minor additions wherever they could. The end result being that the longer you look, the more impressive it becomes. It’s the type of creative obsession we’ve come to expect from Abt.

Continuing Tradition

Abt does one thing extremely well, and that is making luxury cars go faster without compromises. The Signature Edition remains an RSQ8 in terms of functionality and practicality. Abt simply refined the formula, perfecting it to their specifications. Something they have a habit of doing to Audis, as we’ve seen before. However, they’re not above building bespoke racers, either, like the XGT for example. As Audi pulls out of the combustion engine market, this sadly means the end of their venerable V8s. But companies like Abt remain at the forefront of further developing these outstanding engines. Making sure that they see their truest potential and continue captivating motoring enthusiasts well into the future. Because at the end of the day, what enthusiast doesn’t want more exciting, spirited vehicles like this on today’s roads?

However, that spirit came with a hefty price tag. In the Signature Edition’s case, the original 2022 listing stated €129,900, or about $141,000 USD. And that’s just the package, that’s not including the RSQ8. In total, you’ll easily be burning over $300,000 for the privilege of driving one of 96 examples built. Which is basically Urus money.

And that’s not even the end of the bad news. When Abt first announced this limited edition package, they sold out almost immediately. Though used examples of RSQ8s of all spec ranges do pop up on the used market here and there. So it’s not entirely out of reach, though they remain extremely scarce. Still, one thing’s for sure. In terms of the sheer potential of the RSQ8, not to mention midsize SUVs as a whole, Abt set a pretty tall bar to clear. A bar that’s still not been surpassed to this day. So if you have a few hundred thousand to drop and you want the undisputed champion of V8 luxury crossovers, the Signature Edition’s got you covered.

Images: Abt

M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.

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