Somewhere between my second and third lap around the Parcmotor Castellolí circuit near Barcelona, I seem to have forgotten that the car I’m piloting is in fact a 2.35 tonne behemoth of an SUV. Kerb weight on cars is only a performance hindering factor if it can be felt, and the Audi RSQ8 Performance appears to have jettisoned much of its poundage back at the pit lane.

What is supposed to be a sunny track day on the periphery of Barcelona, has suddenly turned into a rain-soaked affair with the sort of torrential downpour generally reserved for the tropics. It doesn’t bode well if you’ve got 640 hp at your disposal. But Audi’s proprietary Quattro AWD is a steady ally in the battle against aquaplaning and within moments, the RSQ8 is darting towards the first corner like a javelin. In “RS” mode, with the drive mode set to “Dynamic” it’s more rear-biased, so, right on cue, the tail snaps out but is instantly brought back in line by a myriad of electronic stewards. Even half a decade ago, this sort of effortless performance from a large SUV, would have inspired incredulity. This is how bonafide supercars perform and that’s exactly what the RSQ8 Performance is.

Mind you, this is the facelifted version of the RSQ8 so visually and mechanically, it’s largely the same, tyre-shredding Urus-on-a-budget that we all know. In fact, thanks to significant visual changes at the front and rear, it is now significantly better looking than the Urus. There’s a new carbon fiber front bumper lip, along with larger, square-shaped air intakes, massive 23-inch alloys allowing for greater airflow, reworked LED headlamps that form all manner of signature patterns. But most importantly, it’s lighter thanks to reduced insulation both up-front and at the back. This has lent the RSQ8 an air of authenticity that modern supercars simply don’t have the nerve for. Reduced insulation means that the sound emanating from that RS Sport exhaust system reaches your ears without any artificial enhancement. It’s raw and primordial in a manner that makes this a statistical rarity. It also makes it quick. So quick in fact, that in “Performance” guise, the RSQ8 holds the title of the fastest ICE SUV around the Nurburgring. Not the fastest Audi SUV, but the fastest SUV. Period. A good six seconds faster than the pre-facelift RSQ8, which is an eternity in the world of motorsports. But it’s not the sheer pace that astounds. It’s the way it handles. With all-wheel steering and active roll stabilization, the RSQ8 Performance wafts over the layers of water on the circuit, with 850 Nm of torque allowing for clean, speedy exits, even in third or fourth gear. The steering even offers more feedback than ever, so Audi has clearly worked out the kinks. I could very well be driving the RS6 estate, that’s how curtailed the body-roll is. Even on Spanish b-roads, the RS Q8 feels as maneuverable as a hot hatch, thanks to all-wheel steering. Thanks to that massive 4.0-litre V8, it still sounds like a bonafide supercar.

But the RSQ8 is simply one aspect of the RS Performance spectrum. Arguably the most visceral, profligate and enticing aspect since it steers far more sharpy into corners, being more rear-biased. The party piece, for me however, is an altogether different beast. The RS3 is now heading to India for the first time, marking a new entry-point into the coveted RS brat pack and it is absolutely bonkers. Featuring a 2.5-litre, in-line five turbocharged petrol, it packs in a very different flavour compared to the RSQ8. Unlike the muscle-bound V8, this is smooth, rorty and lithe. A dab of the throttle fires up your dopamine receptors and you feel far more connected to a machine like this than the blisteringly quick torpedo that is the RSQ8 Performance. If the RSQ8 offers speed you can barely comprehend, the RS3 is the antidote : it delivers speed and performance that your synapses can calibrate.

And it’s a looker too. In a bright shade of “Kyalami green”, it’s a jumpsuit-clad, sneaker wearing daily driver with an affinity for weapons-grade amphetamines. It’s got plenty of visual drama, other than the usual wide track, flared-wheel arches that most hot hatches have. Both the hatch and the “Limousine” version pack a massive rear diffuser and big RS exhaust cans. If that isn’t enough, the signature pattern on the LED lights spell the word “R S 3” and then proceed to flash a chequered flag in 8-bit as you approach the car. Excellent if you want a car with a sense of occasion. This is a car you want to live with and live in. Once again, Audi has tackled the understeer bugbear right away with torque vectoring allowing for variable torque distribution between the rear wheels. As a result, it remains planted while allowing you to have fun on the track, get the tail out and make it steer much more sharply. The five-pot motor sounds fantastic, lending the RS3 much more character than its four-pot powered rival hot hatches. They’ve even added a special “RS Torque Rear Mode” which is short for drift mode, sending you sliding right into motoring Valhalla with a simple flick of the steering, and dab of throttle.

There’s also the interior, which, unlike the facelifted RSQ8 looks and feels dramatically different from current-gen Audis available in India. Save for the new red upholstery on the RSQ8 seats, the interior is still a more conservative affair. Not so, with the RS3. There are two bright red buttons under the two horizontal spokes on the flat-bottomed steering wheel that allow you to easily switch modes. There are proper alcantara-bathed bucket seats along with a dash that features a haptic, single-screen setup, a 12.3-inch digital cockpit and surprise surprise, actual physical buttons. This is a far more purposeful interior, unburdened by the needs of coddled SUV owners and their sybaritic non-negotiables.

Both the RSQ8 and the RS3 are very adept at long-distance driving. In “Comfort” mode, both cars’ ride quality becomes supple, although you’d best do a bit of poking around in “Individual” settings to get the best out of these machines. The comfort levels are to be expected from a top-of-the-line super-SUV, but most hot hatches, especially the sub-400 bhp pocket rockets tend to want to over deliver on the performance front, and in their zeal to be true blue sports cars, are almost always unbearably stiff (I’m looking at you A45 AMG and Mini Cooper JCW). Not the RS3, it’s got an incredibly customisable ride experience which can truly change character based on the setting you find yourself in. The damping on this thing is a work of art. Mind you, for those averse to dropping near Rs 1 crore for a hot hatch, the RS3 is also available as a sharp-edged sedan - a wide-body, hunkered down super A3.

Audi India is firing on all cylinders bringing-in the best and fastest vehicles from their stables to India, on war footing. From the born-electric Q6 e-Tron to the RS3, it’s a fairly wide band of luxury and performance that’s going to steadily pour-in. For diehard petrolheads, the impending arrival of both the boisterous RSQ8 and the playful RS3 should be a cause for celebration because even in the march towards electrification, Audi isn’t leaving petrolheads in the lurch. The two cars occupy the very opposite ends of the performance spectrum but they share one common aspect, both the frenzied, bombastic RSQ8 and the RS3 are friendly, approachable, with a complex variety of settings that allow them to be calibrated to your own driving requirements. Both are excellent, perfectly comfortable grand touring machines and when it comes to city-driving, practical to a fault. Yes, as a CBU the RS3 is likely to be expensive, but it is a future classic of sorts that you can put several hundreds of thousands of miles on. When it comes to India (in both hot hatch and limousine guises), sometime late next year, it will be the best hot hatch money can buy. 2025 is going to be an exciting year. 

Audi RSQ8 Performance 

Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 petrol

Power: 640hp

Torque: 850 Nm

Gearbox: Tiptronic 8-speed automatic

Audi RS3  

Engine: 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, turbo-petrol

Power: 403 hp 

Torque:  536 NM

Gearbox: 7-speed dual clutch transmission