The rise of international automotive conglomerates means that oftentimes, vehicles that most drivers don't realize are related might share just about everything under the hood. General Motors perhaps pushed badge engineering to its lowest points during the 1980s, while in the modern era, Volkswagen AG seems to be doing quite well (rumors of the sale of Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini notwithstanding). Case in point is the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 under the hood of the Lamborghini Urus, a departure from Lambo's more traditional naturally aspirated V10 and V12 powerplants. The engine is also shared with plenty of other VAG products, including the Audi RS Q8, and produces a ton of horsepower and torque in all specs. The Urus gets the highest rating from the factory, but tuners can happily flip the script with light mods, as proven by this recent video from the YouTube channel DragTimes featuring a modded RS Q8 hitting the quarter-mile against an Urus and a Tesla Model X P100D.
Turn It Up To 11
The RS Q8 in question here has received the standard upgrade package to its powertrain, which includes a cat-back exhaust system, downpipes, and an ECU tune from Excell Racing. It now produces a claimed 800 horsepower and 839 lb-ft of torque at the crank. Factoring in driveline losses through Audi's eight-speed automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel-drive system, that equates to 696 horses at the wheels. Those stats are up from factory ratings of 591 ponies and 590 pounds of twist. The Urus, however, leaves the factory with the same mill sending 641 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque through what is, in the end, the same drivetrain.
Not Quite Fair
Obviously, this isn't quite an apples-to-apples comparison, as the Urus should have a similar tune for things to remain somewhat fair. Of course, the RS Q8 costs almost exactly half as much as the Urus, so perhaps the 2% can now feel better than the 1%. But with the Urus in its taillights, how can the RS Q8 compete against the instantaneously available torque of a Tesla Model X P100D's two electric motors? Watch the video to find out.
Sources: youtube.com and thedetroitbureau.com.