Compare the2023 Audi Q8VS 2023 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q8 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Acura RDX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Q8’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The RDX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q8 and RDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q8 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The RDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Q8’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Q8 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q8. But it costs extra on the RDX.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q8 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The RDX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q8 and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Audi Q8 weighs 946 to 1229 pounds more than the Acura RDX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Q8	RDX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	296	300
Neck Stress	235 lbs.	262 lbs.
Neck Compression	14 lbs.	23 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	82/59 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	238	353
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	47/47 lbs.	362/441 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Q8	RDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	63
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	130 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	282	486
Hip Force	593 lbs.	704 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the RDX’s (12 vs. 5 years).

There are over 12 percent more Audi dealers than there are Acura dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Q8’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Acura.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 2 places higher in reliability than Acura.

Engine

The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 63 more horsepower (335 vs. 272) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 280) than the RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the Acura RDX:

	Q8	RDX
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.6 MPH	90.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the Q8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The RDX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q8 has 5.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the RDX (22.5 vs. 17.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RDX:

	Q8	RDX
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.2 inches

The Q8’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the RDX are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the RDX (285/45R21 vs. 235/55R19). The Q8’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RDX (285/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

The Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RDX’s standard 55 series tires. The Q8 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the RDX A-Spec’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the RDX. The Q8 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the RDX A-Spec.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8’s wheelbase is 9.6 inches longer than on the RDX (117.9 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q8 is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the RDX.

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the RDX AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RDX AWD (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Q8 has 1.8 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the RDX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q8’s rear seats recline. The RDX’s rear seats don’t recline.

Towing

The Q8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (7700 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q8 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the RDX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the RDX, the Q8 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q8’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The RDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q8 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The RDX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

A manual rear sunshade is optional in the Q8 and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q8 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The RDX doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The Q8 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RDX.

The Q8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The RDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.