Compare the2024 Audi Q8VS 2024 Lexus RX

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 RX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q8 and RX 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 RX’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 RX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q8 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The RX doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

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 RX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q8 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Assist with Automatic Brake Activation, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Parking Support Brake costs extra on the RX.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q8 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The RX has not been fully tested, yet.

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the RX’s (12 vs. 6 years).

There are over 25 percent more Audi dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Q8’s warranty.

The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 89 more horsepower (335 vs. 246) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 233) than the RX 350h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 60 more horsepower (335 vs. 275) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 317) than the RX 350’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 31 more horsepower (335 vs. 304) than the RX 450h+’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the Lexus RX:

Both the Q8 and the RX have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Q8s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The RX 350h/500h doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Q8 has 8 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX 450+’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Q8 has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX 350’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 17.8 gallons).

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

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the RX (285/45R21 vs. 235/60R19).

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 RX’s standard 60 series tires. The Q8’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the RX’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the RX. The Q8’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the RX.

The Q8 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The RX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the RX (117.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the RX 350 AWD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the RX 350h (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

The Q8 has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the RX.

The Q8 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Q8 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (60.7 vs. 46.2 cubic feet).

The Q8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX’s (7700 vs. 0 pounds).

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

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the RX Premium/Luxury/500h F Sport, 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q8 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The RX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, standard on the Q8 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the RX’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

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 RX doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

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