We Drove Every Ultra Luxury SUV From the VW Group—Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lambo. Which is Best?
They're from the same family, but shared DNA doesn't mean they're the same. At all.
Not long ago I spent a weekend in Beverly Hills driving an Audi RS Q8. As I tooled around town I got looks—lots of looks: From Porsche Cayenne drivers, from Lamborghini Urus drivers, from Bentley Bentayga drivers. “What does she know that I don’t know,” was the silent question, but there was also some “that luxury SUV looks familiar,” and a lot of looks that said “what gorgeous car is that?”
They are right to stare. The Audi RS Q8 has a roof line and silhouette that look familiar to high-end SUV buyers. It has a throaty sound and reputation for power among those who like spirited, sporty driving. It’s gorgeous, like its cousins, one of the most beautiful SUVs on the road. And could it be the best of the bunch?
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Does a Shared Platform Mean Ubiquity Among These SUVs?
What drivers sensed seeing the Audi RS Q8 was faint familiarity thanks to the family lineage. The Audi RS Q8 shares a lot of its DNA with those other power-focused luxury SUVs. But they are far from identical, or even similar.
That’s because carmakers don’t reinvent the wheel, they perfect it. So it reasons that ultra luxe models from Volkswagen Group’s top-tier brands have a lot of shared technology, common underpinnings and even shared engineering, but each brand takes that form and makes it its own.
Here’s what makes each unique and worth their $140K-$350K price tags.
The Standard Starts With Audi RS Q8: The Most Power for the Money
With a base price $138,000 and a twin turbo V8 that produces 631 HP and 627 torque, this may be the most power for the money from the VW Group’s luxury SUVs.
The Audi RSQ8 is the very top of the line of Audi SUVs; buyers can opt for a less powerful SQ8 that is powered by a V8 and generates 500 HP, or a V6 that delivers 335 HP.
But the RS Q8 model adds the RS goodies—RS stands for Renn Sport and designates Audi’s performance models across the brand lineup—to the features that Audi is famous for: standard all wheel drive, customizable LED headlights and tail lights, five choices of standard quilted leather and the virtual cockpit driver display, an Audi signature technology with sharp graphics, quick performance, satellite-style maps and intelligent organization that has made its way, in one version or another, into every other model VW builds.
Read: How the Audi Q7 and Q8 are Alike and Different, Plus a Few New Details for 2025
Interior Details Are Solid Top of the Line Audi
The RS Q8 is only available in one trim but offers lots of ways to customize to make it truly unique to each buyer. Interior options include vented front seats, head up display, night vision, heated rear seats, carbon fiber trim, sport exhaust, fancier wheels and premium sound.
Exterior options include nine paint colors, 22” or 23” wheels and four wheel designs to choose from. Adding all those options, many of them mid-range options, pushes the price up $23,000; the final price landing just over $160,000.
What We Think: This is an under-the-radar bargain in power luxury SUVs and a winner in every respect. Its innovative in in-car tech, virtual cockpit and other features continue to set standards for the industry; its cousins are lucky to share the acquaintance.
The Original Performance SUV: Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is one of the most pivotal SUVs on the road as the first to adapt performance driving; its engineers realized that the world was demanding SUVs and waaaaay back in 2003 took on the challenge of creating the Porsche of SUVs. Decades later the Cayenne still embodies that promise.
With a base price $88,800 for a turbo 6-cylinder that delivers 348 HP, the sport tuned Cayenne is surprisingly the most affordable high-end luxury SUV in the group; it comes standard with AWD, 20” wheels and leatherette seating.
Porsche loves to tempt its buyers with lots of choices, and these can quickly drive up the price: There are 11 exterior colors or you can create your own; there are 29 wheel choices, 10 interior choices, standard or sport seat options and packages that include an off-road option. Adding the most popular options can typically add $20,000 or more to the price.
Read: Just Like A Solid BFF, the 2024 Porsche Cayenne Inspires You to Be Your Best Self
Porsche Cayenne Trims Are All About Power
But where the price can really throttle up is among the six trims; each is designated by power and power train but offer mostly the same interior and exterior options.
Trims include three gas-only options: the V6 348 HP Cayenne, the Cayenne S, which delivers 468 HP from a turbo V8 engine and is priced from $106,100 and the Cayenne GTS, which delivers 493 HP from a turbo V8 engine and is priced from $129,900.
The other three trims add hybrid electric power for silent startup, some all-electric driving and more power. The Cayenne E-Hybrid delivers 463 HP from a V6 engine and plug-in hybrid electric motor and is priced from $101,200; the S E-Hybrid delivers 512 HP from a V6 electric-boosted powertrain and is priced from $190,400; and the Turbo E-Hybrid takes it quite a bit, generating 729 HP from a turbo V8 engine boosted by electric power- and priced from GTS is most powerful V8 version at 493 HP, though the Turbo E-Hybrid adds electric power to achieve 729 HP priced from $162,500.
What We Think: This SUV is fun and sporty, but don’t let the EV power fool you; you’ll use all that battery power for fun, not eco-driving. The interior is smart and sophisticated and we really like the passenger screen to keep your mate occupied while you have fun.
The Most Bespoke, and Surprising: Bentley Bentayga
The Bentley Bentayga has been on a journey of self-discovery since its introduction just a decade ago. Like its cousins, Bentley realized an SUV was a must for the brand and added the Bentayga, designed to offer both refinement inside and a ruggedness in its structure. With the newest models, Bentley has boiled the lineup to four models that earn customer raves: The base Bentayga, priced from about $207,000; the Azure, a luxury and comfort focused model, the Bentayga Speed, designed for both on road performance and off-road capability and the Mulliner, a top of the line model with no off-the-table options; your dream is Bentley’s mission.
To ensure buyers get the ultimate Bentley, all trims except Speed are available on an extended wheel base option, offering more rear seat legroom for relaxing, reclining and luxuriating.
Read: Bentley Bentayga Speed: The Most Beautiful SUV, Now More Spirited
Bentayga’s Power is Great But Mulliner is the Real Reason You’re Here
The base model and Azure editions of the Bentayga are powered by a twin turbo V8 that generates 542 HP; Speed and Mulliner editions are powered by a twin turbo V8 that produces 641 HP, the fastest Bentayga yet. The new V8 replaces the W12, a 12 cylinder that generated 600 HP.
The V8 engines are happily powerful and responsive and engineered to please. The Bentayga Speed, priced from $259,000, is especially purposeful in its power. The throaty engine sounds it generates inside and out, and suspension and chassis intended to deliver more fun on the road, is intended for drivers who love to drive.
But the real magic of Bentley is in customizing your experience and it’s a special journey. Buyers are invited to truly design their car, from multiple layers and colors of leather to embroidery, stitching, woods, metals and more. Want your name emblazoned on the headrests? Or the exterior paint that blends with your view of the Caribbean Sea? You can do that, plus almost anything else you can dream up thanks to Mulliner specifications, which are available on all trims. Options, however, can easily add 40% or more to the price of the Bentayga; our two test models came in at more than $325,000. But can you really put a price on the car of a lifetime?
What We Think: The Bentyaga Speed surprised us with its raw power and fun drive; it might be the ultimate blend of over-the-top posh and performance, giving you the best of both worlds. If you’d really rather have someone else do the driving, go for an EWB model.
The Ultimate Performance SUV: Lamborghini Urus
Realizing they had lightning in a bottle, the execs at the VW group encouraged Lamborghini to develop their own SUV. The brand’s designers and engineers went to work, ultimately creating the #1 seller in the Lambo family: the Urus SUV, introduced in 2017, delivers incredible power and performance at a starting price of about $240,000 (our test model: $366K).
True to its Italian spirit and drive dynamics, the Lamborghini Urus speaks Italian: drive modes are rendered in Italian—Citi, Corsa, Terra and Neve among them; the start-up procedure requires the driver lift a red door to push the start button, and just putting the Urus in drive requires insider information (but I’ll share): pull one of the paddle shifters for ‘D.’
The Urus even speaks Italian: It responds to “ciao, Lamborghini” to set cabin temperature, the radio station or set navigation. Really. You can see it here.
Read: 11 Things You’ll Have to Get Used to When You Drive a Lamborghini Urus Supercar
Lamborghini Urus Trims Are Limited But Power Is Not
For 2026 Lamborghini added to the line-up with an electric plug-in powered SE edition, now the most powerful after the S and Performante editions. All are powered by a twin turbo V8, though the SE delivers 771 HP, a nice bump from the 657 that the S and Performante models deliver.
All Lamborghini Urus models are fun to drive, delving more power than you’ll likely every use. But the real magic is in customizing your Lamborghini, which you can do at a Lamborghini dealership or the Lamborghini Lounge, where you can also introduce your newest love to your friends and family with a private party or an intimate dinner. They’ll even provide an authentic Italian menu and hand-pulled Lavazza espresso.
What We Think: The Lamborghini Urus is the ultimate trophy for its power, presence and interior spoilers. It’s incredibly easy to get used to but the power underfoot is at once engaging and intimidating, so be careful. The options, the customization and the driver-centric cabin means you can be you and bring your crew, which is in itself a treasure.
Which VW Group Luxury Performance SUV Is the Best?
You can’t go wrong with any of these, but here’s how I’d pick: With limited budget I’d go for the Audi RS Q8 for its superior tech and price. It’s under the radar enough to get a nod from those who know but not everyone on the road. I think if of it as the logo-free Louis.
For an interior that is truly a haven of your design, and with unlimited budget, the Bentley Bentayga is it. I could honestly move into the rear seat and never leave, it’s that comfortable. But the drive experience in the Bentayga Speed? Exhilarating.
Porsche Cayenne is the purist move: The original allows you to micro-refine your experience in power and options. And it never gets old, even as it ages.
And the Lamborghini Urus? It’s the ultimate escape, literally whisking you off to an Italian track far, far away. It’s a car that’ll have you speaking Italian, and that is a true bonus; what other car asks you to speak its language?
I guess the real message is dream big, performance SUV buyer. And when you’re ready, your dream car is here for you.
More About:Car Culture