The Most Powerful Audis To Ever Grace Public Roads

Ever since the debut of the Audi Quattro over 40 years ago, the German brand has shown it’s just as much a performance brand as a luxury one. While BMW and Mercedes were dead set on staying RWD (for a while at least), Audi went head first into AWD performance, thus releasing some of the most impressive models of the 21st century in the 2008 Audi R8 quattro and now the 2025 RS e-Tron GT. AWD allowed the brand to release some serious performance monsters over the years, and we’ve compiled a list of the top ten most powerful ever to wear the four rings.

To preface, we’ve only included the most powerful models of a single generation, as there’s a ton of overlap in power going from generation to generation. Additionally, despite some models sharing the same engines, we’ve included them separately because body styles can significantly affect performance.

10 2015 Audi R8 Competition – 570 Hp

When Audi wanted to pay tribute to its acclaimed R8 Le Mans race cars, it didn’t hold back any punches. This is why it started by adding 20 horsepower to the V-10 from the R8 Plus, then added carbon ceramic brakes, the seven-speed paddle-shift S Tronic transmission, and a ton of appearance changes which offered improved aerodynamics. The result was 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds on the way to a 199 mph top speed and the bragging rights that you own a 1-of-60 car in the US.

9 2008 Audi RS6 Avant – 578 Hp

Back when BMW was releasing V10 wagons here in the US, Audi had a competitor of its own. It chose rather selfishly not to bring it here. The 2008 RS6 Avant was a monster, packing a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V10 engine derived from the V10 in the Lamborghini Gallardo. It produces 578 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. This torque was available from 1,500 rpm all the way to 6,250 rpm, so the car pulled and pulled till it couldn’t anymore, perfect for a trip to the mountains or just down the street to get some groceries.

8 2020 Audi RS Q8 – 591 Hp

If you want a vehicle that can haul the entire family around, shoot from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and not draw too much attention, the RS Q8 is the vehicle for you. Thanks to its reserved appearance and Audi logo, most won’t think twice as it drives by, but the model is hiding a twin-turbo V8 secret, a 591 horsepower secret. This power, coupled with the 590 lb-ft of torque, makes the model wickedly quick, but the adaptive air suspension and luxury focus make it more livable than its Lamborghini Urus cousin.

7 2020 Audi R8 Coupe and Spyder V10 Performance – 602 Hp

When Audi introduced the refreshed R8 for the 2020 model year, it unveiled a model sharper (literally), more aggressive, and more powerful than before. In the top attack, Performance guise, the coupe or spyder had their performance buttoned up even tighter, with horsepower going from 562 to 602 and torque going from 406 to 413 lb-ft. The adaptable suspension was traded for a fixed setup, and ceramic brakes were added. The result was the most aggressive R8 of all time, but still a car you could live with daily. Sadly, the R8 is no longer. The final car ran down the production line earlier this year.

6 2016 Audi RS6 Avant Performance – 605 Hp

Despite dropping the glorious V10 for this generation, Audi planned for the 2016 RS6 to be the best ever, with many thanks going to the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that sent power to all four wheels. The styling was more pronounced this time around, and thanks to the new performance package, it put out 605 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque that dropped the 0-60 mph time down to 3.7 seconds. Picking the optional carbon ceramic breaks could net you an 189 mph top speed, too, but alas, this model continued to be a forbidden fruit to us Americans.

5 2016 RS7 Performance – 605 Hp

The sharpest of the V8 Audi siblings at the time, the RS7 Performance, was the model you wanted if ultimate agility was desired. It wasn’t going to be as practical as the RS6 or as cushy as the S8, as it straddled those roles and threw in a healthier dose of excitement. The V8 provided near-unlimited power once again, and you were made aware of that every time you stomped on the pedal and rocketed to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and heard the roar from the upgraded sports exhaust. It could reach 190 mph and take a corner better than the other two thanks to the Dynamic Ride Control suspension, making it a formidable backroad weapon.

4 2016 Audi S8 Plus – 605 Hp

The mid-2010s saw an era when even the most powerful Audis traded bold looks for understated style, and the S8 Plus was the epitome of this trend. Take off the badging, and almost no one would know this model was packing 605 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque under the hood courtesy of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. Despite weighing 4,611 lbs, it could rocket from 0-60 mph in just 3.3 seconds on the way to a 190 mph top speed, making it the quickest of the three models with the V8 engine. Despite its luxury tendencies, it was the ultimate Audi sleeper of the time.

3 2024 Audi RS7 Performance – 621 Hp

The newest generation of the RS7 has been the most refined one to date, ditching some of its rawness for luxury and comfort and sharpening the looks. The 4.0-liter V8 is back once again, but this time around, larger turbos have been thrown on and additional boost wrung out to allow the brand-new Performance model to produce 621 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Audi says 0-60 mph will arrive in 3.3 seconds, but independent testers say it may be even faster. It’s the most powerful RS7 to date, and hopefully, the power and other performance changes make it the best one to drive yet.

2 2024 Audi RS6 Avant GT – 621 Hp

It only took two decades, but Audi finally listened to our prayers and delivered us the wagon of our dreams, and now it sweetened the deal even further with a highly limited GT model that pays tribute to the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO race car. It shares the same engine as the RS7 Performance, meaning you still have 621 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque on tap with a 3.3-second 0-60 mph sprint, but you receive a one-of-a-kind livery that will take you back decades and a vehicle only shared by 660 other people in the world.

1 2025 Audi RS e-tron GT – 912 Hp

All of these models pale in comparison to the true pinnacle of Audi performance: the new Audi RS e-tron GT Performance. Yes, an EV is the brand’s most powerful model of all time, but its performance is nothing to scoff at, even if it isn’t making fun combustion noises. Its 0-60 mph time is simply phenomenal, coming on in just 2.5 seconds, shooting up to a top speed of 152 mph. The suspension has been seriously revised, with the model even getting its own performance mode, and charging has been improved as well. We’ll have to wait and see what the model can really do once deliveries are underway, but we feel it’s going to be a new era in Audi performance.