The Audi Q8 was all-new last year, offering a sleeker version of the three-row Q7 and Audi’s answer to the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne Coupe. For 2020, it debuts a performance version in the form of the SQ8.

The regular Q8 already wears a brutal and expressive design language, with a giant hexagonal “Singleframe” grille, intricate exterior lights, and geometric sheet metal. So the SQ8’s changes are rather subtle, consisting mainly of revised lower grilles, 21-inch wheels, and a quad-tip exhaust system flanking a rear diffuser. Inside, you’re treated to contoured “S” seats and either carbon fiber or black wood trim.

Power for the SQ8 comes from a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine pumping out a muscular 500 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. An 8-speed automatic transmission routes all that power to all four wheels, courtesy of Audi’s advanced quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. That’s not to say that the SQ8 doesn’t have its fuel-saving tricks: A 48-volt electrical system lets the engine coast when not under load, making this SUV a mild hybrid. To keep everything in line, the SQ8 comes standard with all-wheel steering.

Audi offers the SQ8 in Premium Plus and Prestige trims. The Premium Plus comes with 21-inch wheels, stainless steel door sills, LED exterior lighting, heated and cooled power front seats, an infotainment system comprising 10.1-inch upper and 8.6-inch lower LCD displays, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, 40/20/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, and a 3D sound system.

To keep you safe, Audi throws its full arsenal of safety tech at the SQ8 as either standard or optional equipment. That includes a 3D surround-view camera system, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam functionality, intersection assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, vehicle-exit warning, and traffic-sign recognition.

The all-new SQ8 is packed with the styling, technology, comfort, and performance to hold its own against other performance SUV coupes.