Audi RS7: Review

If you are the kind that gets the kicks out of driving at insanely high speeds and pushing it to the limit while not compromising on the luxury factor, well it seems the Germans have understood your need for adrenaline. BMW has its M-division, Mercedes-Benz has its AMG department and Audi has its RS brigade. This breed of souped-up executive cars have been gaining popularity immensely due to their dual purpose versatility. In fact, in the Indian context, a car from this segment is by far one of the most logical choices to make; it lurks insanely close to supercars in terms of performance and at the same time is exceedingly elegant. What’s more, most of them even have the space to seat four. And when you talk about this class of cars, then you simply can’t keep the new Audi RS7 out of the conversation. 

The Audi RS7 Sportsback is a gorgeous looking car that has an elegant sedan look up front and ends in a coupe-like rear, but then so does the A7. Look a little closer and you will start to notice that changes have been made in all the right places to give it a much more aggressive and meaner disposition. In the RS trim, Audi has taken the body of the A7, and remolded it with a honeycomb grille, flared wheel arches, huge air intakes, large twin-exhausts and 21-inch wheels. Most importantly, it doesn’t lose out on details like the orange LED turn indicators and the integrated rear spoiler in the process of making it look belligerent. 

The superb design dynamics of the exterior continue on the inside as well. The dashboard and the centre console with carbon-fibre bits, the flat-bottomed three-spoke steering wheel, the gear lever that is covered in perforated leather, all add a touch of sportiness to the insides. Covered in a combination of black Alcantara and leather, the seats are sportily contoured yet comfortable. Ingress and egress at the back can be a task and a lot of it has to do with the swooping roofline, but once inside there is ample of room for the legs as well as the head. Additional features include a heads-up display, Bang & Olufsen audio system, climate control, MMI navigation and the works. 

But all of the aforementioned isn’t half of what the RS7 is actually about. Push the start button and the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 that produces 567PS of power and an insane 700Nm of torque roars to life. It has a pretty wide torque range too, from as low as 1750rpm to 5500rpm, which means you just need to bury your foot in the throttle and be pushed into the back of the seat and enjoy a sweet rumble of an exhaust note  as the car blitzes ahead. Capable of touching the 100kmph marker in a meager 3.9 seconds, it is the most powerful production Audi in the world. The RS7 has been limited to a top speed of 250kmph but on request, Audi can raise it up to 305kmph. The fact that it matches the 5.2-litre V10 engine Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 in terms of performance speaks volumes about the performance of the car. If that isn’t enough to get your adrenaline pumping, consider into your calculations the fact that it is faster than the R8 and just about two-tenth of a second slower than the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. 

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The eight-speed ZF-sourced torque converter automatic gearbox is quick and responsive. In the dynamic mode the steering feels nicely weighted and the car comfortably climbs right up till the red line before shifting up with a loud grunt. Considering the fact that it runs on 275/30 R21 rubber, the transfer of bumps is inevitable but at the same time as the suspension gets stiffer it makes the car handle like a dream as you push it around bends and at no point in time do you feel the near two ton weight of the car. The Switch to the comfort mode and the car reveals a completely different persona. The steering and the suspension both become lighter to offer a relatively plush ride quality, the kind that you need for driving on the potholed city streets. The RS7 Sportsback is factory fitted with specifically tuned air-springs and offers a stiffer RS sport suspension with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) that makes use of steel springs and three-stage adjustable dampers. 

The ventilated discs with fixed calipers up front as well as at the back are sharp and offer enough bite for a car that is capable of going that fast. Those keen on enhancing it further can opt for carbon ceramic brakes as well. 

To make the car acceptably efficient, Audi has installed it with the Cylinder on Demand (COD) system. When cruising at a constant speed, it deactivates cylinders two, three, five and eight by closing the valves and shutting off fuel injection. Audi claims that this system reduces the overall fuel consumption by nearly ten per cent.  

So, is it worth the Rs 1.28 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) price tag then? While the RS7 gets its heart from the S6 and the body from the A7, it doesn’t fail to make its own identity thanks to the tweaks at all the right places. It is a car that is always ready to please, whether you want to be wild or simply drive it to work every day. On the whole it gives you that perfect amalgamation of something that has the performance to offer a thrilling drive without making practicality an alien concept. The way we see it, it’s a perfect all-rounder. An ideal performance car for a business honcho who can carry his clubs to the golf field, trash it around a track, and enjoy a weekend getaway with ease and at the same time making a grand entry.