Audi RS7 Performance Review
Car Tested: Audi RS7 Performance; Road Test No. 769
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 2,08,54,276/-
The Audi RS7 Performance provides the best of both worlds – performance and practicality
We have driven the Audi RS7 many times in the past and the car has always left us impressed. It looks killer, has a great amount of features, boasts of good comfort and comes with a beast of an engine. 550 horses from the earlier RS7 were enough to beat most supercars on our roads but then the guys at Audi decided to add some more power to an already powerful car and what we have here now is the Audi RS7 Performance.
Motor Quest: The current batch of RS cars from Audi’s stable provide excellent performance and dynamics and yet they are very practical for everyday usage. The RS6 Avant is another example of a practical performance car while the RS7, which has technically the same mechanicals, is also very practical compared to many other sports cars.
No changes have been made to the styling of the RS7 Performance
Exteriors – The Audi RS7 is quite a looker and if I must say, it is the perfect combination of class and sport. The styling is very appealing and the body line is clean, no unnecessary curves or lines. The Audi A7 itself has a pleasing design and the RS7 comes with many sporty bits on it. There are no changes to the Performance edition and it looks largely the same as the regular RS7. The dark green colour on our test car, coupled with the low profile tyres and sexy alloy wheels, made sure our car attracted way too many eyeballs wherever we want.
The interiors are also completely the same; sporty styling indeed
Interiors – The interiors of the RS7 are again very similar to the A7 but come with a lot of sporty additions. You get carbon fibre inlays on the dashboard and on the centre console. The layout is clean and all controls fall within easy reach. The steering wheel feels amazing to hold and so does the chunky gear knob. The MMI system comes with a retractable screen and you get features like service details, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, etc. The MMI also displays a variety of information related to the car including various settings. The front seats are just superb and very comfortable. You get good support from the ample cushioning. Space at the rear is a bit limited while headroom is also less due to the roof line of the car.
The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 mill now produces an extra 45 horses
Performance – Here is a fun fact, the last generation Audi RS7 actually had more power than the current generation model whose 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine outputs 560 PS of power and 700 Nm of torque. When Audi launched the facelift, the engine’s output numbers weren’t increased because this vehicle was already too quick with a claimed 0-100 km/hr time of 3.9 seconds. But out of the blue, Audi has decided to bring in the RS7 Performance, which as the name suggest, boasts of even more performance, the TFSI mill being uprated by 45 BHP to 605 BHP of power.
700 Nm of torque gets increased to 750 Nm thanks to the overboost function
The 4.0-litre V8 engine makes the RS7 Performance an absolute animal
Torque output remains the same at 700 Nm but the overboost function gives a 50 Nm increase of torque to 750 Nm for a short span of time. The result is the Audi RS7 Performance is 0.2 seconds quicker than the standard model in doing the 0-100 km/hr sprint, at 3.7 seconds, is blisteringly quick. We recorded a time of 3.69 seconds on our VBOX. Top speed is 305 km/hr so there is ample grunt. How does the car feel? Not very different from the standard as both are seriously fast coupes.
The acceleration is so quick that you feel like you’re in a rocket
There is no launch control but left foot on the brake, right foot on the accelerator, hold the revs till 2500 RPM and leave the brake pedal, the result is a launch with such amazing thrust that you feel like your strapped onto a javelin. The best part is, it reaches the double ton so quickly that before you make up your mind to start braking, it is also nudged past 200 km/hr, there is absolutely no let go from the motor which has just so much punch to keep pulling this vehicle. There is the usual Audi modes for driving, so you can get into sports mode on the gear lever or shift to tiptronic while also taking control of cogs via the steering mounted paddle shifters. You can also up the level of mental by choosing Dynamic in the Audi Drive Select which just firms up the suspension, increases the thrust from the engine, sharpens the steering and also quickens the shifts.
The RS7 can easily beat most supercars out there
100 km/hr comes up in third gear and the Audi RS7 can turn from Hyde to Jekyll in a split second, the motor spinning at just 1600 RPM in top gear while to boost efficiency, the cylinder on demand tech shuts 4-cylinders. We do wish the motor would be more vocal near the 6500 RPM redline. Our test car was returning 3 km/l while the claimed mileage is a respectable and rather unachievable 10.5 km/l. The 8-speed gearbox is quick with shifts and the car is a supercar slayer with terrific in-gear acceleration numbers.
quattro makes sure there are no wheelspins and no drama
Driving Dynamics – Being equipped with quattro, power is channeled smoothly at all times, no wheelspins, no drama and even if you are very aggressive on the throttle, the Audi RS7 behaves itself. The massive 275/35/20 sized tyres offer leech like grip and you can enter corners at insane speeds and come out on the other side without wetting your pants. But the massive rims also mean you have to be supremely careful on Indian roads which throw out a big bump or two unannounced.
Ground clearance is low but still manageable on Indian roads
The ride quality is very good by sports car standards; body control is also terrific
Ride quality is very good by the low profile tyres standard. Ground clearance is low but we did not face any issues with the underbelly although to be brutally honest, we were super careful over speed bumps. The RS7 has good body control but it isn’t a sharp handler due to the heavy two tonnes of weight it carries. The steering has good feedback but isn’t the sharpest and lacks a bit of feel. Understeer kicks in when you corner very hard and the RS7 doesn’t wag its tail out. The carbon ceramic brakes result in stupendous stopping power.
The Audi RS7 Performance is a splendid everyday sports car
Verdict – There are many 600 HP sports cars in the Indian market today but not all of them are practical enough to be used on a daily basis. The RS7 Performance is one of those few performance cars that you can drive everyday. The car feels easy to drive in city traffic and the pleasure it gives on open roads is unbeatable. The Audi RS7 Performance makes for an excellent buy if you want a sports car that can be used on your daily drive to work as well as your weekend outings on long stretches of highways. While its actual competitor is the BMW M6, the RS7 Performance will also give a tough fight to the Lamborghini Huracan, Jaguar F-Type and Audi’s own R8 V10 since it produces equal amounts of power as these supercars.
This is one car you won’t get bored of easily
What’s Cool
* Engine is an absolute beast
* Practical enough to be used everyday
What’s Not So Cool
* quattro steals some amount of drama
Alternatives: BMW M6
We had our heads spinning with the G forces of the RS7
Testers’ Note:
Further Reading –
2016 Audi RS7 Review
2014 Audi RS7 Review
2012 Audi A7 Review