Audi RS7 review

This is the latest Audi RS7, the less practical sibling to the Audi RS6 Avant, and a rival to cars like the BMW M5, Mercedes AMG E63 and Porsche Panamera Turbo. As you would expect just from looking at it, the RS7’s performance credentials are immense. Under the bonnet you will find a 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 engine, that sends 600 horsepower to all four-wheels via an eight speed auto gearbox.

At the same time, Audi is bringing its first fully electric RS model to the market in the new RS e-tron GT, a car that offers a glimpse of what is to come from the brand’s performance division in years to come. But the question remains, do electric supercars like the RS e-tron GT make fire-breathing petrol-powered cars like the RS7 less relevant?

Styling:

The RS7 is much wider from the outside than the standard Audi A7, and it demands attention with RS style bumpers and huge 22-inch wheels. RS adaptive suspension allows you to adjust the height at the touch of a button. This particular car has a variety of optional extras including a carbon fibre package, red brake callipers and a panoramic roof. Most importantly though, it gets an optional sports exhaust system that sounds immense, you will rarely ever need to turn on the sounds system.

Inside:

The big difference between the new and old RS7 is the addition of a fifth seat, which means it is more practical than before, though the RS6 Avant is the one to go for if you need lots of space. Up front it has everything you would expect of modern-day audi, with a fully digital cockpit incorporating Virtual cockpit and a pair of screens on the centre console that are angled towards the driver’s seat. The whole system is easy to use, and it even has an RS-specific display and an excellent head sup display. Best of all are the electric super sports seats which offer lots of support if you are hooning it around on the race track, and lots of comfort on longer drives. 

Driving:

The RS7 takes your breath away under heavy acceleration, with peak torque kicking in between 2,000 and 4 and half thousand RPM. Thanks to Quattro all wheel drive the traction is immense,  it will charge from 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, with an optional top speed of 304km/h should you choose to delimit it or live beside the autobahn. There is no getting away from just how big and heavy the RS7 is, it weighs in at over two tonne which is considerably more than the Mercedes E 63, but it hides this very well on tight and twisty roads it must be said, with direct steering and immense stopping power

Just as impressive as how fast this car is, is how refined it can be when you need it to be an everyday car. Select comfort mode, sit back, relax, and you can drive the RS7 for hours on end without any driver fatigue. It shouldn’t ride well with huge 22-inch wheels on bumpy Irish roads, but it does! It’s quiet, it’s relaxing, but you know that with a touch od the sport mode button and a twisty road, it transforms into a firebreathing sports car.

For the first time, the RS7 is fitted with a new mild-hybrid system to improve fuel economy by allowing it to coast for short distances, while the V8 engine can also run as a V4 when driven consciously. Not that you’re likely to care if you are considering buying one, it’s still going to be expensive to run.

Models:

Prices for the RS7 Sportback start from around €168,000 in Ireland, while the one you see here with all of its optional extras retails at nearer to €190,000 new! To put that into context, you could buy seven brand new Audi A1s for that, but staggering performance comes at a cost, and if you have it to spend, it’s worth paying for.

Outro:

Audi has nailed it with the second generation RS7, and it’s a big improvement on the original model which often came in for criticism. It is breathtakingly fast, luxuriously comfortable and demands attention out on the road with one of the most striking RS designs yet. And while it now has to contend with the electric-powered RS e-tron GT, the RS7 excites in a different way with that phenomenal V8 engine at its core.

Audi RS7 V8 Sportback

• Retail Price €168,000.00
• Options €20,364
• Metallic Paint:  €1,775.00
• Total Retail Price** €190,139.00
• Fuel Type: Petrol
• Transmission:Tip-Tronic
• Litres: 4.0
• Cylinders: 8
• Brake: Horsepower 600
• Drive: Quattro
• Exterior Colour: Silver
• Upholstery Colour: Black with Red Stitching

Standard Equipment:

• HD Matrix LED Headlamps with Audi laser light
• RS door sill trims
• 22" 5 V spoke alloy wheels
• RS style bumpers
• Audi Pre sense basic
• Head-up display
• Acoustic glass
• RS exterior parts and exterior mirrors in matte aluminium look
•  Exterior mirrors with memory function, electrically folding/adjustable & heated
• Seat ventilation in front
• Extended leather package
• Valcona leather with honeycomb stitching
• DVD player
• DAB radio
• RS adaptive air suspension
• Ambient lighting package - multicoloured
• Electric steering wheel adjustment
• Super sports seats - electrically adjustable
• Front & rear parking sensors
• Audi smartphone interface
• Reversing Camera
• 4 Zone deluxe climate control
• Audi Pre Sense City
• Audi sound system
• Audi virtual cockpit plus with RS graphics
• Headlining in black cloth
• Audi drive select
• Electric tailgate
• Flat bottommed steering wheel
• Tyre pressure monitoing system
• Audi MMI Navigation Plus with MMI touch response
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Audi active lane assist
• Storage package
• Audi phobe box
• Sport air suspension
• Privacy Glass
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror
• Black styling package

Optional Extras € RRP:

• Comfort Key €1,491
• Bang and Olufsen €1,367
• Sports Exhaust €2,485
• Panoramic Roof €2,929
• 360 Cameras €2,041
• Red Brake Callipers €888
• Carbon Package €8,254
• Extended black styling package €535
• Audi Connect Key €184