Audi RS7 Performance

By Bill McCarthy

The RS 7 Sportback performance is aptly named. It delivers performance in every sense offering amazing acceleration, fantastic stability and a driving experience few can match. The mighty four litre V8 engine has even more power, as if the previous 605PS was not enough and delivers a whopping 625bhp.

As a result, it powers the car 60mph in just 3.4 seconds, supercar performance.

It also delivers a whopping price tag at £124k plus. Expensive? There was another £10k worth of options on this model.

It is a big car, long and wide, but is actually practical and the raging beast is transformed into a tranquil puppy when pottering around despite the immense power lurking under the bonnet.

The RS and Quattro badging is quite prominent as are the huge twin exhausts and optional 22-inch alloys on this model. But despite the low-slung, sleek appearance, with its muscular body and slim, stylish lights, its appearance only hints at the power it can unleash.

 Allied to its four-wheel drive system and eight-speed tiptronic gearbox, performance is astonishing with the car capable, where permitted, of hitting a top speed of nearly 190mph. Not that you would ever be able to achieve that, except maybe on a runway or track, and it is limited anyway to 155mph in the UK.

The V8 bi-turbo TFSI engine has cylinder-on-demand technology. This means four of the eight cylinders can shut down for more leisurely driving conditions, ergo saving more fuel. 

But floor it and it literally pins you back in your seat as it rockets to 62 mph in a couple of blinks of the eye, with the twin exhausts burbling and spitting as it surges ahead.

This is as a result of a decision to reduce sound insulation to amplify the V8 soundtrack.

The claimed average fuel consumption is also impressive at a claimed 24-odd mpg,  which for a supercar is positively miserly and is helped by the slightly incongruous stop/start technology. 

That I suppose is part of the beauty of this car, a light touch on the accelerator means it behaves in a refined and comfortable way out and about in town. But for a real thrill, select the dynamic setting and you have full-fat supercar performance.

 It’s not just the speed, the ride, handling and steering are sensational, and the optional RS Dynamics and suspension package includes all-wheel steering and the quattro sport differential. This means the car can be powered through bends and twists in country lanes with ease. The steering is nicely weighted, while the 22-inch tyres and all-wheel drive offer incredible grip, even at edge-of-the-seat speeds.

The multiple driving modes allow drivers to tailor their experience to their preferences. With all that power on tap, it’s important to be able to stop it and this model features the optional (at more than £9k) blue Brembo-style RS Ceramic brakes, which brings the vehicle safely to a halt as quickly as it hits 60mph. It needs to be safe as well and it features a dual-airbag setup that is supported by knee, side, and rear passenger-side airbags, lane departure warning, surround-view camera system with front and rear parking sensors and a full complement of airbags including knee. airbags.

You get the full Monty in terms of equipment, with a beautifully laid out plush leather interior, with a state-of-the-art central control system that offers more technology than a space probe.

There is a variety of colour options, interior accents, and additional features to personalise the vehicle.

Goodies are too numerous to name but include a host of technological wizardry, heated seats, parking aids, radar warnings, adaptive lights, top-notch infotainment system. 

The heated seats are both comfortable and still supportive enough for hard driving while the centrepiece is two digital displays, the central screen brains of the car operates the latest infotainment, smartphone connectivity and navigation.

The familiar virtual cockpit delivers real-time information to the driver and new features like the blinking shift indicator and Launch Control.

The boot is shallow, but long and with the rear seats in place it offers an excellent 535 litres, which opens up to a huge 1,390 litres.

Clearly, a high-performance vehicle that caters to enthusiasts who value driving thrills but still has plenty to offer interns of practicality and even a nod to fuel economy.

A brilliant car with a brutal price tag. But with sales still on the up, it seems Audi can do little wrong.

Factfile

Audi RS7 RS 7 Sportback Performance quattro 630PS carbon black tiptronic

Price: £122,175

Mechanical: 625PS, 3,996cc, V8 petrol engine driving four wheels via 8-speed auto gearbox

Max speed: 155mph limited

0-62mph: 3.4seconds

Combined mpg: 22.8

Insurance group: 50E

CO2 emissions: 282g/km

BiK rating: 37%

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles