The Audi RS7 is a sportier version of the A7 sedan. Introduced at the 2013 Detroit Show it gets the German automaker’s understated looks, but has sporty overtones in the form of aggressive bumpers and the RS badging. This is one of the first times that also that Audi has more than one model in its range with the RS badging.
We called the RS7 “Quattro's best work yet,” in a recent comparison test, which it won. The car is now even better. For 2016, the Audi RS7 sees subtle upgrades inside and out, much like those that apply to its stablemates, the A7 and the S7. The RS7 already was the freshest of the trio, having arrived here for 2014, so these changes are even less obvious.
The RS7 is yet another extension of that plan. It’s designed to offer the performance and capabilities of the RS6 Avant in a sleeker, more desirable coupé-looking bodystyle.
The Audi RS7 sportback’s party pieces are the engine and underpinnings. It is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged TFSI V8 engine that churns out 560bhp and 700Nm of torque. The mill has been mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and power is delivered to all the wheels via the Quattro four-wheel-drive system.
With the RS6’s powertrain underpinning the body of the A7 Sportback, Audi has created a four door, four-seat hatchback with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.
Never silent, the RS7 is nevertheless easily maneuverable and controllable on the street. Step up the pace, and it exhibits remarkable agility. The torque-vectoring rear sports differential is almost overly eager to help the driver throw the RS7 into corners; it can feel a bit artificial at times. Way up at the limits of adhesion, the powertrain, sports differential, and assistance systems have to work overtime and can no longer disguise the big hatchback's mass.
We called the RS7 “Quattro's best work yet,” in a recent comparison test, which it won. The car is now even better. For 2016, the Audi RS7 sees subtle upgrades inside and out, much like those that apply to its stablemates, the A7 and the S7. The RS7 already was the freshest of the trio, having arrived here for 2014, so these changes are even less obvious.
The RS7 is yet another extension of that plan. It’s designed to offer the performance and capabilities of the RS6 Avant in a sleeker, more desirable coupé-looking bodystyle.
The Audi RS7 sportback’s party pieces are the engine and underpinnings. It is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged TFSI V8 engine that churns out 560bhp and 700Nm of torque. The mill has been mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and power is delivered to all the wheels via the Quattro four-wheel-drive system.
With the RS6’s powertrain underpinning the body of the A7 Sportback, Audi has created a four door, four-seat hatchback with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.
Never silent, the RS7 is nevertheless easily maneuverable and controllable on the street. Step up the pace, and it exhibits remarkable agility. The torque-vectoring rear sports differential is almost overly eager to help the driver throw the RS7 into corners; it can feel a bit artificial at times. Way up at the limits of adhesion, the powertrain, sports differential, and assistance systems have to work overtime and can no longer disguise the big hatchback's mass.