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Some cars garner love for their emotional appeal, some for their performance, some for their legacy and some for their styling. There are, however, a couple of cars that can make you go weak in the knees at the very first sight, solely because of their raw appeal. One fine example of such badassery is the Audi RS7 Sportback.
Sure, the world could do without a superfast, and super-thirsty, four-door hatch like the RS7, but one look at its sexy and svelte body is enough to melt your heart—you instantly know you want one! Ideally, you would be better off with the more practical and equally mad RS6 Avant, but then, the RS7 has its sweet charm. The sheer brutality of the thing, coupled with its drop-dead gorgeous coupe looks and the stunning interior, is enough to lure luxury performance car buyers into the RS7 fold. Plus, it isn’t just a mad performance car—it’s also got the right dose of practicality and comfort in the mix.
Audi RS7: If Looks Could Kill
The Audi RS7 is the high-performance derivative of the A7 Sportback, which, in turn, is a sportier version of the conventional A6 sedan. The first-gen A7 was released back in 2010, and three years later, the skunkworks at Audi’s RennSport division—or Audi Sport GmbH—got hold of the A7, plonked a V8 gas motor under its hood, stiffened and lowered the suspension, and gave it massive haunches to create a relentless speed monster that’s stunning and ferocious in equal measure.
The RS7 Sportback became an instant hit among performance car enthusiasts—sexy looks, huge tuning potential, and sublime handling, what’s not to like? After tasting success with the original RS7, Audi brought the current or second-generation in 2019.
Based on Volkswagen’s MLB Evo platform, the second-gen RS7 Sportback carries forward the aggression of its predecessor, but it’s got more attitude and an even more sinister appearance. Thanks to a new and wider single-frame grille, wider wheel tracks, stunning Matrix LED headlamps, and an overall beefier stance, the RS7 Sportback is deeply, deeply desirable. It would be correct to say that there are no bad angles to the RS7.
The rear-end design is all-new as the RS7 now features a spoiler lip along with a strip of lights running across the width of the car. Add those tasty 21-inch RS wheels (standard), and you end up with a gob-smacking four-door grand tourer. If you fancy a more devilish appearance, you can always opt for bigger 22-inch wheels and also tick the ‘Carbon Optic Package’ in the options menu.
Classy, High-Tech And Feature-Packed
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Since the RS7 is the speedier version of the A7, it retains the functionality and tech-laden cabin of its regular counterpart. However, there are enough sporty elements inside to let you know that you’re in an RS car. As soon as you step inside the cabin, you’ll be welcomed by a flat-bottomed perforated RS sports leather steering wheel, featuring aluminum shift paddles; RS sports seats with contrast stitching are standard, and so are aluminum inlays and stainless-steel pedals.
Like any new-age Audi, the RS7’s interior is brimming with the latest in tech—two touchscreens come fitted as standard with the car. The bigger 10.1-inch screen houses Audi’s MMI infotainment system, whereas the smaller 8.6-inch touchscreen display is for climate controls. The cabin looks minimalistic, elegant and sporty.
As standard, the RS7 comes equipped with the stunning Virtual Cockpit driver interface—the 12.3-inch full HD display is, undoubtedly, one of the best in business, and it also gets some additional RS-specific displays for the RS7. A 360-degree camera and forward-collision warning are standard features, but as always, a lot of equipment is optional, and most of it is very costly.
Brute Force
Under the hood, the RS7 features the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 TFSI unit as earlier—however, it’s been tweaked and now this engine is a wee more environment-friendly, thanks to a 48-volt mild hybrid system. That said, it still packs some serious punch—591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Mated to an eight-speed torque converter that sends the drives to all four wheels via Quattro, the RS7 can catapult from 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. That’s mighty considering that the RS7 weighs nearly 5,000 lbs.
In the U.S., Audi offers the RS7 with adaptive air suspension and a sport differential as standard. There are six driver modes to choose from: Comfort, Efficiency, Auto, Dynamic, RS1, and RS2. The latter two can be set up as per individual preferences. The RS7 also features Audi’s cylinder-on-demand or COD tech, which shuts one bank of cylinders of the V8 engine under low load conditions to save fuel. Audi claims the RS7 can return a combined fuel efficiency of 17 mpg (15 mpg in city and 22 mpg on highway).
RS7's Pricing And Optional Extras
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Audi ships the RS7 Sportback in a single-spec to the U.S. market, and it’s priced at $115,045.
That’s not the end of the story though, as the list of optional extras offered with the RS7 is virtually endless. You’ll be shocked to hear how much it can add up to the final price.
The Gray Ceramic Brake Package costs $8,500 extra, and in exchange for that amount, you get gray brake calipers, ceramic brakes on all four wheels, and an unrestricted top-speed limiter. That means you can clock 190 mph as opposed to the electronically-limited 174 mph of the standard car.
Then there’s the $6,550 worth Carbon Optic Package that adds 22-inch 5-V spoke alloys and black exterior details. Want a Bang & Olufsen sound system? It's going to be another $4,900 more.
The Audi Driver Assistance package—featuring adaptive cruise assist, active lane assist with an emergency assist, intersection assist, traffic sign recognition, and Audi side assist—can be included for another $2,250.
You can also equip your RS7 with Night Vision Assistant for better visibility and pedestrian/animal detection during night driving—although it comes at an eye-watering price of $2,500.
Source: Audi USA