Audi’s alphabet, as far as enthusiasts are concerned, begins with R and ends with S. And its magic number might very well be 7, at least as far as the brilliant RS 7 is concerned.
This ultra high-performance version of Audi’s delightfully stylish and practical A7 is one of those vehicles car geeks might eventually put up there with BMW’s E39 M5 and the Cadillac CTS-V wagon. If those cars don’t mean much to you, neither will the RS 7.
What is it?
The RS 7 starts life as an A7, the decidedly more shapely – and cargo-friendly – version of Audi’s A6 midsize sedan. But make no mistake, this is not a sedate luxury sedan. Slotted under its hood is a 560 horsepower turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, which makes the RS 7 a heck of a lot more impressive than its already likeable siblings. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the Euro-spec RS 7 has a 198 mph top speed (American models are limited to 174 mph, which still seems plenty fast).
The expected adjustable air sport suspension, quattro all-wheel-drive, eight-speed automatic gearbox and upsized 21-inch (an optional upgrade) alloy wheels and aero-enhancing body kit further set the RS 7 apart. Inside, unique sports seats and a host of standard and optional technologies.
Our particular RS 7 was further upgraded with a $5,900 Bang & Olufsen audio system, $2,800 worth of heads up display and night view camera tech, adaptive cruise control, a snarling sport exhaust and a host of cosmetic goodies. At $122,545, it is more than double the price of a standard A7. But it’s nearly double the car.
What’s it up against?
Audi suggests that the RS 7 should be cross-shopped against the BMW M6 Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, but we’d also throw the Porsche Panamera Turbo onto your list if you’re in the market for this kind of thing. You lucky dog, you.
What’s it look like?
It’s hard to improve on the standard A7′s svelte aero-back profile, but the company’s sport tuning arm has worked wonders. Subtle but clearly more aggressive, it’s clean enough looking to be incognito – at least to those who don’t know exactly what it is. Luckily, the RS 7 has a great starting point: The hunch-backed A7 with its raked rear windscreen is one heck of an attractive vehicle.
Bigger air intakes up front and optional 20-inch alloy wheels help make the RS 7 stand apart from its siblings. It’s a cliché, yes, but with 560 ponies on tap, it’s safe to say that most will only see the RS 7′s big tailpipes.
And on the inside?
Audi does interiors well – this is a fact. But we do think the leather stitching on the RS 7 takes things a little too far, even if it does match the pattern used on the car’s grille. In contrast to the subtlety of the exterior, the RS 7′s inner trappings are noticeably less restrained. Optional layered aluminum and black wood inlays fitted to our test car struck us as more classy than the upholstery, but virtually nothing felt out of place for $122,000.
Again, this super sedan builds on a solid foundation. Though the center console is button-heavy, what controls are there are generally easy to navigate without having to take your eyes from the road ahead. A control knob just aft of the gear lever accesses the RS 7′s infotainment system (MMI in Audi-speak), a generally intuitive system that displays information on a pair of high-resolution screens – one that deploys from the top of the dash and one located in the instrument cluster.
Our particular RS 7 was further optioned up with a mega-buck ($5,900) Bang & Olufsen audio system that sounded good – but not six grand good.
RS 7 offers up plenty of space inside and out for people and cargo. Fold its rear seats and it’s easy to put a bicycle (front wheel removed) in there. That’s something you can’t say about most nearly 200 mph hot rods.
But does it go?
Of course it does. The RS 7 rockets to triple digits in the blink of an eye, but it never feels anything short of genuinely luxurious while doing so. Never disturbed over even the most undulating terrain, this big five-door eats up the miles with aplomb, whether the road is curvy, arrow straight or something in between.
A spin and a click or two of the MMI control knob brings up a host of individual settings that let drivers alter the car’s steering, throttle response, transmission behavior and suspension. We left the throttle and transmission in a less aggressive setting but turned up the wick elsewhere, which beefed up the steering and gave us a ride suited to all but the roughest roads. Firm, yes. Stiff, no.
At around 4,500 lbs. unladen, the RS 7 isn’t a lightweight even though it makes use of a good deal of aluminum. Defying that tonnage is a decidedly lithe feel amplified by its quick-reacting steering.
The 4.0-liter V8 offers up its full 516 lb-ft. of torque almost as soon as the accelerator pedal is tapped, thrusting the RS 7 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. A stomp of the throttle also awakens the optional sport exhaust, and although it doesn’t emit the bellow of an Italian supercar or even a Detroit-bred muscle machine, the RS 7 does growl and snarl with a solid degree of authority. Even with the fast-shifting transmission left in standard mode, downshifts come with a pair of delightful pops that made us feel as though we were competing at Le Mans.
One thing the V8 doesn’t do, however, is use a lot of fuel. For a 560 horsepower car, a 27 mpg highway rating is nothing short of impressive – that’s better than some midsize sedans. Around town, it sips fuel at a rate of 16 mpg, however, which means that highway figure comes mainly because the eight-speed gearbox keeps revs sufficiently low.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Easily the world’s most practical supercar, the Audi RS 7 delivers performance on par with exotics in a shape designed for humans – and their cargo.
One of the best devices ever built to eat up miles, this one.
2014 Audi RS 7 base price, $104,900. As tested, $121,150
Metallic paint, $500; Wood/aluminum interior inlay, $1,300; 21-inch wheels, $1,000; Innovation Package, $2,800; Driver Assistance Package, $2,800; Bang & Olufsen audio, $5,900; Matte aluminum optic package, $950; Sport exhaust, $1,000; Destination, $895.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
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