Hottest version of the Audi RS7 offers high-power thrills, but the firm suspension brought as part of the Dynamic Ride Control spoils the package
This is the Audi RS7 Sportback, the second recipient of Audi’s air-shreddingly potent, 552bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which follows (very) swiftly in the fat wheeltracks of the recently released and indentically powered RS6 Avant. All that horsepower, an industrial 516lb ft gush of torque streaming unabated from 1750 to 5500rpm, eight gears and all-wheel drive allow this big hatchback to perform 3.9second eruptions to 62mph with a DTM soundtrack for support. Performance like this propels the RS7 directly into contention with the BMW M6 Gran Coupé, the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and the Porsche Panamera Turbo, although the Audi is the only one to break the 4.0sec to 62mph threshold. Besides a gloriously unnecessary tumult of power, RS7 Sportback buyers also get standard-fit adaptive air suspension, a cylinder-on-demand (COD) system that reduces fuel consumption by as much as 10 perc ent during (doubtless rare) moments of throttle moderation and a maximum speed that can be raised from 155mph to 174mph or even 190mph with the addition of VMax-boosting Dynamic packs. The quattro four-wheel drive system sends a nominal 60 per cent of torque to the rear wheels and provides a limited-slip differential and torque-vectoring in a pretty successful bid to marshal the engine’s colossal output. Dynamic Ride Control, which replaces the air suspension with steel coils and Audi’s hydraulic, diagonally interconnected shock absorbers are among a heap of available options which also includes carbon-ceramic brake discs and the test car’s striking matt Daytona Grey paint.
Hottest version of the Audi RS7 offers high-power thrills, but the firm suspension brought as part of the Dynamic Ride Control spoils the package
This is the Audi RS7 Sportback, the second recipient of Audi’s air-shreddingly potent, 552bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which follows (very) swiftly in the fat wheeltracks of the recently released and indentically powered RS6 Avant. All that horsepower, an industrial 516lb ft gush of torque streaming unabated from 1750 to 5500rpm, eight gears and all-wheel drive allow this big hatchback to perform 3.9second eruptions to 62mph with a DTM soundtrack for support. Performance like this propels the RS7 directly into contention with the BMW M6 Gran Coupé, the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and the Porsche Panamera Turbo, although the Audi is the only one to break the 4.0sec to 62mph threshold. Besides a gloriously unnecessary tumult of power, RS7 Sportback buyers also get standard-fit adaptive air suspension, a cylinder-on-demand (COD) system that reduces fuel consumption by as much as 10 perc ent during (doubtless rare) moments of throttle moderation and a maximum speed that can be raised from 155mph to 174mph or even 190mph with the addition of VMax-boosting Dynamic packs. The quattro four-wheel drive system sends a nominal 60 per cent of torque to the rear wheels and provides a limited-slip differential and torque-vectoring in a pretty successful bid to marshal the engine’s colossal output. Dynamic Ride Control, which replaces the air suspension with steel coils and Audi’s hydraulic, diagonally interconnected shock absorbers are among a heap of available options which also includes carbon-ceramic brake discs and the test car’s striking matt Daytona Grey paint.