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There are some sports cars that carry a certain aristocracy, a certain nose-in-the-air stance. Then there are those that are quite understated, quite underwhelming in their design appeal, so much so that you don’t quite notice them. The Audi RS 7 Sportback Performance is neither of these. Finished in this Ascari Matt paint finish you see on these pages, the RS drips with coolness. It’s a head turner of note with an exclusivity factor that in some ways sees it less spoken of than its RS 6 Avant stablemate with which it shares most of its underpinnings. A little older in its life cycle now, this RS 7 Performance replaces the previous RS 7 on Audi South Africa’s product list, bigger on power and desirability in many respects.
Given the RS 7’s coupe-esque roofline, the rear quarters are somewhat compromised, as pointed out to me by my trio of children. The foot wells in the rear don’t allow too much space, such is the sports configuration of the front pews. That said, the interior cabin experience remains top-draw Audi. Build quality is impeccable, the sports seats are superbly comfortable and supportive irrespective of the mode and mood you’re driving in. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit was once the envy of many competitor OEM’s, such was its clarity, user experience and progressiveness. Many years since its introduction, it still remains an excellent infotainment system with haptic touch feedback and all the connectivity and mirroring functionality you’d expect. It also include the RS displays and configuration options to setup and observe the car’s performance stats as you may choose. This test car featured Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, a R118 500 sound system with 1,920 watts of crisp sound.
Boot space is certainly commendable for a car with such performance credentials. 523-litres of boot space is packaged within a long but shallow space. We managed all of the luggage for a family of 5 on a 5-day holiday to the bush. The RS 7 swallowed surprisingly more than we thought it would.
Remembering the RS 7 from the first TopGear SA Speed Week feature, this updated car is up on power by 22 kW and includes a smarter Sport Differential with a self-locking centre diff. Combining this with four-wheel steering makes the large RS 7 rotate with the agility of a smaller car. The quattro system is at its finest now, almost curbing the inherent understeer that many Audi sports cars from yesteryear portrayed. Despite the car’s considerable weight, the chassis, all-wheel drive system and its built-in logic systems work incredibly well. The harder you hustle the RS 7, the more it surprises you, such is its built-in smarts. At the absolute limit it will understeer a tad but then break into oversteer that for the most part isn’t scary or snappy, but rather quite manageable and approachable.
In comfort mode, the RS 7 feels neutral, exceptionally easy to drive with the right steering feel. Long-hauling in the RS 7 is beautifully damped even on uneven surfaces riding on 22-inch, Y-style wheels, it’s an impressive experience. Configurable RS modes turn the comfortable saloon into an aggressive, responsive and entertaining machine. The throttle response, exhaust note, chassis and transmission characters all switch in tandem to produce a thoroughly enjoyable sports car. The steering is direct, feels adequately weighted and delivers some good feedback. The powertrain too, is brilliant. 0 – 200 km/h in 11.6-seconds isn’t anything to scoff at, especially for this large mouth saloon that can carry 5-people. You can hear that its exhaust note has been played down slightly due to European emissions standards, but Audi has still achieved something that will titillate and excite the senses whether you’re inside the car or hearing it from the roadside.
The RS 7 is of course, German, which means that optional extras abound and the price can be hiked quite significantly towards the R3-million mark so its rather pointless looking at the base price quoted here, but rather add a good 20 – 25% of the base price for the RS 7 Performance you want. Packaged options from Audi are available and perhaps better value for money.
The RS Styling package takes some of the best interior options such as Alcantara steering wheel, emboidered RS logos in the seats, centre console and door inlays in dinamica trim and more. That is a R64 500 package.
The speed heads will tick the RS dynamic plus package that removes the governor for a top speed of 280 km/h and adds all of the smart four-wheel steering, self-locking centre and sport differential. You need this package for the best RS 7 experience and that is a R90 000 add-on. Ascari Blue Matt is an additional R131 500 which is painfully expensive but oh so cool.
The RS 7 is a competent sports car that will engage and excite when the need arises. It will also play grand tourer in comfort and luxury albeit in a package that no-one will argue is boring or arrogant. That is its true strength – its universal yet exclusive appeal.
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