Driven – Audi RS 7 Performance

The Audi RS 7 is without question the biggest and baddest of the RS offerings here in the USA. This fact becomes evident the very second the engine is started. With Dynamic mode is selected, its exhaust note becomes a bark, and its power delivery becomes more of a bite. This is one wickedly fast car, one which does not sacrifice comfort for light weight or style for gaudy tacked on aero baubles.

The most basic RS 7 (as if there was such a thing!) is a great car in its own right, but the Audi RS 7 Performance has an impressive number of addons that make the car look, sound, and drive better, all as standard equipment. Things such as extra carbon fiber trim, spoilers, mirror caps and such, as well as some optional color accented tweaks adorn the car as a treat to the eye.  Carbon Ceramic brakes replace the Wave design standard rotors, and Audi Dynamic Ride Control (with coil springs) replaces the very good standard air suspension.

The Pièce De Résistance  though, is under the hood. As if the standard RS 7 isn’t brutal enough, the engine tuning wizards in Neckarsulm have managed to squeeze an extra 45hp out of the already substantially powerful 4.0 liter direct injected V8 fitted under the beautifully sloped aluminum hood. And for those of you keeping score at home, that means the RS 7 Performance distributes 605 angry German horses to the road via the beefed up 8 speed ZF automatic transmission, and of course, quattro all wheel drive. The result is pin you to your seat acceleration, and may result in a permanent grin.

Overall the RS 7 Performance is not heavily changed from the standard car. There isn’t a huge wing, there isn’t any extra badging aside from the Audi Carbon Ceramic decals on the enormous brake calipers. It’s only when you give yourself permission to stomp your right foot down on the carpet that you feel the full fury of the RS 7 Performance. The extra power is noticeable, and welcome, especially when you get the momentary overboost adding more torque to the mix.

On the road the coil sprung DRC suspension is very firm when in Dynamic mode, and while not unbearably so, it is much smoother in the comfort setting on long drives. Our test route had us driving through central Florida between Miami and Sebring, which consisted of mile upon mile of arrow straight roads interrupted very occasionally by “corners”, which in all honesty were hardly tests of such a car’s handling abilities. This is a car that wants you to grab it by the wheel and DRIVE it in order to get the most out of it.

We do know from previous experience that the RS 7 is a great handler for the size and weight, and the standard rear Sports Differential helps tremendously in this area. With the ability to overdrive the outside wheel (relative to the inside wheel) in cornering, the effect is dramatically reduced understeer, and beautiful handling at all speeds. The sports diff alone is truly remarkable in its ability to transform a relatively long wheelbase car from one that pushes through tight turns, to an agile athlete that wants to rotate and drift through the apex.

The standard Carbon ceramic brakes fitted to the RS 7 are staggeringly good, and operate exactly as iron brakes in most situations, which is to say, they work when you expect them to, such as in the rain, in cool weather, and all situations where carbon brakes generally aren’t excellent. Where they truly excel is when you REALLY need them, such as at very high speeds and very high braking forces. Here they are in their element, being able to dissipate the enormous heat generated by big fast cars trying to brake hard. Even on the race track, the brakes never faded or lost braking ability.

If you are looking for the ultimate sports sedan in the USA, in our opinion the RS 7 Performance has everything you’d ever want, if you primary goal is maximum capability style and luxury.

Standard Features

Safety | Security

• Driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags, front thorax side airbags, knee airbags and Sideguard® head curtain airbags¹
• Front passenger occupant detection for airbags¹
• Power central locking system with safety unlock feature if airbags deploy
• Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and brake assist
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with secondary collision brake assist and traction control (ASR)
• Anti-theft alarm system with immobilizer
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Safety belt reminder for driver and front passenger
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) in rear seats
• Electromechanical parking brake

Exterior

• Gloss Black RS exclusive Singleframe® grille with honeycomb mesh inserts (without “quattro” script)
• Full LED headlights
• Automatic headlights
• LED taillights and rear fog lights
• Power-adjustable, power-folding, auto-dimming heated exterior side mirrors with memory
• RS model oval exhaust outlets
• Carbon front spoiler, front side air inlet frames and rear diffuser insert
• Gloss Black trim around exterior windows
• Power tailgate open/close
• Adaptive rear spoiler
• LED turn-indicator lights integrated into the exterior side mirrors
• Heated windshield washer nozzles
• RS model unique front/rear fasciae and side sills
• Carbon exterior side mirror housings

Interior

• Four-zone automatic climate control
• Three-spoke multifunction flat-bottom sport steering wheel with shift paddles (with RS 7 badging)
• Power tilt and telescopic adjustable steering column
• Power windows with one-touch up/down operation and pinch protection
• RS design Carbon Fiber inlays²
• Sunroof
• Dual front sun visors with lighted vanity mirrors
• Auto-dimming interior rear view mirror
• Ambient LED interior lighting
• Stainless-steel door sill inlays (with RS 7 badging)
• Front and rear floor mats

Seating

• Valcona leather seats with contrast honeycomb stitching (with RS 7 model designation)
• Heated twelve-way power front sport-contoured seats, including four-way power lumbar adjustment
• Split folding 60/40 rear seatbacks
• Driver seat memory
• Four-seat configuration
• Leather-wrapped door armrests

Infotainment | Technology

• MMI® navigation plus with voice control system³
• MMI® touch with handwriting-recognition technology
• Audi connect® with six-month trial subscription⁴
• BOSE® Surround Sound System with 14 speakers, AudioPilot® noise compensation and 630 watts
• 7″ color driver information system
• HD Radio™ Technology
• SiriusXM® Satellite Radio with 90-day trial subscription⁵
• INRIX XD™ Traffic
• Cruise control with coast, resume and accelerate features
• Audi music interface (two USB ports)
• BLUETOOTH® wireless technology preparation for mobile phone⁶
• BLUETOOTH® streaming audio⁶
• Garage door opener (HomeLink®)
• Audi advanced key — keyless start, stop and entry⁷
• Parking system plus with rear view camera (front and rear sensors)
• Audi side assist with pre sense® rear
• Head-up display
• Audi drive select
• Rain/light sensor for automatic windshield wipers and headlights

Technical Specifications

·         Engineering | Performance

Engine type V8 engine with cylinder on demand™ engine efficiency technology

Displacement (cc)/Bore and stroke (mm) 3,993/84.5 x 89.0

Horsepower (@ rpm) 605 @ 6,100-6,800

Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 517 @ 1,750-6,000 (up to 553 @ 2,500-5,500 with overboost)

Engine block Aluminum-alloy

Cylinder head Aluminum-alloy

Valvetrain 32-valve DOHC with variable valve timing

Induction/fuel injection Turbocharged/TFSI®

Acceleration (0 – 60 mph) 3.6 sec.

Top track speed 190 mph ⁸

·         Transmission | Drivetrain

Transmission Eight-speed Tiptronic® automatic transmission with quattro® all-wheel drive and sport differential

Gear ratios: 1st 4.714

Gear ratios: 2nd 3.143

Gear ratios: 3rd 2.106

Gear ratios: 4th 1.667

Gear ratios: 5th 1.285

Gear ratios: 6th 1.000

Gear ratios: 7th 0.839

Gear ratios: 8th 0.667

Gear ratios: Reverse 3.317

Gear ratios: Final Drive 3.076

·         Steering

Type Electromechanical power steering system with dynamic steering

Ratio 15.9:1

·         Suspension

Front Audi dynamic ride control suspension system – DRC®

Rear Audi dynamic ride control suspension system – DRC®

·         Brakes

Front (in) 16.5 (Audi ceramic)

Rear (in) 14.5 (Audi ceramic)

·         Body

Material ultra® lightweight technology — aluminum exterior body panels and a steel chassis

·         Warranty | Maintenance

Warranty 4-year/50,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty

Maintenance 12-month/5,000-mile (whichever occurs first) NO CHARGE first scheduled maintenance

·         Exterior Measurements

Wheelbase (in) 114.8

Length (in) 197.3

Height (in) 55.9

Overall width without mirrors (in) 75.2

Track front (in) 64.3

Track rear (in) 64.0

Curb weight (lb) 4,542

Drag coefficient (Cw) 0.30

·         Interior Measurements

Head room (in, front) 36.9

Head room (in, rear) 36.6

Leg room (in, front) 41.3

Leg room (in, rear) 37.0

Shoulder room (in, front) 57.2

Shoulder room (in, rear) 55.9

Cargo volume (cu ft, cu ft, rear seatbacks up/folded) 24.5

Seating capacity 4

·         EPA Estimates | Capacities

City TBA mpg ⁹

Highway TBA mpg ⁹

Combined TBA mpg ⁹

Engine oil (qt) 8.8

Fuel (gal) 19.8

Recommended fuel Premium

Emissions rating ULEV II

• Engineering | Performance

Engine type V8 engine with cylinder on demand™ engine efficiency technology

Displacement (cc)/Bore and stroke (mm) 3,993/84.5 x 89.0

Horsepower (@ rpm) 605 @ 6,100-6,800

Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 517 @ 1,750-6,000 (up to 553 @ 2,500-5,500 with overboost)

Engine block Aluminum-alloy

Cylinder head Aluminum-alloy

Valvetrain 32-valve DOHC with variable valve timing

Induction/fuel injection Turbocharged/TFSI®

Acceleration (0 – 60 mph) 3.6 sec.

Top track speed 190 mph ⁸