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“A sleek, highly desirable coupé with the right engine”

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Car Tested – Audi RS 7 Sportback 4.0 TFSI Quattro 560ps Tiptronic

 

I was really looking forward to this car. The most powerful current Audi. With even more power than the R8 V10 Supercar. The Audi RS 7 Sportback, an agile colossal performer, combined with a sharp, stunning, coupé body shell. An expensive, very fast, executive express, mated with a tractable and docile coupé.

The RS7 Sportback is extremely attractive from many angles, the addictive combination of big wheels, sharp looks, very cool looking lights and wheels and an abundance of Audi performance extras combined with a beautiful interior, the interior’s carbon styling package at £4250 really helps the look.

In combination with the smoothest eight speed automatic the 560ps, twin turbo 4.0 Litre V8 provides fantastic acceleration. 0-62mph coming up in just 3.9 seconds with a massive punch and all the growl and crackle of the V8 and the sports exhaust when slowing down. The combo of speed and acceleration with the Quattro all-wheel drive, on a wettish… road is Ballistic with a capital ‘B’. The RS7 has a limited top speed of 189mph, this car has real performance in abundance. The RS7 Sportback, so you know, is also just a tad faster and greener than many of its German counterparts from BMW, Porsche and Mercedes.

Driving the Sportback is a glorious experience with all that power on tap, the finest high performance brakes, electro mechanical steering, the dynamic package suspension and all the refinements Audi can bring. With the added assurance of Quattro All-Wheel Drive and torque vectoring as standard, the power can be used to real effect. AWD tractability brings massive grip to manage the 560ps power delivery and the flexibility of the massive torque 516 lb-ft available from 1750 – 550rpm.

The knowledge of 560ps under your foot is rewarding, but when just pootling, at above 15mph the 4.0 Litre V8 can effectively downsize to a 2.0 litre V4. With cylinders on demand, it can shut down and operate on four of the V8’s cylinders. This really improves economy and armed with this technology, it brings a claimed on the road consumption of 28.8mpg combined, CO2 of 229 g/km and a reasonable range of 475 miles. It is also barely noticeable when driving the car.

The Drive select system allows you to tailor the drive to your preference, I will admit, for the time I was reviewing this car, just using the comfort, auto and dynamic modes, were exceptionally good, just as they were. I am sure with extended time, a driver could get more intimate with them. The comfort mode and refinement it brought for the routes I was driving, proved very, very good. The eight speed transmission always so smooth and for most types of normal driving, best left alone. You may occasionally feel the need to use the paddles on the steering wheel, always fun for downshifts and to hear that satisfying, crackling, exhaust note.

Yes, you do feel a little cocooned in the luxurious cabin and for some the docile nature of this car would be a real plus. Buying this car just for its performance though, would be wrong, like buying a Range Rover just for off roading, you would be missing the point. Driving in town or on the open road the RS 7 is a fine experience. This luxury coupé is a great place to leisurely spend time.

Inside the oversize, four door, four seat coupé, hatchback and out on the road there is more than ample room in the cabin, very easy to get comfortable in. As you would expect from Audi, beautifully constructed, with the expected intuitive, but not overly complex, Audi controls, If you drive an Audi you will know what I mean.

On the road, the Audi RS 7 Sportback is very fast and comfortable. However in the usual UK traffic, I particularly enjoyed driving this car through some towns and villages, well insulated from the real world. As I travelled to Banbury I spotted a Police car behind me, blaring siren on. Inside my part time, double glazed bubble of luxury, the £6300 Bang & Olufsen Sound System, on. The siren was barely discernible. The sound system is exceptionally good, making the car a real pleasure. Instrumentation is well configured easy to read and the driver display is really useful. The head up display is bright and legible and also alerts of satnav directions, keeping your eyes on the road.

The rear is very roomy and more than adequate for a large coupé, there is rear aircon and a folding armrest. Possibly for taller occupants the coupé roofline may be lower than you wish. The boot is ample with 535 litres,  the RS7 doesn’t come with a spare wheel. However, you probably wouldn’t want to try changing it even if it did.

Extras on this car do make the price stack up ‘Audi style’. Pricing for the RS 7 Sportback starts at £82,010. The extras added to the car I was driving took it to £115,405. This coupé was so well specced I would not want for anything else. Almost ‘Everything’ was on this car. The most notable being, the £6300 Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, the Carbon Styling Package £4250, the Dynamic Package Plus £10,725, this replaces the air suspension with dampers and springs – although I would like to try the air suspension model. Gorgeous High Gloss Black 21″ x 9J ‘Spoke Blade’ alloys £2000, Sports Exhaust £1000 and Night Vision with pedestrian protection £1510. I am glad to say Electric heated seats are standard.

When you have specced your car over £100k, the Porsche Panamera Turbo may be worth consideration. To  qualify, this Audi brings, more equipment, premium levels of practicality, refinement, performance and its limo like docility is also very welcome.

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Tech spec:

The Audi RS7 Sportback base price is £81,010. The extras on this car added up to £33,395. The on-the-road price of this car was £115,405.

Engine: V8, 3993cc, Twin Turbocharger, Compression 9.3:1
Max Power: 560 ps @ 5700-6600rpm
Max Torque: 700Nm / 516 Lb ft@ 1750-5500rpm
Max Speed: 189 mph
Acceleration: 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds
Claimed MPG: Urban 35.3,  Extra Urban 58.9,  Combined 47.9
CO2 Emissions 229 g/km
VED Band L –  £460 per annum

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