Luxury car makers in India are increasingly looking at the performance segment, more than ever before. While BMW has launched a wide range of M powered cars, including the X5M and X6M recently, AMG the performance division of Mercedes has launched five cars, just in 2015. So how can rival Audi be far behind? In comes the 2015 facelift of the RS7 sport along with a few other cars from the RS and S sub-brands. The RS7 is a sporty version of the A7 sportback, a car that doesn’t exist in India currently, so it does seem a bit odd that the company has decided to enter the market with just the performance version of the car.
Looks
At first glance this might look to you as a regular A7 sport back from Audi until you come on the front and see the RS batch on the grille (which itself is refreshed) and then you realise this one is not just a beauty, it’s also a beast. One of the more significant changes on this 2015 facelift are the headlights which now become sleeker and also come with popular Audi matrix LEDs. What happens here is that all the diodes do not function together but according to the road conditions. It makes the view clearer for you as well as for the car that’s coming in the opposite direction. Four doors in a sports coupe is something that may confuse you or excite you but makes the car more practical. Despite the extra doors, the sloping roofline looks as charming as it would on a two-door, and the smoked black LED tail lamps make the pretty picture complete.
Interiors
This one is sporty and luxurious from the inside. The Audi Multimedia interface with a seven-inch touch screen is here as well, like most other Audis. It gives a lot of information including satellite navigation and has 20 GB of internal space. There’s a lot of RS branding on the car to remind you that this is not your regular A7 sportback. And finally the optional 15 speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is just exceptional. The space inside is anything but conservative and the presence of carbon fibre justifies the sporty feel of the car.
Four doors in a sports coupe is something that may confuse you or excite you but makes the car more practical. Despite the extra doors, the sloping roofline looks as charming as it would on a two-door, and the smoked black LED tail lamps make the pretty picture complete.
Engine
The Engine hasn’t changed on this facelift, so the figures remain as mind boggling as before. This one runs on a four litre twin turbo V8 gives a massive power of 560 PS. Audi is promising that from stationary this car will reach a speed of 100 kmph in just under four seconds. In fact when it comes to top speed you can buy three different versions, ranging from 250 kmph to 305 kmph! The speed ZF is gearbox is always eager to deliver what you want from a car of this sort — quick shifts. But this one comes without a dual clutch but there are paddle shifts to aid your driving needs. The peak torque also comes in under 2000 rpm which is a boon for a sports car. The good thing is that if you’re not putting the pedal to the metal and you do not require all those eight cylinders half of them shut down thereby ensuring more mileage that what you normally get.
Ride & Handling
The RS7 gives you decent ride quality for a sports car, despite the absence of adaptive air suspension seen earlier on the car. It is a bit on the stiffer side but the problem is the weight. This is a heavy car weighing more than 2,000 kgs, which means in terms of handling, you might be left wanting for a better feel on the car. However, different driving modes ensure these are a couple of cars merged into one. The Dynamic mode is for you to enjoy the driving pleasure while the comfort mode just makes it a lot cushier for all the passengers. And those wider tyres do contribute in giving a more stable ride.
Verdict
There’s no doubt that the RS7 is a very capable four door sports coupe. Its priced at a whooping Rs 1.4 crore (ex-showroom) which might sound a lot but when compared to its nearest rival the BMW M6 Gran coupe, you save close to Rs 40 lakh on this one. So if you have the money flaunt this one, live multiple lives and play multiple roles.
Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars.