Audi RS7 India review, test drive

This is the new Audi RS7 super-sedan, and it’s hard not to speak about it in superlatives. Here’s why. With 552bhp, it’s the most powerful production Audi in the world, and that includes every variation of the mid-engined R8 supercar available. It gets to 100kph from a standstill in 3.9 seconds, despite weighing just shy of two tonnes. And it does all this with a 4.0-litre engine, making for a stupendous specific output of 138bhp per litre – that’s sportsbike territory. It’s also gorgeous to look at and properly luxurious too. On the surface, it’s hugely impressive, and you really have to get under its sinister matte grey skin to see what makes it tick, and that’s just what we’ve done.

There’s no debating that this is a fantastic looking car. In fact, while the standard Audi A7 – on which this is based – could be accused of looking a little hunch-backed from some angles, the RS7 balances things out with its flared sills, massive front air intakes, huge tailpipes and those slim-spoked 21-inch wheels. Then there are details like the black honeycomb grille, silver wing mirrors and pointy chin spoiler that only add to the drama. With its lower, more aggressive stance, it seems that, styling-wise, this is the car the A7 was always meant to be.

The cabin of our test car swaps leather for suede and wood panels for carbon-fibre trim. The seats, even at the rear, are heavily sculpted, body-hugging chairs wrapped in quilted alcantara, and there’s also an RS gearlever and a sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel. That aside, however, it’s standard A7 fare, which is a good thing. The quality is all but faultless, the superb wraparound dashboard isn’t too high set and the 3D-effect dials with their massive trip computer screen are a pleasure to behold. The front seats, though a tad snug, are very comfortable and fully electric, though they don’t actively support you in the corners like in some other super-sedans, and the front passenger misses out on seat memory. You have to sink down into the deep-set rear seats, but once in here, the headroom is not nearly as bad as that sleek roofline would lead you to believe. Still, the RS7 is not one for the chauffeur-driven, and is also a strict four-seater. It’s full of kit befitting a luxury car though, like a Bang & Olufsen audio system, four-zone climate control and satellite navigation, to name a few. The option of a full-length panoramic sunroof instead of the standard-size one would not have gone amiss though.