Audi RS7 Sportback Performance review, test drive

Remember when 500hp was the glorious high-water mark for performance cars? Well, that was the past, and Audi is prepping us for the next generation with its 605hp RS7 Performance.

Published on Oct 10, 2016 08:00:00 AM

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Audi RS7 Sportback Performance review, test drive

Exterior is the same too, save for darker accents and smoked head and tail-lamps.

Standard air suspension better suited to our roads than optional sports suspension.

Drive Select switch adds convenience.

More than even the power what amazed and continues to amaze us is the grip this car offers. It can hold onto breakneck speeds through corners, long after mere mortals like us have given up and backed off. You push harder and harder, and it will just shrug it off without a second thought.
What’s changed? Not much. On the outside, there’s no smaller wheel size options and the newly designed 21-inch alloys are the only ones you get, so prepare to nurse this 600hp monster gingerly over potholes or you’ll crack a rim. The headlamps and tail-lamps get a smoked black finish as standard, and some of the visual add-ons that used to be silver, are now finished in gunmetal grey. On the inside, it’s exactly the same, except for one miniscule addition that’s actually super handy. There’s a ‘Drive Select’ toggle button on the steering wheel, so now you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to switch between Comfort, Auto, Dynamic or Individual modes; essential in a shapeshifting grand tourer like the RS7.

So the RS7 Performance is more about bragging rights than a transformed driving experience, and that’s just fine with us. This was always an incredible car to drive – it’s not necessarily the most fun around corners, but with acceleration so ferocious and grip so tenacious, even short bursts in everyday driving can be addictive. It will cost a bit more than the standard car, but for those seeking the ultimate in performance luxury with a bit of practicality, until the next generation of super sedans comes along, this is it.

The horsepower wars are far from dead. Long live the horsepower wars.