The RS 7 Sportback – the most potent five-door coupé in the Audi range – now looks even sharper and performs even more efficiently, yet no less formidably. The new generation RS 7 Sportback, which becomes available to order in the UK later this summer ahead of first deliveries in late 2014, combines subtle styling enhancements with new LED lighting, upgraded infotainment features and revisions to the 560 PS V8 TFSI powerplant which enable it to comply with new EU6 emissions regulations.
“The Audi RS 7 Sportback confirms the reputation of the RS models as the superior, top athletes of our brand,” states Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development of AUDI AG. “The combination of a powerful four‑litre V8 engine with Cylinder on Demand technology, quattro drive and intelligent lightweight design makes the RS 7 Sportback an outstanding piece of sports equipment for any fan of dynamic and yet efficient driving.”
Even at first glance, the Audi RS 7 Sportback reveals its dynamic character – the long bonnet, flowing C-pillars and the sharply sloping rear end form an aesthetic overall impression. New design details add striking touches. They include the Singleframe grille with the black honeycomb typical of RS models, with the corners now even sharper and more distinctive. Three optional packages – matt aluminium, gloss black and carbon – make the look of the RS 7 Sportback even more distinctive.
Subtle modifications have also been made to the bumper, with its distinctive air inlets. The headlights, also adapted to the new singleframe grille, now feature LED technology as standard. Matrix LED technology is available for the first time on the RS 7 Sportback, with integrated dynamic turn signals on the front and rear. The tail lights also have a new interior design. New to the paint palette are the colours Floret silver, metallic; Glacier white, metallic; Mythos black, metallic and Sepang blue, pearl effect.
In the elegant black interior, dominated by the RS sport seats, the designers have made judicious changes to the instrument cluster, including the air outlet controls of the vent nozzles, the shift paddles behind the steering wheel and the quattro emblem on the instrument panel. The standard MMI navigation plus with MMI touch now uses the modular infotainment platform of the latest generation; its highlight is an efficient graphics processor from Audi partner, Nvidia.
The EU6-compliant 4.0 TFSI engine in the revised Audi RS 7 Sportback provides the same prodigious 560 PS, with a constant 700 Nm (516.3 lb-ft) of torque at engine speeds between 1,750 and 5,500 rpm. The engine catapults the five-door coupé from 0 to 62mph in 3.9 seconds; the optional dynamics packages allow top speeds of 174mph and 189mph respectively. On a combined cycle however, the resonant V8 twin-turbo returns up to 29.7mpg, and emits 221 grams of CO2 per km. A key factor in this efficiency is the Cylinder on Demand (CoD) system, which can shut down four cylinders during partial load operation.
An eight-speed tiptronic transmission tuned for optimum performance also features a tall final gear to contribute to fuel efficiency. The might of the V8 engine is harnessed by the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and used to best effect by the standard Sports differential, which apportions torque in precisely measured quantities between the rear wheels according to driving conditions.
RS adaptive air suspension is fitted as standard, together with adaptive damping, and is controlled via the Audi drive select driving dynamics system. Audi offers the tauter RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) as an alternative. A further option is dynamic steering, which continuously varies the steering ratio for greater agility.
The revised Audi RS 7 Sportback is fitted with 20-inch forged lightweight alloy wheels as a standard. Optional 21-inch cast aluminium wheels are available in three different colours. The four internally ventilated brake discs have a weight-saving wave design. Alternatively carbon fibre-ceramic discs are available as an option. Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC) features a Sport mode that can be deactivated altogether if required.
