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The second generation version of Audi's RS 7 Sportback model delivered a massive slug of power and put all that through all four wheels to scuttle from standstill to 62mph in just over 3 seconds. You'll pay handsomely for the privilege of owning this RS 6-based GT 5-door model, but the accompanying soundtrack might well be the clincher: pure V8 muscle car.
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Performance Sporting Cars
History
You never quite know what you're going to get with an RS-badged Audi. Some are excellent, others merely make great autobahn expresses while a few are just head-scratchingly patchy in their array of talents. By the end of this century's second decade though, Audi had been on a decent run. The RS 4 of that era was one of the better examples of its vintage, while the larger fourth generation RS 6 was reckoned to be the best example of a big, fast Audi estate to date. Based on that RS 6 was this second generation RS 7.
It was first launched in this 4K8-era form in 2019, when it arrived with a 600PS 32-valve petrol V8. Three years later, to keep sales ticking over, Audi upgraded this model to 'performance' status, which meant power was uprated to 630PS. Even up against the likes of the Porsche Panamera, the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG and the BMW M8 Gran Coupe, this Audi appeared to hold its own. The price stood up well and there was lots of new tech, including 48-volt mild hybrid electrical engineering for extra efficiency. And there was a clever Launch Control system, plus wheel-selective torque control and a quattro sport differential that shifted drive torque between the rear wheels when cornering at speed. There was also a new five-link rear suspension design. Best of all, this car was very fast. It's always reassuring to know that when you're spending this sort of money, you're buying something genuinely and demonstrably rapid.
There was a light facelift in 2023 which saw the RS 7 range through to the end of production in late 2023. There was no replacement.
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What you get
So is this merely an RS 6 estate in a posh frock? Like its showroom counterpart, the RS 7 Sportback certainly looks perpetually ready to wield its sledgehammer performance - its sinewy body virtually hugs the road surface, and its sizeable wheels are shrouded by boldly flared arches that leave no margin for doubt about the mettle of this Audi Sport offering.
Inside, there are grippy RS sport seats upholstered with perforated Valcona leather. And you're positioned comfortably in front of a perforated RS sport leather steering wheel with aluminium shift paddles and multifunction buttons, including the RS MODE button, which the driver can use to enable the drive select RS1 and RS2 modes. This automatically opens the RS-specific displays on the Audi virtual cockpit instrument binnacle screen. These provide details of tyre pressure, torque, performance, oil temperature, boost pressure, lap times, acceleration, and g-forces.
More screens sit on the centre stack, an upper 10.1-inch display for infotainment and a lower 8.6-inch monitor for comfort features. The driver can use the upper screen to call up an RS monitor that gives an overview of drive system component temperatures, maximum g-forces and information regarding tyre pressures and temperatures.
In the rear, unlike the previous generation RS 7, this one is provided with a three-seater rear bench in the interest of maximum versatility. But you're not going to want to use the centre berth unless you absolutely have to because it's so heavily impeded by this over-prominent centre transmission tunnel. Still, provided you focus on the two main sculpted seats, you'll find that the 12mm increase in wheelbase length this time around is enough to make things feel quite a bit more spacious. The powered tailgate rises to reveal 535-litres of space.
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What to look for
Check for brake disc warping (rarely caused by hard driving but by the previous owner keeping their foot on the brake pedal when in Drive while stationary). Otherwise, the most reported 4K8-era RS 7 faults relate to interior trim and non-engine electricals. We've had some reports of issues with wear to the side bolsters of the leather seats, as well as squeaking front brake pads, so it's worth looking out for both of those. There were a few issues with the car's infotainment system, with phones not connecting properly and flickering screens being the main problem. The DSG automatic gearbox should be checked to make sure it's had a regular oil and filter change, as should the quattro four-wheel-drive system.
Many RS 7 models will have been company or lease cars and, as a result, you should check the condition of the bodywork carefully. The high-quality fit and finish of an RS 7 also makes it an ideal candidate for clocking, so ensure the history is absolutely verified. If the RS 7 you're looking at has a panoramic glass roof and was an earlier 4K8-era model, be aware that on a few cars, this roof became unstuck from its frame.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on an RS 7 Sportback (2020) - Ex Vat) An air filter costs in the £84 bracket. An oil filter costs around £6. A fuel filter is around £27. Front brake pads sit in the £40 to £54 bracket for a set; for a rear set, it's around £25-£82. A headlamp is in the £968-£1,170 bracket; and a wiper blade is in the £11-£19 bracket.
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On the road
Like its predecessor, this second generation RS 7 uses a 4.0-litre TFSI V8, offering 600PS in its original 4K8 form but uprated to 630PS in the later 'performance' version of this model, which gained the brand's 48-volt mild hybrid tech. Either way, this RS Audi's big V8 remained a thoroughbred powerplant in terms of character and sound and in the performance model, 62mph flashes by in just 3.4s on the way to a 174mph maximum. The driver can influence those aural fireworks by adjusting settings for the sports exhaust, one of the configurable elements you can influence, then programme into the car's customisable RS1 and RS2 drive modes.
All of this power's controlled via an eight-speed tiptronic auto transmission with optimised shift times and a Launch Control function. Through the turns, the quattro 4WD system's Torsen differential pushes 60% of drive to the rear axle in normal conditions, though at the slightest sign of slip, up to 70% of torque can go frontwards, or up to 80% to the rear, depending on what's needed. As with the previous generation pre-2019-era model, there's also a sport differential to vary torque across the rear axle; and wheel-selective torque control to maximise traction through the turns. Which should be all you need to ruin the day of that supercar driver behind.
To this recipe, for this MK2 4K8-era model, Audi Sport further added a Dynamic all-wheel steering system, via which the rear wheels are steered in the same direction as the fronts at high speeds for greater stability. And there was air suspension on an RS 7 for the first time, though curiously, Audi reverted to more conventional steel springs with adaptive dampers for the alternative 'RS-sports suspension Plus' system that was fitted to the top 'Vorsprung' version.
The other key change over the previous generation model lay with the adoption of a variable-ratio 'Progressive' steering rack, which gives more direct responses to larger steering angles. But there's still not the kind of feel you'd ideally really want when pressing on at speed through tight turns.
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Overall
This second generation Audi RS 7 offers all the grip, composure and sheer brawn most will ever need. If you were looking for the last word in driver involvement, you may find it a little aloof, but then buyers of this class of car tend to realise that they're exercises in compromise, albeit artfully designed ones. It's not short of charisma and it makes all the right numbers but is there an x factor to this car that's present in the very best RS products from Ingolstadt? An x factor that's there in its sister car, the RS 6 Avant? That will likely be for you to decide, as these things are intensely personal.
Audi clearly went about this car in a very correct manner. Some may see the RS 7's automatic gearbox as a less focused driver choice than the twin-clutch S-tronic transmission that's fitted to the S7, but to drive it is to realise the genius in the eight-speed auto's logic and execution. All the constituent ingredients seem to have been assembled but whether they hang together cohesively is a question that doesn't always disappear. Over to you.
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