The new Audi RS 7 Sportback and the hybrid A7 55 TFSI e quattro have been revealed at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Audi RS 7 Sportback
The new Audi RS 7 packs even more power than before, keeps the V8, and adds a mild-hybrid system to clean up things a little more. The aggressive front-end is a welcome change and the RS 7 sure looks like it means business. The svelte Sportback four-door coupé form is retained and this 5,009-mm long beast is actually a tad shorter than before. The essentials bits: big V8, bigger horsepower, quattro intelligent all-wheel drive and blistering acceleration times are retained.
The 4.0-litre biturbo TFSI V8 petrol engine now makes a full 600 hp – up from 560 hp and just 5 hp short of the “performance” model. Yet the peak 800 Nm of torque exceeds that of even the higher-performance “performance model we have here (and tested here as well). The huge peak torque is on tap from 2,050 rpm until 4,500 rpm. The new Audi RS 7 will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and hit an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h. That top speed can be raised to 280 km/h with the Dynamic package and up to 305 km/h with the Dynamic plus package.
The 48-volt mild-hybrid architecture on the new Audi RS 7 Sportback ensures maximum performance with enhanced efficiency. The system can recuperate energy or disconnect the engine to coast with minimum friction. The V8 engine’s cylinder-on-demand technology can also deactivate four cylinders when high output isn’t needed; in a few milliseconds. The output of the 4.0-litre TFSI V8 flows through the standard eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. A new launch control function has also been added. The drive is distributed 40:60 between the front and rear axles via a mechanical centre differential. The maximum front bias is 70:30 whereas the maximum rear bias is 15:85.
A7 55 TFSI e quattro
Audi also revealed the new hybrid A7 55 TFSI e quattro. The new A7 features an additional 105-kW motor, capable of 143 hp and 350 Nm, in the specially-developed hybrid seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission unit. The 3.0 TFSI V6 makes way for the 2.0-litre TFSI four with 252 hp and 370 Nm. The combined output is 367 hp and 500 Nm, the latter of which is available at just 1,250 rpm. The transmission with the integrated motor drives the signature quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.
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