With the RS 7 performance’s 275’s scouring for traction on the wet, wet road, it was time to test mettle. Procedure followed, the RS 7 performance rocketed off the line, squirming a little sideways and back. Traction wasn’t the most easily available commodity at the time, but a time of 4.43 seconds to a hundred ks wasn’t too bad at all. In fact, it was 0.05 of a second quicker than the RS 7 was in the dry.
The thing is there isn’t much of a noticeable kick earlier on. The strength of this engine shows at speeds that belong on the autobahn. Above 100 km/h is where the TFSI V8 really gets quicker. It’s 1.4 seconds quicker to 200 km/h than the RS 7, again wet v dry. Enough about the speed. Yes, really. It’s a proper 2+2 grand tourer and it has creature comforts to suit all creatures.
Alcantara-rich it is and there’s no shortage of proper touring goodies and ergonomics. As brutal and beastly as it looks and sounds, it’s got the warmth of a cosy home in the winter when you’re behind closed doors. The leather seats, the MMI Touch and the large screen in the centre console add all the convenience the experience demands.
The ride quality, even with the 30-profile rubber, is actually quite good and the chequered leather seats are supremely comfortable and give the right kind of support at all time. Surprisingly, I partially expected to be thrown around in the tight bends, but the quattro grips and grips and goes around dismissing the pouring rain like a spot of dew. It’s very reassuring, to say the least. The downside to all of this is the deceptive nature of the sensation of speed.
At 70 km/h, it feels like you’re doing 30 or coming to a standstill. It feels unbelievably effortless and the note from the motor — which has active cylinder deactivation — when it’s on four sounds like the bassists at work. It’s only when your foot pushes itself that the baritones start warming up. It’s all building up the thrusters from there on. Get traffic, though, and the lift-off, especially if it drops you out of the peak torque zone below 1,750 revs, is accompanied by an audible drone that sounds like disappointed thrusters cooling down. It is efficient. More than the one with 560 ponies. With a 4.5-km/l city figure and eight on the highway, it’s an overall 5.4 km/l. Not half bad, is it?
Audi have just launched the RS 7 performance at Rs 1.6 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). Overboost doesn’t kick in hard; it kicks in like a shot of NOS. Either that or your senses are already overloaded. If something untoward does happen, there’s always that plea of temporary insanity.
