Greed
With more power comes the craving for more power. Not quite so with the RS 7 Sportback. A big 4.0-litre twin-turbo FSI V8 engine is more than enough. It makes 560 PS between 5,700 and 6,600 RPM with a hefty 700 Nm of torque coming in from 1,750 to 5,000 revs. It also features cylinder management, running on four cylinders when required. There’s no sudden build-up, it’s all progressive. The power flows to the quattro all-wheel-drive system through a new eight-speed automatic transmission and self-locking centre differential. The RS 7 just handles it. It can, all of it, with aplomb. It makes you push. It coaxes you to try your limits. It makes you want more of the road, and it lays the rubber down when you go all out and try and hit the apex. The Audi DriveSelect modes help tailor the package further.
Wrath
What matte-grey, twin-turbo V8 sports car would not want to have an aggressive stance. The RS 7, with its dark theme, big 21-inch wheels and low-profile rubber and even bigger black front grille with a ‘quattro’ emblazoned lower air-dam completes the menacing look. The 4.0-litre TFSI V8 starts up with a subtle low-frequency burble. Get on the move and it stealthily picks up speed effortlessly. Hit 2,000 revs and the turbochargers spool up, emanating the sound of jet turbines gathering thrust. The awe of that lasts until 3,000 RPM when your mind begins to focus on the bellows beginning to warm up. As you approach and cross 5,000 revs, the engine goes on song. The rude braps from the quad tail-pipes cause tingles that crack a wider grin with each expulsion of carbon dioxide! Step on it, and the burble and bellowing peak with a crackle and pop with 100 km/h taking just over four seconds. The red-line is 6,600 and you really don’t want to cross that threshold for your own good, unless you’re in closed circuit conditions.
