Launch Alert: Audi RS 7
I don’t know much about the pop singer Ed Sheeran but if the success of his ‘Shape of You’ is anything to go by, it’s clear that people give form more importance than anything else. And it works especially well with the less geeky kind because you don’t have to dig deep to like something. Similarly, the impact of visual appeal is such that car buyers often choose the new and fancy models over something that’s proven its presence over the years but is maybe a bit MEH to look at. The recently announced 2020 Audi RS 7 is quite the opposite of ‘meh’ but it fits in both the camps equally well — it’s new and fancy and also something that hasn’t failed its reliability tests over the last few years. Its design demands all the attention not because it is obscenely loud but because it’s the flag bearer for a slightly different type of shape.
A different shape? One which makes you question the point of it but not without you being perplexed — because you clearly like it, too. It’s called a Sportback — Audi’s name for fastback — and it tries to marry the proportions of a conventional saloon with the practicality of a hatchback. And all of that while making the RS 7 look like a svelte coupe. You see, fastback styling is not new — it came much before the Mustang which made it very popular, and is more prevalent now with the arrival of the dreaded SUV Coupes — but despite that, it’s still fairly unconventional. When in the mid-2010s, the RS 7 arrived, it not just brought along gallops of power, it also introduced this very unique body style. And you won’t be wrong to believe that for most buyers, the explosive performance was just another reason to actually get a car that looked as fast as it could go. That rarely happens, because more often than not, fast cars tend to look like they’ve been through a paper shredder. But not this one!
With the new RS 7 Sportback, Audi hasn’t reinvented its sartorial flavour, but it has successfully moved forwards with the style it had perfected with the gen-1 car. While the overall shape hasn’t changed, there are enough new things to keep you hooked on to this until Audi brings out the next version. Both the interior and exterior are updated to bring them in line with Audi’s design language. You can only spec it as a five-seater (both in India and the UK), the wheel choices include 21-inch and 22-inch options, and despite an assertive design, it doesn’t look offensive. Again, you can’t say that about a lot of the other cars which come with a 22-inch wheel straight from the factory, can you?
The engine, still a twin-turbocharged 4-litre V8, is more powerful than before — at 592 bhp and 590 lb-ft. Like fellow Audi Sport cars (other than the R8 RWS), the RS 7 also gets quattro AWD — and a sport differential at the rear. Which explains the almost-supercar-like 0-62 mph time of under 4 seconds (Audi claims 3.6 seconds). There’s also a mild-hybrid system, complemented by cylinder-deactivation tech, which, depending on the load, can help the engine be more frugal. To ensure the RS 7 is as quick around the corners as it is on the straights, it also gets the optional four-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension. The previous-generation RS 7 had a fair bit of body roll, and I’m keen to see how this one performs. Because it’s faster and better-loaded. And more importantly, it looks even better than before; the overall shape still works brilliantly.
‘We push and pull like a magnet do’ (sic). Prices start at Rs 1.94 crore onwards, but expect to shell out a bit more cash if you want the optional extras — the 1820-watt audio system, carbon inlays, 22-inch wheels, four-wheel steering, Matrix LED headlamps, head-up display… you name it!