2014 Audi RS 7 Quattro

The Audi RS 7 Quattro is really one particular automobiles that strives to do it all. Not content to simply be excellent at one point or to be a jack of all trades, the RS 7 strives to be excellent at every thing...and pulls it away. It Is perhaps the most "complete package" automobile that I Will drive this season. Startlingly rapidly, fairly comfortable, and totally high tech, they do not come significantly more "C-Net-design" than this.

Power and operation
The most strong of Audi's A7-chassis automobiles, the RS runs on a 4.0-liter V8 engine that's said at 560 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque. That torsion is delivered via a 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission coming to the Audi Quattro program and all 20-inch RS Style wheels. In this setup, Audi's all-wheel-drive system divides electricity 40/60 between the front and back axles, respectively. This small back diagonal, combined with torsion-vectoring backside Sport Differential, brings to the sporty RS 7's sporty driving features.

Audi RS 7
The 560-hp RS 7 has as much strength and torsion as a Porsche-911 Turbo S.

Dual turbochargers force feed atmosphere to the V 8's cylinders, which will be subsequently combined with immediate-injected superior petrol and combusted to produce gobs of electricity. When all of this capacity is not needed, like when cruising along, the motor takes benefit of cylinder-deactivation technology, shutting down 1 of its own cylinder banks and dropping down to what's basically a 2.0-liter inline-four-banger when not under load. Tip to the best pedal and also the inactive cylinders spring alive transparently and so quick that you simply'd never realize they were sleeping at work. This 4.0-liter motor can be obtained with fuel-economy, stop-beginning anti-stagnating technology in other Audi automobiles in other marketplaces, but our instance had not been so equipped.

As outfitted, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reckons that the this large, 560-hp, all-wheel-drive sport sedan is wonderful for a blended average of 1 9 mpg, and also 16-mpg in town, 27 highway mpg. No, it's not going to win any performance prizes, but these are not terrible amounts in any respect and should be readily attainable in real life.

But in the event you are in the marketplace for approximately $105K's worth of sport-sedan, you are likely more fascinated in the 0-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds as well as the mentioned top speed of 174 miles per hour than in gas econ.

For on-course driving and also the blitzing of fantastically curvy streets, you'll be able to manually pick in the eight forward gears using the paddle shifter or the change lever. However, for the causal bending of visitors laws and also 0 - to - 60 runs, you might do better to only leave the transmission in its automated Sport mode. It does a terrific job of expecting and firing off down-shifts before cornering and of keeping the revs large to the tach's swing when quickening, ripping off fast upshifts without bouncing off the rev-limiter. Relaxation mode is the most appropriate for day-to-day driving less the barking of the V8 and jerkiness of the drivetrain, but it is still pretty reactive to throttle input signal.

2014 Audi RS 7 Quattro

20-inch wheels
Everything from the suspensor to the motor to the seat-belt tension is customizable through the Generate Select method.

Cozy and customizable
Many automobiles nowadays feature some type of driver-selectable transmission software or a Sport way.

From on screen menus, the driver can choose Dynamic (athletics), Relaxation, or Automated settings to promptly fix the RS' motor output signal, transmission software, adaptive air-suspension, the exhaust and motor sound, the sense of the digital power steering, the assertiveness of the Equilibrium Management and Activity Differential, the seat-belt tension, and much more.

Changing involving the extremes of Dynamic and Relaxation modes is like day and night.

Even at its softest environment, RS 7 nevertheless feels just like a sport-sedan. It only gets better to stay with. The suspensor is reasonably strong. You Will nonetheless feel the lumps of the trail, simply with all the harshness of the bigger imperfections smoothed out. The Relaxation steering feels ignitor, trading somewhat of Dynamic highway feel for decreased fatigue for longer drives and easy dancing across the limited turns of a parking deck. With all the flexible engine sound maintaining noise reduced, the transmission maintaining revs reduced, along with the motor's throttle reaction smoothed out, the RS 7 can additionally be somewhat docile and silent around township in its Comfort environment.

Switch to Dynamic and immediately you will see the tach jump up a number of revolutions per-minute as the gear box picks a more pace-suitable ratio. The elective $1,000 Sport Exhaust system no doubt made our case simply a hair louder than stock, but I am not whining. The ride gets visibly stronger when cornering within the RS 7's ample handling limitations and only a bit more freely is rotated by the buttocks.

If you do not enjoy the extreme presets or the automatic way that fixes the vehicle states based on your driving fashion, then you can also combine and match Dynamic, Car, and Relaxation settings for a variety of vehicle systems, saving your selection under the Individual Drive Select way.

Hightech dash
Yes, that is a lot of cash, but this is a lot of automobile.

The Audi MMI infotainment system can be controlled with a mixture of a rotary control on a Touch Panel input signal, voice command, and the middle console. There are additionally hardware buttons for the Main Menu, the Auto Menu (where you can locate the Drive Select settings), and a back key.

MMI navigation
The Navigation system's trendiest living room trick is its consolidation with Google Earth and Google Local Address search. Via a set 3G data connection, satellite information is overlaid on a 3D topographic map of the region around you. Visually, it is considerably more pleasant-looking than the flat maps you will get with other navigation systems. The onboard 3G connection also powers the on-line address search, reside fuel cost and weather upgrades, the traffic method, and in-auto Wifi connectivity for passengers' cellular apparatuses.

The tradeoff for this Net-connected, Nvidia-powered infotainment encounter is that it takes a few minutes to boot up every time you begin the automobile. The delay is just about 30 seconds, during which time you can not input a destination or even listen to sound.

Touch Panel input signal display
Touch Panel input signal permits the driver to compose address search terms with a fingertip.

Not dissimilar from the touch pad on your notebook computer, the Touch Panel permits drivers to input signal address by merely composing the letters with a fingertip. I discovered the system to be rather precise, picking up my chicken scrapes virtually flawlessly.

2014 Audi RS 7 Quattro

Around in the Radio region of the MMI system, I was competent to choose between AM, FM, HD Radio, and satellite radio transmissions.

The main monitor is a big, motorized device that goes from the dash and turns, but itisn't the only real display in the motorist's disposal. Tucked involving the two primary gauges of the device cluster is just another big color LCD which can be personalized (via steering wheel controls) to show excursion and fuel economy info, the present sound source, and map and change-by-change tips, including to search contacts and start handsfree calls.

Indoors and outside, the Audi utilizes total LED illumination, in the headlamps to the tail lights and inside lights in between and all the gauges. While we are outside the vehicle, the Audi gets the "RS outdoor look" treatment with bigger grille openings out-front, more competitive skirts all around, and big 20-inch wheels.

Standard tech is rounded out with the innovative back-digicam system, Audi Side Help with Pre-Feeling Back (a re branding of blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alarm), and keyless entry and beginning.

Choices and security technology
You might give your Audi seller a search for $105,000 and drive-away happy using a good-outfitted and flexible sport sedan. Or you can tack on a couple more choices. (I am certain that you can easily see where this is heading.)

The elective Bang & Olufsen sound system seems nearly as good as it seems.

Sound out of this system was wonderful -- easily among the greatest rigs on the way nowadays -- but with no side-by-side comparing together with the normal Bose environment system, it is tough to inform whether it seems $5,900 better. It definitely looks the part, with aluminum loudspeaker grilles polishing conspicuously across the cottage.

A stunning instance of workmanship, this provides a steel pinstripe impression to the open black wood sections round the cottage. Look carefully and you will also begin to see the improvement of the writing "Quattro" lifted above the low grille.

2014 Audi RS7 'Quattro' Exterior & Interior

The Carbon Optic bundle adds shiny black trim, carbon-fiber emphases, and Quattro images.

Equipped technology choices are bundled into two bundles.

Present speed information can be shown by this exhibit and float change-by-turn way inside the motorist's field view. Together with the other shows, the HUD makes three distinct alternatives for seeing navigation directions combined with the verbal prompts.

The Innovation bundle additionally adds a Night-Vision Assistant characteristic that may be utilized to show an increased infrared see of the route ahead to the instrument cluster show. This technique can find and emphasize pedestrians, summarizing them with yellowish cartons in the grayscale display. Yet, I never discovered the program to be incredibly useful. Scenarios where Night Vision could happen to be useful are consistently the scenarios where you will desire to be viewing the route through the windshield rather than gawking at your device bunch. That, together with the proven fact that Nightvision never looked to expose anything that I could not see in the led headlights, keeps me from urging assessing this box until you simply want showing off to your own other well to do pals.

Eventually, we have the $2,800 Motorist Support bundle, adding complete-variety adaptive cruise-control, an ahead crash warning and intervention setup, and lane-maintaining alarm. The typical rearview camera is updated into a broader angle device with selectable several views and augmented by way of a front fender camera that farther helps with limited parallel parking.

The liftback setup presents a huge opening to the cavernous back storage space.

Component low-slung component ultraluxe hatchback and sport-sedan, the RS 7 strives to be-all things to everyone even in its layout. Front seat passengers are treated to some wide cottage with lots of head and shoulder space. The front seats are warmed, greatly strengthened, and 1 2-way power-adjustable. Climate controls are automated and have four temperature zones.

With all the liftback lifted, there is a huge opening for the deep back storage area, which ought to make loading bulky things simple.

Pricing and rivalry
The 2014 RS 7 managed pretty much everything that I possibly could presume to throw at it throughout my week of screening. It had been a hoot of a trip, with extreme levels of electricity on deck, but it was also hard to get unsettled as a result of the typical Quattro all-wheel-drive and surprisingly simple to operate a vehicle. The Audi's flexible suspension grasped the route like no one's company but could likewise be cozy for commute or cross country in the touch of a button. Using its large power come large brains in the likeness of the special standard and elective technologies.

In regards to the one thing that it could not be was cheap.

You might knock a couple of dollars off of that almost one eighth-of-a million-dollars price tag by jumping gimmicky choices such as the Innovation bundle's Night-Vision, the $4,000 of carbon-fiber trimming, or -- if you are no audiophile -- the $5,900 B&O sound system. Future motorists that are more into technology than operation too can save hundreds by stepping-down to the still-powerful Audi S7 and A7, farther down the line.

Not a supporter of the Audi? The Bimmer retains a small performance advantage over the Audi, but I discovered the RS 7's motorist controls, infotainment structure, and liftback settings to be merely a tad simpler more natural as opposed to Gran Coupe's, which needed a Google search to find out the way to park. Naturally, your mileage (and settings) may fluctuate. Both are magnificent automobiles.

Talking of magnificent automobiles, the RS 7's details make the Aston Martin Rapide S a simple operation comparison, however only when you have got cash to burn.

2014 Audi RS7 Quattro - First Drive Review