Performance car reviews

The smooth 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the RS7 Performance produces a robust 605 horsepower, just five fewer than the 5.2-liter V-10 in the blazing-fast R8 supercar, as a matter of fact. Its 553 lb-ft of torque outmuscles the R8 by 140 lb-ft and the non-Performance RS7 by 37. The extra output comes mainly from a new overboost function and different turbocharger turbines, but the Performance’s V-8 also has revised valve timing, new exhaust valves, different camshafts, higher-efficiency radiators, and a reprogrammed control unit. (The new S8 Plus has the same 605-hp engine, but that car is tuned more for refinement versus the more-frenetic RS7.) As you’d expect, then, there’s plenty of thrust available, all the time, and it’s impossible to keep from grinning like an idiot during high-speed passing maneuvers and full-throttle romps away from stoplights. Zipping around sweeping on-ramps is fun, too, the lovely perforated steering wheel transmitting strong signals of the relationship between the meaty front tires and the pavement.

The eight-speed automatic—remapped for this amped-up application—is an eager accomplice. Few paddle-shifted cars compel us to use their paddles, but the RS7 is a different beast; it’s highly satisfying to have this excellent drivetrain at your direct command. The transmission shifts instantly when you thwack the appropriate paddle, and the engine roars like a wild animal, fierce and alive. Upshifts just mean more velocity piling onto the speedometer, all the way up to a stated top speed of 190 mph. Downshifts are just as scintillating, the needle flinging up the tach and the exhaust burbling viciously.

The RS7 Performance comes standard with the sport exhaust that’s optional on the 560-hp RS7. That less-powerful RS7 will continue to be available, and Audi of America execs figure the sales split will be 50/50. The $20, 100-dearer RS7 Performance is actually a good deal, since it comes with carbon-ceramic brakes that aren’t available on the base car, as well as some tasteful aesthetic upgrades and the delectable engine alterations.

One note: As is sort of a trend of late—witness Dodge’s two-key strategy for its Hellcat products—the RS7 doesn’t allow its full fury to be accessed right away. One must be in Dynamic mode and/or have the transmission in the manual or sport positions in order to dip into the full 605 horses. Doing so also makes the throttle tip-in pretty touchy, so you might want to keep it in the 560-hp mode if, say, you’re shuttling your in-laws home from dinner. The Performance also gets Dynamic Ride Control suspension (DRC), which is part of the $3500 Dynamic package on the regular RS7 and trades out that car’s air suspension for sportier steel springs. The DRC dampers are connected diagonally across the car with hydraulic fluid, notably improving attack angles during cornering. The RS7 is the only current Audi with DRC, although we’ve previously experienced it in the RS4, RS5, and RS6.