Audi RS 7 2015 Review

It's remarkable how extreme speed can focus the mind.

On a wet October day in Germany blasting down a public road at 253km/h, the brain automatically begins scanning the lanes ahead further, and further afield.

The occipital cortex at the back of one's skull registers the slightest in-lane movements from traffic at an astonishing distance as the almighty Audi RS 7 flashes past regular traffic in the slower lanes like a road-bound bullet.

Travelling from Dresden to Neuberg on a Wednesday arvo, senses on high alert, throttle pinned to the Audi's plush pile carpets, it strikes me that humans aren’t really supposed to go this fast. We can run pretty quickly, roll down a steep slope at a fair clip, but this fast? Not even Wile E. Coyote would try this. It puts a bit of dread into you.

Yet the car has no problems with it, which makes the situation far more enjoyable. Perhaps a little too enjoyable?

The 3993cc twin-turbo V8 sings its gorgeous baritone chorus beautifully as it pushes the car's significant mass (1995kg unladen) through the increasingly heavy air to 280km/h.

The digital speedometer readout is rising at a much slower rate as it passes 283km/h (a new personal best for the author) eclipsing a speed set by the Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG a few months earlier.

The magical 300km/h mark arrives and it's an odd moment, enjoyable for only the briefest of seconds. That's because the brain is all too aware that the slightest of variances, whether in road surface, from other motorists and even from the car or tyres, would result in spectacular catastrophe.

But the foreboding passes as quickly as it arises, because the Audi RS 7 feels solid at these speeds. Absurdly so. The steering is gentle, the suspension firm but absorbent as the tyres revolve at a stupefying rate, the aerodynamics ensuring splendid composure.

It's common for cars to get a flighty at speeds of over 250km/h – those that can, I mean – but approaching 300km/h the RS 7 is crouched and confident as it bites the road, its four-giant 21-inch wheels and big 275/30 Pirelli ZR-rated high-speed tyres copping significant downforce, while the engine propels the car forward with relentless fervour.

All the while I'm having a calm conversation with a good friend and fellow journalist as we scan the sat nav to make sure there are no corners coming up, the photographer in the back seat equally at ease. It's in stark contrast to what would be occurring on the freeway in Australia, where limits are capped at 110km/h.

And then the claimed 305km/h speed limit is surpassed and at 313km/h it's time to ease the throttle as traffic builds about two kilometres ahead. The gentlest of pushes on the brake pedal results in smooth but resolute deceleration as the big eight piston calipers gnaw on the carbon ceramic brake rotors, speed washing off ridiculously quickly.

The 'Dynamic Package Plus' that enables the 305km/h top speed also requires the fitment of carbon ceramic brakes, the pack priced at almost $26,000. But it's a good thing to have the ceramic stoppers mandatory with extreme top speed. From such high velocities its reassuring to know the brakes are not going to instantly cook and leave you with a lifeless brake pedal and flaccid response, something I have experienced before.

The capability of the RS 7 to confidently break through the 300km/h barrier without ever feeling nervous or insecure is astonishing. If the traffic had not built, it would have touched (or bettered) 320km/h, a maximum velocity claimed by the Audi R8 LMX.

The Australian-spec RS 7 we last tested on the Stuart Highway, in a duel with the supercharged HSV GTS, had a soft-limiter at around 290km/h. No such constraints on this car. Our Austrian photographer notes that it's the fastest he's ever been in daylight hours, with most high-speed testing done late at night.

Audi claims the car will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and although it doesn't quite feel supercar-rapid off the line, the car's magnificent thrust makes it a weapon at freeway speeds. Peak power of 412kW arrives at 5700rpm and is sustained until 6600rpm while torque of 700Nm peaks at 1750rpm, maintaining a flat torque curve until 5500rpm.

As evidenced in one of the photos, the RS 7's rip-snorting V8 is spinning at 5800rpm in seventh gear at 313km/h, the eighth and final gear in the conventional automatic reserved for fuel-saving cruising. The S7 gets a fancier dual-clutch auto, but with muscles bigger than Schwarzenegger's in his 30s, the RS 7 will grind anything but the most robust gearbox into tiny metallic smithereens.

On another two occasions 300km/h is casually surpassed, by both myself and my colleague, as we cover 100km in what seems like 25 minutes; and while it's a maelstrom outside, traffic flitting past, other road users happily moving over after a flash of the high beams at long distance, it's calm and quiet in the cabin as we converse about the differences in driving attitudes between Germany and Australia.

Attempting something like this on any Australian public road (except a stretch of the Stuart highway in Central Australia) would result in "go straight to jail, do no pass go". Yet in Germany it's a common occurrence. Even at 200km/h, it's amazing how often other motorists pass you. The mantra of 'speed kills' in Australia would be laughed at by many German motorists, a country that has a lower road toll (per capita) than here -- despite it's de-restricted roads... But that's a yarn for another time.

As an autobahn berserker that never loses its sense luxury, security or control, the Audi RS 7 is absurdly composed in its high-speed endeavours, where rear-drive exotics often feel fidgety and nervous above 260km/h.

When the time eventually comes to head off the autobahn, a sombre moment to be sure, the RS 7 turns into a docile, easygoing cruiser with a huge amount of interior room and loads of interesting buttons to press. The engine even has an idle stop-start system, so when the vehicular behemoth comes to a halt at traffic lights it saves a bit fuel by shutting down the engine.

Like the new Audi A6 the updated RS 7 gets a handful of new bits, including a more efficient engine tune. It now uses a claimed 9.5L/100km, down from 9.8 – although we managed about 20 – and CO2 emissions have dropped from 229g/km to 221 as well. Don't ask what the CO2 output was...

Matrix LED headlights will be optional on the new model when it arrives in Australia in the second quarter of 2015, and like the new A6 it's got a much-needed infotainment upgrade. Powered by an NVIDIA quad-core processor, the RS 7's infotainment graphics are cleaner and update more smoothly and rapidly, whether scanning through menus, selecting a song or using sat-nav.

Better yet, the car can now display full sat-nav read-out on a bigger screen nestled between the instrument dials, as well as on the central screen, which makes navigating in a foreign country a whole lot easier. And looks classy to boot.

Criticisms? Not too many. The dynamic steering is supposed to be Audis best of breed, and while it's perfect for autobahn blatting, it's less than ideal on winding country roads. It creates a slightly delayed response at times. Because of the cars significant size and weight it's hard to gain confidence on tightly twisting roads – something a car like the RS4 has no trouble with.

Currently priced at $238,500 – and unlikely to change appreciably when this upgraded model arrives here in 2015 – the RS 7 sounds expensive, but in terms of what it's capable of, and how composed it remains at the extreme end of the speed spectrum, it's good value. Moreover, it is more affordable than its competitors from Porsche, BMW and Mercedes (see below).

However it'll cost another $25,840 to add the 'Dynamic Package Plus' which adds the ceramic brakes, RS sports suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), Dynamic Steering and a 305km/h top speed. And if you throw in another $13,900 for the 'Exclusive Design Package' which adds better seats, quilted leather, red seat belts and more besides, the price rises again.

Indeed, the cost of admission quickly closes in on $300,000 but even at this high price the RS 7 delivers luxury and performance that boggles the mind – and can focus it like you would never believe.

2015 Audi RS 7 Sportback and specifications:
Price: $238,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder twin turbo-petrol
Output: 412kW/700Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 221g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star NCAP

What we liked:
>> Power
>> Speed
>> Luxury

Not so much:
>> Costly options
>> Vague steering
>> Polarising looks

Also consider:
>> BMW M6 GranCoupe (from $298,675)
>> Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG S (from $262,650)
>> Porsche Panamera Turbo (from $383,900)