Driving the Audi RS7, the new bahnstormer: Motoramic TV

Audi’s S-cars are great. They’re fast, they handle well, they’ve got exquisite interiors. But any given Audi S is a subdued creature compared to the full-bore speed monsters from the likes of BMW’s M division, Mercedes-Benz’s AMG or Cadillac’s V-Series. For the really over-the-top Audis, you now need to look at the RS models. The latest of which is the 2014 Audi RS7, which mates the A7’s sleek shape with a powerplant that would adequately propel a small naval attack ship. Audi debuted the RS7 in Las Vegas, or more accurately, the desolate roads far, far, outside of Vegas. This is a car that needs room to roam.

For $105,795—about $25,000 or so beyond the price of an S7—you get a seriously overhauled car. Horsepower leaps from 420 to 560 and the 0-60 time drops to 3.7 seconds, from a leisurely 4.5. And while the S7 and RS7 both use Audi’s stupendous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, you do not add 140 hp simply by turning up the boost and ordering some schintzel. The RS7 gets different turbos, a whole new bottom end, a unique anti-lag system, beefed-up cooling and a different transmission.

The S7 uses Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission, but the RS7’s 516 lb-ft of torque would render that sucker broke-tronic. That’s OK, because you get the ZF 8-speed automatic instead. And even Audi, which pioneered dual-clutch transmissions, seems on the verge of admitting that the ZF box is so good that dual-clutches might’ve already seen their day. There’s something to be said for the smooth power deployment of a torque converter.

Despite its motherlode of power and creature comforts, the RS7 manages to avoid getting whacked with the gas-guzzler tax, thanks to cylinder deactivation that turns the V-8 into a V-4 whenever you’re not actively slaking a thirst for g-forces. You can’t tell when the 4.0 goes into four-cylinder mode, because active engine mounts cancel out any untoward vibrations. But the four-cylinder trick helps enable the RS7 to claim 29 mpg on the highway, a feat that makes the new Corvette’s 29 mpg appear consequently less impressive, given that the Vette weighs a half-ton less and has 100 fewer horsepower.