Audi made big waves with its second-generation A7 release, recently. The first-gen car was so good looking, and still is all these years later, so it was really quite shocking to see how much better the second-gen car looks. We’re incredibly excited for the new Audi A7 but the car we’re even more excited for is its high-performance sibling — the Audi RS7.
The second-gen Audi RS7 was just caught testing again, this time in the snow (We don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here). However, it might have fooled people at a quick glace, as the RS7 test mule was wearing pretty plain looking wheels and “A7” badges on it. It doesn’t help that the test mule looks like a pretty standard A7. Though, there are some pretty obvious giveaways that only the more astute enthusiast would spot.
For instance, the two massive oval exhausts that flank each side of the rear are dead giveaways. Only Audi “RS” models have such exhaust tips. Standard Audis just get a small circular exhaust on either side of the rear (or they get fake plastic panels, which is infuriating) and Audi “S” model cars get quad exhausts. Only Audi RS cars get the massive twin ovals. So this is clearly an Audi RS7. Also, we can see that there is more aggressive body work bolted to the outside, such as wider fender flares and more aggressive rear haunches. The fender flares are reminiscent of the original Audi Quattro and look quite good, adding width and aggression to the exterior of this RS7.
Standard Audi A7
The second giveaway is the sheer size of the brake calipers. They’re massive and far too big for any standard Audi A7. They also seem to be six-piston calipers up front, which would be obnoxious overkill in a standard A7. Now, the wheels are pretty boring A7 wheels but this car is doing its testing in the snow, so it needs to wear winter tires and they probably just slapped some on regular wheels for the test mule.
We’re hearing that the upcoming Audi RS7 will borrow a variant of the same 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that’s shared with Audi and Porsche. In RS7-guise, we’re hearing about 650 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s considerably more than the 600 hp from the current RS7 Performance. With the lighter weight of this new car, in addition to its added power, we’re expecting dramatically improved performance times. There are also rumors of a second powertrain option for the upcoming RS7, which would be a first for any Audi Sport model. That second powertrain is rumored to be a plug-in hybrid version of the same twin-turbo V8. But it’s not being done for fuel efficiency. Instead, it’s done for power, as the twin-turbo V8 is said to combine with the hybrids electric motor to make 700 hp.
So far, this new Audi RS7 is shaping up to be the most exciting new Audi since the second-gen Audi R8. We can’t wait to see what it really looks like and what really powers it in the near future.
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