The Audi RS 7 Sportback is astonishingly quick. How quick? Quick enough that if you jumped off a building, you wouldn’t reach a speed of 60kph as fast as the RS 7 Sportback can do it on a horizontal stretch of tarmac. It means that in the RS 7, for a split-second, you just might experience acceleration greater than gravity.

(The RS 7 Sportback goes from 0-60kph in 1.7 seconds; a free-falling object, or yourself, will touch a speed of 59.97kph in the same time.)

The Audi RS range of cars—the initials are taken from the German RennSport, translated in English to ‘racing sport’—have technology and performance comparable with high performance sports cars, such as those made by Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini. However, while most sports cars are two-seater, the RS 7 Sportback is a full-size sedan, but one that runs on steroids. Essentially, it retains the everyday comfort and practicality of a regular sedan, but when pushed, it can give an average Ferrari serious competition on the road.

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Looks fast

The tapering roof design is courtesy Audi A7, on which the RS 7 is based. However, that’s where the similarity ends. While the A7 has a touch of finesse, the RS 7, despite embodying the same design language, looks mean. The trademark Audi Singleframe grille and the high-gloss black honeycomb grid create an impression of outstanding strength. The RS bumpers with large side air intakes and integrated flaps stand out, as do the LED headlights with dark-tinted surrounds.

Spartan cabin

The cabin doesn’t reek of the luxury associated with an expensive Audi vehicle. It doesn’t need to. It’s a powerful car, and thus the cabin exudes sportiness, exclusiveness and, of course, quality. Details such as illuminated door sill trims, aluminium pedals, door openers with a double-bar design and carbon inlays—all underline the vehicle’s character. The RS sport seats have a boldly contoured form, unlike the soft seats of, say, the A6 or the A8 L. The flat-bottomed RS leather-covered multifunction sport steering wheel has gear-shift paddles, which enable you to change gears manually without having to let go of the rim.

Monstrous engine

The RS 7 Sportback is powered by a V8, 3993cc petrol engine. The maximum power it produces is 560bhp and the maximum torque is 700Nm—these figures are almost five times that of a regular sedan sold in India.

The RS 7 touches 0-100kph in just 3.9 seconds. The top speed, we believe, is electronically limited to 250kph, even though this engine is capable of making the car go far faster. Nobody expects such powerful cars to be fuel-efficient. Yet the RS 7 doesn’t really disappoint on this front too—the maximum we got driving on roads in and around New Delhi was a decent 8kpl, and the average was about 6kpl.

Blast and fly

It’s simply not possible to describe what driving the RS 7 feels like—frightening, hair-raising, spine-tingling. This car is a beast that must only be unchained by a capable driver. And the best way of becoming ‘capable’ enough is to gradually graduate from the regular sedans—drive the A4, then the A6, the S5 and onwards to RS 7. Thankfully, you don’t need to take that longish route. Audi India has a property called the Audi Sportscar Experience (ASE), organised at regular intervals in different cities. The ASE lets you experience not only Audi sports cars on a race track, but the instructors also teach you how to handle powerful cars on the road.

Verdict

For Rs 1.59 crore ex-showroom, the RS 7 Sportback is expensive. How expensive? Expensive enough that with the same kind of money you can buy the far more luxurious Audi A8 L and still left with enough pocket change to take a five-star holiday trip around the world.

Looked at from another angle, the RS 7 Sportback is a value-proposition. It costs lesser than, say, a high-end sports car, and is not only almost as exciting to drive and looks almost as exclusive, but also has the everyday comfort and practicality associated with a regular sedan.

vikram.chaudhary@expressindia.com