By: IOL Motoring Staff
Ingolstadt, Germany - The horsepower war between the German luxury carmakers continues unabated, with the latest salvo coming from the Castle of the Four Rings at Inglostadt.
It's a double whammy called, simply, performance. With a small 'p'. And performance is what it's all about. Simply put, Audi has boosted the 4-litre TFSI biturbo V8 in the RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback with an extra 33kW to deliver a quoted 445kW and 700Nm - with an overboost function that (briefly) gives you another 50Nm for even more whiplash-inducing acceleration.
We're talking about 0-100 in 3.7 seconds (two tenths quicker than the standard RS models) 0-200 in 12.1 seconds (1.4s inside the RS number) and top speeds of 280 and 305 km/h respectively with the optional dynamic package.
And yet Audi is still quoting laboratory fuel-consumption of 9.6 and 95 litres per 100km respectively - which may be problematical to achieve in the real world.
The extra power comes from revised engine-management software to make the most of the extra boost from tweaked turbos, the improvement in fuel-efficiency from applying a cylinder-on-demand function that lets the engine run on just four pots under light load.
The standard-issue transmission is an eight-speed tiptronic with ratios optimised for the increase in power and revs, shifting manually (when you want to) via either sequential movements of the gear lever or paddle shifters on the RS multifunction sport steering wheel.
And when you're in manual mode, a shift indicator in the driver information display - or the optional head-up display - tells you when to hook the next ratio.
40:60 FRONT/REAR BIAS
The quattro permanent all-wheel drive set-up with a 40:60 front/rear default bias, but varies that in either direction as conditions dictate. In addition, torque control brakes the inside wheel during enthusiastic cornering to reduce understeer - and will also apply the brake individually on any wheel that starts turning significantly faster than the other three - i.e. spinning.
Also available for the performance models is an active sport differential on the rear wheel that shifts torque between the inside and outside rear wheels as required, without wasting any of it by using the brakes.
RS adaptive air suspension is standard on performance models, lowering the ride height by 20mm and continuously varying the damping according to road conditions, your driving style and the mode you've chosen in drive select.
New on the RS performance models is a second drive mode selector on the steering wheel, so you can change modes 'on the fly' without taking your eyes off the road.
Extra-cost upgrades include tauter RS sport suspension with dynamic ride control and dynamic steering with continuously variable steering ratio.
The new RS performance models roll on special 21 inch cast-alloy sims shod with 285/30 rubber on the RS6 Avant performance and 275/30 tyres on the RS7 Sportback performance.
Audi's systems engineers have also taken a leaf out of the superbike playbook by making the four internally ventilated brake discs ptal-shaped to reduce unsprung weight; carbon-ceramic discs are an option.
LOOKING THE PART
It goes without saying that the two new RS flagship models have to look the part and they do, featuring road-hugging sports bumpers with large air inlets and gloss black honeycomb grilles in front, flared side sills and deeply profiled diffuser inserts at the rear.
Each performance model carries a quattro logo on its air inlet duct and body trim elements in a matt titanium-look finish. There's also a signature paint colour for the performance models - a deep metallic blue - available as an option.
That blue is echoed in the insets of the deeply-bolstered RS sports seats with integrated head restraints, trimmed in a honeycomb-pattern alcantara/leather mix, and matching contrast stitching on the armrests, control elements and floor mats.
The signature feature of the performance trim, however, is knee pads trimmed in alcantara and carbon twill blue trim - a very special carbon-fibre material with a blue thread woven into the mat.
The new Audi RS6 Avant performance costs €117 000 (R1.8 million) and the Audi RS7 Sportback performance €121 700 (R1.86 million), ex factory in Germany - which unfortunately makes them simply too expensive for the SA market once all the extra costs of shipping and taxes are added on. Pity.