Tested: 2025 Audi RS7 Performance Absolutely Lives Up to Its Name

The Audi RS7 Performance really looks the part, all low and wide and suitably demonic. It oozes across the landscape with immense presence, rolling on tires that appear as thin strips of rubber on oversized wheels pushed far out to the corners of the body. The big wheels afford a view of the brakes, so you can see just how gargantuan 17.3-inch front rotors really are. It all seems built for a purpose, and that purpose is not lollygagging around. This car wants to run.And the RS7 Performance can indeed run, because it is as frighteningly quick as it looks. It’s powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, which is a hot-V design where the exhaust manifolds dump into the V to waiting turbochargers. With them spun up, the V-8 cranks out 621 horsepower at 6000 rpm. And getting them spinning doesn’t take long at all because peak torque of 627 pound-feet comes at just 2300 revs. Unleash everything it has using launch control and you’re hurled to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and you’re flying through the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 125 mph (and that’s with the West Coast’s tepid 91-octane brew).The transmission is a fairly simple eight-speed automatic coupled to the needs-no-introduction Quattro all-wheel-drive system. As a result, it puts the power down with authority yet shifts smoothly and quickly. The gearbox does take a bit longer to kick down when cruising casually in normal mode, needing 2.4 seconds to sort itself from 30 to 50 mph and 2.9 seconds to find its footing from 50 to 70 mph, but these are still decent times. HIGHS: All-around track performer, stunning good looks, that hatchback vibe.Out on the open road, the Audi leaps from apex to apex, gobbling up everything in between and leaving nothing in its wake. The steering is immediate and loads up with authority, and body roll is nonexistent. Cornering is positively heroic, and front- and rear-end grip is tenacious through the Continental SportContact 7 tires. Sized at 285/30 all around, these 22-inchers orbited the skidpad at 1.06 g’s. Stomping on the brakes, which are cross-drilled carbon-ceramic units pinched by 10-piston calipers up front, brings immense clamping power and instantaneous response, but also supreme control, as you modulate and eventually let off for the next apex. If you hold on for a full panic stop, the Audi needs only 143 feet to come down from 70 mph and just 288 feet from 100 mph.The sound is muted somewhat with the variable exhaust system corked, as our track tests reveal 77 decibels at wide open throttle. The note is intoxicating even at this level, though, and you can dial it up to 11 when you want to. Still, it’s nice to know it calms down to 66 decibels when you’re cruising along at 70 mph. But it is here that you might notice some foibles. Over time, the seat feels vaguely like a park bench. The steering that was clairvoyant in the twisties starts to get ahead of itself at lower speeds, with the tires going off without building any initial effort. And those heroic brakes start to feel a bit touchy around town. Mostly, though, it is the ride quality through those glorious-looking 22-inch wheels that gets more than a bit brittle over joints and cracks. None of it is a deal-breaker, but it is slightly off-putting.LOWS: Brakes are a tad touchy, seat is hard and flat, stiff ride around town.Inside, the RS7 is surprisingly accommodating in all seating positions. There’s ample headroom even in back under that sloping roof, and there’s more than adequate space for adult-size legs. What’s more, the back end opens via an unexpected hatchback to reveal a vast cargo hold. It measures a full 25 cubic feet with the rear seats in use, which betters some SUVs. Meanwhile, with them folded down, our 6-foot-2-inch tester could stretch out with ease. Costco runs should not be an issue.The accoutrements are stunning, particularly the exposed open-pore carbon-fiber trim with blue accents. The infotainment at first seems spread out all over the place, but you soon discover that there is logic to how it works, with HVAC on this screen and the stereo on that one. The instruments are controlled by dials and buttons on the steering wheel, which incidentally is very well sized and precisely the right diameter. The T-shaped shifter, a question mark at the outset, proves to be fairly straightforward, and there is more logic to the few buttons and knobs than you initially expect.More on the Audi RS7Of course, at $131,195 the Audi RS7 Performance will set you back quite a few simoleons. It breaks the $130K barrier by dint of a gas-guzzler tax, due to fuel economy that’s just 17 mpg combined (14 mpg city, 21 mpg highway). Our test car additionally carried some substantial upgrades, including those giant carbon-ceramic brakes ($8500), a bangin’ Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system ($4900), the Black Optic package with those 22-inch wheels and sticky Continental tires ($3550), and the RS Design package plus that brought the blue-tinged carbon fiber and other bits ($3500). There’s a bit more, and it all bumped the total price up to $165,040. Must-haves include the RS sport suspension ($1250) with cross-linked dampers for roll control and the RS sport exhaust ($1000).The Audi RS7 Performance is absolutely stupendous, a serious machine with intoxicating capability and menacing presence. The fact that you can take one to Sebring and sleep in it makes us want to do just that. Road trip anyone?VERDICT: A hero performer with looks to match—oh, and it’s practical too.SpecificationsSpecifications
2025 Audi RS7 Performance
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE

Base/As Tested: $131,195/$165,040
Options: ceramic brakes w/gray calipers, $8500; Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, $4900; Black Optic package (22-inch 5-Y-spoke design wheels, summer performance tires, black exterior trim), $3550; RS Design package plus, blue (Alcantara covered steering wheel with blue stitching, Alcantara covered shift lever and center console with blue stitching, carbon-fiber inlay with blue accents, blue seatbelts, RS floor mats with blue stitching), $3500; Executive package (leather package, head-up display, heated rear seats, soft-close doors, remote park-assist plus), $3050; black imitation suede headliner, $3000; night vision assistant, $2500; driver assistance package (adaptive cruise with lane guidance, side assist, intersection assist), $2000; RS sport suspension plus with dynamic ride control, $1250; RS sport exhaust system, $1000; Ascari Blue metallic paint, $595
ENGINE

twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3
Power: 621 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 627 lb-ft @ 2300 rpm
TRANSMISSION

8-speed automatic
CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 17.3-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/14.6-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc
Tires: Continental SportContact 7
Size: 285/30ZR-22 (101Y) AO
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 115.3 in
Length: 197.2 in
Width: 76.8 in
Height: 55.9 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 51/44 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind R: 25 ft3
Curb Weight: 4830 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 2.9 sec
100 mph: 6.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.1 sec @ 125 mph
130 mph: 12.0 sec
150 mph: 17.0 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.0 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.9 sec
Top Speed (mfr claim): 190 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 143 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 288 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.06 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 15 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/City/Highway: 17/14/21 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department.
Source: caranddriver.com