Audi RS 6 and RS 7 pair packs a proper performance punch

A few months ago, the most powerful and fastest Audi RS 6 and Audi RS 7 versions so far, in Avant Performance and Sportback Performance guise, were unleashed on South Africa.

Then The Citizen Motoring finally got to put this statement to the test at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit as part of the official customer introduction to these ballistic missiles, courtesy of the relaunched Audi Driving Experience academy.

What does Performance mean in terms of styling? The RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback offer 16 exterior colours, including a new metallic and matte Ascari Blue and matte Dew Silver.

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Performance styling

The RS exterior components finished in matte grey, are the exterior mirrors, the front spoiler, the front side flaps, the side sill inserts, the roof rails and the trim on the side windows and rear diffuser.

A matte carbon/black styling package is also an option, in which the roof rails and trim on the side windows are black.

The Audi rings and model name are available in chrome or black.

Inside, the traditional Audi RS design packages in grey and red expands to include a new striking blue. The steering wheel rim in Alcantra black features contrasting stitching in Mercato blue, while the floor mats, the side of the centre console and the selector lever cuff also come with blue contrast stitching.

The seat belts are full-surface ocean blue with the decorative inlays in a carbon twill structure with optional blue accents.

The sports seats feature high-quality Valcona leather upholstery, perforated with honeycomb stitching with contrasting stitching in Mercato blue once again.

Another little Audi RS touch is an entrance LED in the front doors that projects the lettering “RS performance” on the ground next to the car.

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Brutish Audi power

More importantly maybe, what does “Performance” mean in terms of, well, performance? If your first thought is that there is no sensible reason to make these large and imposing luxury cars as fast as they are, when you dig under the surface and find the goodies lurking there to make them just as fast in a straight line as they are around a track, then your sensibilities are going to be seriously assaulted.

Think more power, less weight and better grip. Then you will have an idea why these Audi RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback Performance models can hustle around corners like nothing this size should.

The more power part is taken care of by bigger turbos, bolted to the 4.0-litre TFSI V8 engine and dialed in with added boost. They produce 463 kW and 850 Nm, an increase of 22 kW/50 Nm over the local discontinued garden variety RS 6 and RS 7 models.

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Big and fast

Reduced weight from a reduction in insulation material and the fitment of 22-inch lightweight wheels covered by Continental Sport Contact 7 tyres means the RS 6 Avant Performance comes in at 2 090 kg and the RS 7 Sportback Performance at 2 065 kg.

More power and less weight also mean these nimble siblings get to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds when utilising the launch control function which now features traffic light icons to signal the ideal moment to accelerate off the line.

Improved pace and grip come courtesy of an eight-speed tiptronic transmission – with faster shifting times – which runs to the permanent all-wheel drive quattro set-up connected to the wheels through a lighter and more compact mechanical centre diff. Power goes to the rear axle at a ratio of 40:60, but when required up to 70% can flow to the front axle and 85% to the rear.

It’s this technical combination that makes the Audi RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback Performance hit an apex, corner after corner if you have a decent level of track skill. But, more importantly for the everyday driver, when pushing on you always feel like you have grip in reserve and things are under control. And that is the biggest plus of an Audi RS car.