Audi RS 7 (2019 – present) | Expert Rating

Summary

The Audi RS 7 is a high-performance, luxury five-door liftback based on the regular Audi A7 Sportback range. This is the second-generation model, which arrived in the UK in late 2019.

Officially named the RS 7 Sportback, this sporty Audi has received a largely positive collection of review scores from the British motoring media – praised for its upmarket interior, which Car says is “tech heavy” and “beautifully built”, and its performance, which the Carwow team argues would “give some supercars a run for their money”.

“The Audi RS 7 is very, very good”, says Jeremy Clarkson writing for the Sunday Times. “Knock off £25,000 and you’ve got a deal.”

The majority of reviewers agree with this sentiment – the RS 7 is an impressive performance package, but the asking price is steep, even by Audi RS standards. “It’s a model that still lies in the shadows of the RS 6“, Car Key‘s Ted Welford explains. “The wagon offers a better mix of practicality and affordability.”

While Top Gear describes the RS 7 as “genuine fun” on the road, announcing that it’s a proper rival to the likes of the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E 63, others do not find the liftback as appealing.

“When you’re forking out this kind of cash, there are more thrilling performance cars”, What Car? concludes, recommending the Mercedes-AMG GT 4 Door, which it says is “the best-sounding car in the class”, as well as the slightly quicker all-electric Porsche Taycan.

As of September 2022, the Audi RS 7 holds an Expert Rating of 72%, based on 12 reviews published by the UK motoring media.

RS 7 highlights

Blistering pace and acceleration
Plenty of grip in high speed corners
Well-built upmarket interior
Large boot

RS 7 lowlights

Expensive, base price and up
Rivals are more fun to drive
Firm suspension
RS 6 is cheaper and more practical

Key specifications

Body style: Large liftback
Engines: petrol
Price: From £104,405 on-road

Launched: Winter 2019/20
Last updated: N/A
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 8 / 10
“The RS 7 Sportback feels more relevant since Audi distanced it from the now-diesel S7, and it’s undoubtedly more involving to drive than its predecessor, too.”
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Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 8 / 10
“As tempting as it might be to label the Audi RS 7 a devastatingly quick cross-country machine, doing so would be a touch disingenuous. Truth is it just feels slightly too wide to really be at home on the tighter lanes and B-roads that so often provide the most thrilling drives.”
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Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 8 / 10
“In many ways, the RS7 Sportback is exactly how you expect it’s going to be. Tech heavy, beautifully built, fantastic on the autobahn and completed by a tuneful V8 soundtrack. As it’s based on a large five-door fastback, that it’s practical as well as good looking is also what you’d expect.”
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Score: 9 / 10
“Despite the RS 7’s best efforts, it’s a model that still lies in the shadows of the RS 6. That’s really no fault of its own, it’s just because the wagon offers a better mix of practicality and affordability than the model tested here.”
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Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi RS7 Sportback is a large luxury hatchback that blends big performance with an equally impressive interior, plus plenty of space and everyday usability.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“The Audi RS7 Sportback is an incredibly fast four-door coupe that’ll give some supercars a run for their money. It looks great inside too, but alternatives are more involving to drive.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi RS 7 is agile, very fast, and more entertaining than you might expect.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“The Audi RS 7 combines coupe styling, practicality and monstrous performance.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“The Audi RS 7 is very, very good. Knock off £25,000 and you’ve got a deal.”
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Model reviewed:
“The Audi RS 7 is ferociously fast and capable, but where’s the fun?”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“An Audi RS that nails its basics but also sprinkles in some genuine fun. The RS 7 proper E63 and M5 rival at last.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“The Audi RS7 Sportback is extremely quick, nicely made, well equipped and jolly practical, but you could also say the same about other, much cheaper A7 Sportback models.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Adult protection: 93%
Child protection: 85%
Vulnerable road users: 81%
Safety assist: 76%

The Audi RS 7 shares its safety rating with the regular Audi A7 range which was awarded a five-star score in 2018.

Eco rating

No eco rating

The Audi RS 7 has not been lab tested by Green NCAP. Due to its price and exclusivity, it is unlikely to have its emissions tested in the future.

Reliability rating

As of September 2022, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Audi RS 7 to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusive from extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the RS 7, we’ll publish the score here.