| Audi's A7 luxury five-door is one of the most attractive cars on the market, but it has since birthed the higher-performance S7 and now, this: The 2014 RS7. Compared to the S7 and regular A7, the RS7 packs an additional 140 and 250 horsepower, respectively. Now Audi has revealed how much more than those two models the RS7 will cost. At a starting price of $105,795, the RS7 will set buyers back quite a bit more than the A7 and S7, but then Audi claims it can hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and top out at 174 mph.
For those who aren't keen on doing the math, allow us to crunch the numbers and illuminate how the RS7 costs $40,400 more than the A7, which is powered by a 310-hp, supercharged V-6. The next-speediest model in the A7 family, the S7, is still $24,700 cheaper; it is powered by a lower-output version of the RS7's twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. On the upside, the RS7 is quite a bit more affordable than the (less expensive) BMW M6 Gran Coupe, which, like the RS7, is just a slinkier version of a regular sedan. (The RS7 essentially is a sultrier RS6 sedan, while the BMW is an M5 with a less-practical back seat.) Mercedes-Benz's rough equal for the RS7, the CLS63 AMG, was priced at less than $100,000 before it was refreshed for 2014—pricing for that car is not yet available, but it is still down 10 ponies on the Audi. (Mercedes-Benz hasn't revealed how much it will charge for its newly all-wheel-drive E63 AMG wagon, but it should come in near the RS7.) Impressively, the RS7 is rated for the same 27 mpg on the highway as the S7 (down 1 mpg from the V-6 A7) and just 1 mpg lower in the city, thanks to engine stop-start and cylinder-deactivation features.
While buyers can get the A7 in Premium Plus and Prestige trims, content-wise, the RS7 comes standard with the ritzier Prestige gear. As befits a car in this price category, the RS7 is available with a number of luxury options and packages. Techies will gravitate toward the $500 Cold Weather package, $2800 Driver Assistance package (adaptive cruise, front and rear cameras, lane-keeping assist, Audi Pre Sense Plus pre-crash system), the $5900 Bang & Olufsen sound system, and $2800 Innovation package (head-up display, night-vision camera). Vanity fans will dig the $2000 Comfort Seating package (ritzier leather with diamond-quilted inserts, 22-way power front seats with a massage function and ventilation), $4000 Carbon-Optic package (high-gloss black and carbon-fiber exterior trim; also requires $1000 sports exhaust), and $1000 21-inch five-spoke wheels. Go all-in on the options, and the RS7's price tag easily exceeds $130,000—but when you consider that Audi refuses to send Americans its excellent RS6 Avant wagon, what price can you put on owning a luxurious, hot Audi five-door?  from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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