Audi has a knack for outdoing itself in the most peculiar ways, especially when performance and practicality are concerned. When the first-generation R8 first put rubber to asphalt, it was a thorn in the side of contemporary offerings from Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. Today, the relatively pint-sized TT RS costs around half as much as the old V10 model and wouldn’t have to try too hard to keep up on a race track. The 2021 RS7 has a similar story, but you don’t have to go back a decade to find a mismatched competitor. The RS7 is a genuinely practical alternative to the current mid-engined R8 V10 super sports car.
To the casual passerby, cross-shopping the R8 and RS7 is nonsensical. One looks like a slightly more sporty family sedan and the other comes across as a German Lamborghini (mainly because it is). Take a closer look and you might not be too disappointed if you decide to settle for the latter.
Extra doors, back seats and spare cargo are always a plus, particularly if you have a family to cart around from time to time. The $55,000 you also save forgoing the $169,000 R8 in favor of the $115,000 RS7 is a nice touch. But, if we’re being honest, nobody cross-shops a mid-engined V10 super sports car with practicality and frugality in mind. Straightforward performance figures are always a top priority. Even in that department, the RS7 has you covered.
If performance is what you’re really shopping for, the RS7’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is good for 590 horsepower and 591 lb-ft of torque versus the R8 V10’s 562 hp and 406 lb-ft. That extra thrust comes in handy with the extra 1,232 lbs the sedan comes with, tipping the scales at 4,947 lbs. Surprisingly, the extra weight in the RS7 doesn’t make a difference, because when pushing both cars from 0-60 MPH, both reportedly clocked in at 3.0 seconds flat.
Even if you go spec sheet shopping, the Audi Performance department still likes to make it difficult to choose between a mid-engine V10 coupe and a sporty sedan. The V10 is undoubtedly tempting, but even parked side by side, knowing what the RS7 is capable of, it makes a credible case for itself.
So if you do find yourself in the midst of convincing your partner (or the entire family for that matter) that you need a high-performance Audi, pitch the R8 first. When that gets denied for understandable reasons, offer up the money-saving RS7 with the extra seats and cargo room for groceries. It’s an absolute bargain by comparison.
