2023 Audi RS 7

Since the 2023 Audi RS 7 comes in as a standalone variant, you are pretty much limited on what you could ask for choices here. However, what you are not limited on is the options and packages which Audi has on offer in plenty. It is on you to decide on whether to go for the optional extras as in our opinion, even the standard Sedan has more creature comfort amenities on it than you would ever want, except for maybe the absence of some now-standard driver assistance features like cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitor and traffic sign recognition for which you have to spend an additional $2,250 which is just crazy, but not surprising, for this high of an asking price.

Since we don’t have a “Performance” variant listed as of now, the powertrain and drivetrain pretty much remain identical no matter how you spec the car. However, the listed starting price includes real-wheel-steering and adaptive air suspension which is a rather nice addition. Coming to the cabin, the 2023 Audi RS 7 serves you with everything you can ask for. For starters, you get the 3-high resolution display, a 4-zone climate control, sports steering wheel with heated function, full Valcona leather perforated upholstery with quilted stitching, heated, ventilated and power-adjustable sport bucket front seats, and a whole lot more. The exterior though unchanged gets Audis fancy dynamic lighting and laser headlamps, a full-size moon roof, power tailgate, retractable spoiler, chrome dual-tip exhaust, and some sporty RS element to top it all off.

The 2023 Audi RS 7 will also be offered a wide variety of exterior and interior packages at additional cost from the base pricing. Some of the available options include a Carbon optic package ($6,650), Gary Ceramic brake package ($8,500), RS design interior package ($1,500), Black exterior optic package ($2,750), Executive package ($2,500), Driver assistance package ($2,250), B&O premium audio package ($4,900), sports exhaust package ($1,000) and Dynamic ride control suspension ($1,250).

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As already discussed, you are pretty much limited to options and packages as far as reconfigurability on the RS 7 goes. As we see it, the RS 7 is pretty good in stock format and the only thing that we feel missing is the v8 noise, which can be quenched with the $1,000 sports exhaust.

Release Date

Audi has not officially brought out any statement on the launch of the 2023 Audi RS 7. Since the updates on this sedan are rather minimal for this year, we should see a silent transition of the RS 7 to the 2023 model year with acceptance of orders starting in fall this year.

Housing a fire-breathing V8 that is rated for almost 600 ponies, fuel economy is something you struggle with on the 2023 Audi RS 7, as with any other sporty sedans in this category. Though the highway efficiency of 21 mpg does look rather impressive on a sports car, the combined ratings do come down to 17mpg in ideal conditions, which in our experience translates to under 15mpg in real-world conditions. This combined with a small 19.3-gallon fuel tank, the 2023 Audi RS 7 will have a hard time crossing the 400 miles mark with a tank full of gas.

The fuel economies do not vary that drastically between the competition cars. While the BMW M8 Grand Coupe performs slightly better on the highways, the Mercedes AMG GT 63 does better within the city thanks to more available ratios in the G-Tronic transmission. The Porsche Panamera GTS on the other hand gets the biggest fuel tank here which measures in at 23.7 gallons, helping it come out as the only sedan boasting a combined range of over 400 miles and a highway range of close to 500 miles.

The Audi RS 7 can be tagged as the creator of the modern all-display interiors, something that is seen on many cars these days. Be it for good or bad, there is no going back now and the trend even has started trickling down to even entry-level commuters. Even though the actual functionality levels of these units are a bare minimum, we can’t deny the fact that it brings in a high level of sophistication, tidiness, and modernity to the cabin. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster however has a really nice implementation and its high levels of reconfigurability come in rather handy.

Coming to the comfort side of things, the perforated leather seats on the RS 7 are such a delight to sit on, especially thanks to its standard heating and ventilation functions. It has got that hint of sportiness to hold you tight without giving a sensation of being cramped. The steering wheel and gear shifter are covered in leather, feels nice to touch, and falls into your hand pretty easily. Apart from the slightly constrained rear visibility, there is nothing to complain about the front seats. The rear seats are also equally good when it comes to comfort, but do have a slight compromise in legroom and also feel a bit cramped due to the sloping roofline despite the headroom being as generous as the front row. What is not constrained though, is the cargo area. The notchback lifts to expose a trunk area of around 25 cu-ft. which is easily one of the best we have seen from this class.

The BMW M8 Grand Coupe, boasting the longest wheelbase offers the best compromise of first and second-row space here. It also has the most headroom to offer which helps bring a sense of airiness to the cabin. However the tiny 15.5 cu-ft. trunk might just not be one of its highlights. The Mercedes AMG GT63 and the Audi RS 7 feels evenly matched in cabin space but the RS 7’s huge 24.6 cu-ft. trunk is something it will find hard to match. The Panamera GTS on the other hand feels like the sportiest sedan here, hence has the most cramped feeling in the cabin. Though it's 17.6 cu-ft. cargo area is better than what BMW offers, it is definitely far from the best in class.

Some standout interior features of the 2023 Audi RS 7 include:

• 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit
• Valcona perforated leather seats with honeycomb stitching and RS embossing
• Heated and ventilated front seats with power adjustability
• Leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel with electronic adjustment
• Standard 4-zone automatic climate control
• Illuminated aluminum front door sills with RS badging
• One-touch moonroof
• Ambient lighting

How intuitive is the 2023 Audi RS 7’s infotainment system?

This basic infotainment setup endorsing Audi’s MMI system has been something we have been seeing on the RS 7 for quite some time now and it definitely does have a learning curve to it. It does take a lot of time to figure things out and even if you do, sliding your hands over a touchscreen for even basic functions of the climate control system is not the slickest of experiences. The system itself is one of the most advanced and responsive ones out there but still cannot match the intuitiveness of a physical button. However, we can’t deny the fact that this sort of implementation does boost functionality, and owners seem to love a bit of sophistication in their $120,000 sedan

Coming to the functionality side, this infotainment system does cover most of the basic and necessary features. Android Auto and Apple Carplay come in as a part of the standard equipment and so does an amazing-sounding B&O premium audio system. The unit has an inbuilt navigation system while SiriusXM is subscription based. The system also packs in a 360-degree camera, which we found to be very useful for puddling around the streets in this low, long, and wide sedan. One thing to note here is that these screens tend to be a bit reflective on sunny days and do collect a lot of fingerprints given that you are sliding your oily fingers over the glass-like surface all day.

Standout infotainment features available with the 2023 Audi RS 7:

• Audi MMI system with 10.1-inch upper screen and 8.6-inch lower HVAC screen
• Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity
• Bang and Olufsen 3D premium audio system
• Bluetooth/ SiriusXM/ 4G LTE/ WiFi Hot Spot
• Navigation
• 360 surround camera with a top view

A big-nosed Sportback with a low-riding stance, the 2023 Audi RS 7 is one built to grab attention, and from our experience, it does just that. The 21-inch high contrast wheels that whip around like a blade at city paces look just plain ‘sick’. The long hood, low roof, and gaping wheel arches housing those big wheels just mentioned scream extreme sportiness as well. The icing on the cake is Audi’s signature exterior lighting and those fancy pants dynamic lighting systems. Even though this feature is something we have been seeing for quite some time now, it still adds to that wow factor and an expensive car feeling, which it should exude at this price.

Coming to the exterior features, as we talked about just now, the 2023 Audi RS 7 gets serious lighting hardware with the proprietary HD Matrix headlamps with laser lights while the wraparound LED tail lamps get dynamic lighting functionality. The front and rear windows use dual pane acoustically sealed glasses. Additional features like a power panoramic moonroof, heated and power-operated side mirrors with memory function, power tailgate, and rear wheel steering are the most notable. The standard RS kit does offer blacked-out exterior elements, chrome exhaust tips, and a retractable spoiler, but you could always opt for the Carbon optics or black optics exterior design package for added flair at additional cost.

Even though the 2023 Audi RS 7 is one of the smallest cars in comparison here, it is the heftiest and weighs a good 500 pounds more than the lightest car here. In stark contrast, the BMW M8 Grand Coupe though comes out as the biggest car in all exterior dimensions, weights the least. Though the AMG GT 63 and the Porsche Panamera are identical in wheelbase, the former feels ever so slightly bigger, more accommodating, and also heavier.

Some of the standout exterior features on the 2023 Audi RS 7 include:

• HD matrix LED automatic headlamps with Audi laser light
• LED tail lamps with dynamic blinkers
• Heated and power-adjustable outside rear-view mirrors with memory
• 21–inch V-Spoke design alloy wheels
• One-touch panoramic moon roof.
• Retractable spoiler
• Chrome exhaust tips
• Powered tailgate

Even though the 2023 Audi RS 7 itself has not undergone any sort of crash safety tests, the A7, the base sedan on which it is based has been rated a ‘Top Safety Pick+” by the IIHS for 2022. Given that both cars share similar underpinning except for the suspension, it is safe to assume that the RS 7 would perform similarly. However, one aspect we are not impressed with is the milted availability of standard driver assistance tech. The only equipment on offer is lane departure warning, auto emergency braking system, and basic Audi proprietary pre-sense systems. Features like a blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert and even adaptive cruise control come in as a part of the optional package which is priced at over $2,250.

Some of the standout safety features available with the 2023 Audi RS 7 include:

• Auto emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Blind-spot detection (Available)
• Adaptive cruise control (Available)
• Traffic sign recognition (Available)
• 3D Surround camera

2023 Audi RS 7 vs 2023 BMW M8 Grand Coupe

The Audi RS 7 gets an upfront advantage here for being the cheaper car here and that too by almost 15 grand. While the BMW M8 Grand Coupe does offer slightly better performance and cabin space compared to the RS 7, we don’t think that is enough reason to justify the price hike. We are well aware that the M8 Grand Coupe does come in as the better handling sedan here, but the Audi is almost as good and also offers a better overall experience thanks to it being less focused. Let’s not also forget the fact that the RS 7 is the better looker here as well. If it was the M5 Competition, we could have blindly chosen it over the RS 7, but given that the M8 Grand Coupe lacks any charm like the M5, it does come out as a hard buy for the extra money in demands for little in improvements over the Audi.

2023 Audi RS 7 vs 2023 Mercedes AMG GT63 4-Door

Both sedans here are one step down from the craziest performance sedan their individual manufacturer make and probably would be the most evenly matched two sedans here. The power and performance numerals are almost identical and both fall in a class that has the best compromise of comfort and agility. While the Mercedes AMG GT 63 comes in slightly bigger with better occupant space, the RS 7 offers a significantly bigger trunk. Both cars are similarly equipped here but the fit and finish on the Merc is a notch above the Audi, given the 45 or so grand premium it demands over the RS 7. Is it worth that money? Well, we will let you be the judge on that one.

2023 Audi RS 7 vs 2022 Porsche Panamera GTS

The Porsche Panamera GTS is the benchmark as far as good handling sporty 4-door coupes go. Although the outright performance figures look a bit disappointing for what it costs, it most definitely more than makes up for it with its sportscar-like agility. What it loses out on the straights, its gains in the corners! However, that is where all the fun ends as the Panamera GTS feels pretty cramped compared to the Audi RS 7. Although it has been marketed as a 4-seater, the rear seats definitely feel teeny and long drives at the back would not be something you want to do in this Porsche. Although the big fuel tank with class-leading range makes it look like a cruiser in front of the Audi, the only people having fun would be the ones seated in the front row. Also, the trunk is significantly smaller than what the Audi has, compromising practicality even further. We are not pointing out that the Audi is the better sedan here, but you should get your priorities right when getting the Panamera GTS.

The Audi RS 7 has always been the prime player in the performance-luxury midsize sedan segment and also possibly the only one that has survived this long without losing much of its initial appeal. On that topic, the 2023 Audi RS 7 is undeniably a charmer and what makes more for its case is the lower starting prices, which is a good 16 grand cheaper than anything it competes against. Even though the current iteration is almost half a decade old now, a good part of it still feels modern and has competition still playing catch-up. It might have gotten a bit soft with the priority given to luxury in recent times, but it is plenty fast and genuinely fun. Some competitors are set to get some major updates this year, but if you are strict on the budget, the 2023 Audi RS 7 is pretty much the choice you have got, which we mean in no bad way.