Audi has unveiled its new RS 7. Equipped with a 4-liter TFSI, the sportback will produce peak power of 600ps and 800Nm of torque within a broad range from 2,050 to 4,500rpm. This means the RS 7 will hit 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, and reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
Thanks to a mild hybrid system with a 48V main on-board electrical system, the RS 7 combines performance with efficiency. The belt alternator starter can recover up to 12 kW power under gentle acceleration and feed it into a lithium-ion battery as electricity.
If the driver releases the accelerator at a speed between 55 and 160km/h the drive management will either recover energy or coast with the engine switched off. When the accelerator is pressed again, the belt alternator starter will restart the engine. The MHEV-technology reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.8l/100km.
The RS 7 is also equipped with Audi’s cylinder on demand (COD) system. In higher gears at low to medium loads and engine speeds, it will deactivate cylinders 2, 3, 5, and 8 by halting injection and ignition and closing the intake and exhaust valves.
In four-cylinder mode, the operating points will switch to the active cylinders at higher loads, thereby improving efficiency, while the deactivated cylinders continue to run like gas springs, largely without any losses.
Audi’s eight-cylinder unit is paired with an eight-speed tiptronic transmission with optimized shift times and a new launch control function. Drive forces are distributed to the front and rear axles in a 40:60 ratio via the mechanical center differential.