Considering an RS 7 as a fun car, yet still practical for hauling the kids around or highway driving for work. I've always wanted an R8, but I really want the fun car to still be good for almost daily driving. Will still have my truck for towing and the wife's Tahoe for her that u will split the driving with. Thinking the RS 7 may satisfy the itch foe the next year or two and then look harder for an R8. Thoughts? Other cars that fit the bill?
I’ve liked the RS7 ever since seeing my first one around 2017. Loved the look of the seats in the one we looked at.
One of my current magazines compared the M5 competition to the Cadilac Blackwing V8 and Mercedes AMG63 and chose the M5 as the winner. Also saw a video the other day lapping at Willow Springs and the Cadilac set the 4 door lap record at a 1:28:xx and then the M5 competition broke it and then the Tesla Plaid surprisingly broke that record and dipped into the 27’s. In that video I think many of the guys said they would still prefer the Cadilac because you can get a stick.
If OP is thinking RS7, they are already OK with automatic. The M5 Comp is the only choice in this space, roomy enough inside with a decent trunk and can run 10 second 1/4 mile AND very capable in the handling department. I drove one at one at BMW track day thing, and well it made me car sick since we had to floor it and stop in a small box, but I get motion sickness pretty easily anyway. The performance is amazing, and you can drive it at a chill pace in comfort.
RS7 still looks better than all of them and that is worth more to me than outright performance one will rarely, if ever, use.
I daily drove an S7 for a couple years. My favorite parts of the car were: The dynamic nature of the adjustments and the awesome interior. For the dynamic part, I had never felt a car's mode adjustments make such difference in how the car behaved. Sport actually felt sporty and the touring mode (forget what it's called) actually felt comfortable and plush. It really transforms the car. So when driving around with our newborn, I could make it handle like a caddy, but by myself be more of a crazy driver. The transmission was good for adjusting shifting too. It behaved like I expected it to when driving around in all sorts of conditions. For the interior, the electronics were nice and intuitive, the lighting is good, the quilted leather seats were comfy and had good feel. They use nice leather. The only downside was the maintenance really. There's lots of special tools to do anything, even resetting the oil light. Things like a PCV valve are more complicated, as there's a whole air/oil separator device that sits in the V of the engine, under the Turbos. When I replaced mine, I found that one of the Turbos was leaking oil, which are insanely expensive to replace. It's not that the car broke a lot, but when it does, it's not cheap to fix and it's not easy to do at home, but still possible. This is probably going to be true though for any Sport Sedan that costs ~$100k. Just something to keep in mind. If there's an Audi warranty available with it, get it!
I wouldnt consider the RS7 a "fun" car. I think it is awesome and its ridiculously fast with a tune, but dynamics are the the forte of those big sedans. I like the huge hatch for the trunk, can be very useful. But also probably would get the M5 in this case. I have an S3 and love the interior on the audis.
That's the thing...with a tune. Once tuned, warranty out the window. Not sure how true as it's the internet, but supposedly they can detect something like a JB4 was added when they look at the logs and see boost pressure conditions, etc. If your S3 is an MQB chassis, good luck trying to replicate that feeling in something bigger. everything will feel like a boat, but M5 would be my pick in the next size up.
They have an RSQ 8 on the lot too and the salesman made sure to point it out. Thought about you and still think you made the wrong choice going with the TGT.
My definition of fun is likely different than most. I've never owned a car. Only ever had trucks or SUVs. Current daily driver is my Ram 2500 or I'll drive the wife's Tahoe and she will drive the Wrangler on those days.
I gave 2 different Audi dealers a chance to get me an RSQ8 and both of them fucked me around. That is what led me to Porsche. While I do think the TGT is a better vehicle, my decision was mostly determined by "well fuck yall then, i will go get a Porsche".
we test drove an RS7 and an S7 (and friends S5 6mt) and the RS7 was a great car. I think it would be a fun car to drive and it looked better than most other cars we looked at. Wife couldn't get over the plain/basic looks of the S5 (looks exactly like the A5). She was impressed with the car but we ended up getting her a E550 2 door convertible mercedes. Plenty of power, good enough handling (for what she would be doing with it) and she liked the looks (plus I could find one in the white exterior and tan interior without too much problem). She had an E46 convertible 6mt in the past (and an S2000) but she really enjoys the E550. Wishes it was a 4matic (They didn't make the convertible E550 in a 4matic version). Because of issues with the E46 we won't own another BMW so those were out. But yes, the RS7 is a great car, and as someone else mentions, if you can get a CPO or extended warranty on one, that would be well worth the investment. Any of these cars can rack up a big bill with one issue. The RS7 we drove had a bunch of carbon fiber stuff all over it and IMHO looked very nice and tasteful. Just to throw another options if you are looking at a bigger sporty sedan, the E63S? The motor in my GL63 is amazing and even being a huge SUV it handles surprisingly well and sounds great when it's going full tilt.
Like others mentioned, repairs and maintenance can get real expensive. I found the A/S 7 a bit weird size wise. Seemed wide and long with my losing where exactly the tip of the nose was at. The nose issue stems from my “fun sized snickers” height and keeping the seat lower.
I have a 2022 M5 Comp. This is my second M5 (2019 and 2022). My business partner had a RS7 perf. RS7 is a great car. A little rough of a ride but great straight line speed. It was tight inside though and tough to get in and out of. From a performance standpoint my M5 comp stock would eat it up. With intake, full exhaust and piggyback tune it wasn't even close. Hell my old X5M modified was close to taking his RS7. If you want more space and a better all around vehicle get the M5. If you want the more aggressive look get the RS7. If you can find a M5 with the Carbon Ceramics buy it up. They are worth having no brake dust to deal with lol. I'm in the low 2's 0-60 using launch control. Hard to beat for the price. Also, the 2021 M5 and later is the updated (LCI) version. Buy that one. They changed a few things and it's much more refined.
i would without a doubt - buy the blackwing in a stick! it will hold value better and is AWESOME. you cant watch the vid of the test and NOT want one. i have an audi, just a a4 - and it really does drive nice, i can imagine an rs7 would be great. i also own a ctsv and it is also a great car...the fact i can get an oil change anywhere with the v , audi is not the same lol . and above post is wrong, the blackwing beat the m5 tracktime and set the fastest sedan time around willow (aside from the tesla)
If you have never owned a car, can you get an extended test drive to make sure you like a car? I actually prefer cars, but many don't, like @Gorilla George? For awhile my wife only wanted SUV's and loved the big land barge Infiniti QX56, and being able to see better while being high up in the air. Now she really likes the zippiness of cars again, and her little C43?
That's the video, I guess my memory was wrong, haven't watched it again? Funny even though I remembered it wrong, I figured the one I would want would be the manual Caddy, even though I still have the decades old feeling of Caddie's being old people cars. Definitely from a resale perspective, I believe the Blackwing with a stick will hold value better than a M5 Competition or a RS7.
