Whatever Audi conjures up next - be it the powertrains the brand uses or the names they’ll have - it seems unlikely that a car resembling the A7 will continue. As the company moves to offer a more streamlined, easier-to-understand line-up, so a relatively small-selling big hatch feels like an easy one to cull - -an appealing niche is a niche nonetheless. And where the large, combustion-engined four-door coupe once felt like a very glamorous subsector to occupy, times have changed.
It’ll be a shame should the A7 go (nothing is confirmed yet) because for something on relatively humble underpinnings, it always looked quite dramatic, being long and low where the A6 always appeared more formal. Both generations of RS were seriously moody, though we’d be confident that both RS6 and RS Q8 - with which the 7 shared much - sold in greater numbers. From Audi’s perspective, the A7 is probably now a tough car to make an objective case for, particularly with the e-tron GT occupying a similar space.
From the perspective of a canny used buyer, however, the V8 A7 looks more than a little appealing. Same formidable mechanical setup as the RS6, with rarity in its favour. Both generations have spawned Performance derivatives, too, the current 630hp car an absolute monster that seems to be a little forgotten about. If a new M5 is too complex, it looks like an intriguing alternative.
This is the original RS7 Performance, meaning 605hp and a few desirable extras (including a sports exhaust) over the standard spec. It didn’t transform the driving experience, the emphasis still on speed and accuracy rather than touchy-feely feedback, but the Performance was the best version of the RS7. Whatever this big Audi has been used for - maybe a dedicated F1 fan followed the championship around Europe - it’s been kept extremely busy: the odo is now showing 203,000 miles.
This would be a solid return for any car, let alone one not even eight years old. Up until 2021 it was driven an average distance, with 39k showing on that year’s MOT in June. But by the time of the next test 13 months later, almost another 50,000 miles was added; another 55,000 (!) was added into 2023, and then nearly 60k coming into July ‘24. It’s been absolutely chomping through the miles and the V-Power like there’s no tomorrow. You wonder what someone has been up to. Commuting to the Saxa Vord radar station perhaps.
If inevitably scuffed a little up front, the RS7 belies its mileage: the wheels look great, the driver’s seat is fine, and there are no unsightly marks visible. The advert suggests the Performance has been ‘meticulously serviced’, which is arguably the least to expect when accruing miles like it’s a record attempt. You’ll probably want a healthy kitty to take on a twin-turbo V8 Audi Quattro showing 202,414 miles, but the benefit is an asking price tens of thousands less than anything equivalent at £19,995. Probably wouldn’t want to sell it on again anytime soon, but if it’s going to be a keeper then what a story the RS7 could be. Bring on a quarter of a million…
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