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2016 Audi RS 7 Performance Quick Spin

Audi's roster of Sevens – the A7, S7, and RS 7 – gets a new and overachieving member with the new RS 7 Performance. The big story is that it ups the RS 7's 560 horsepower to 605. And while the advertised torque rating of 517 pound-feet doesn't change, Audi says the car will actually produce 553 lb-ft during moments of overboost. Hunkered-down with 21-inch wheels filling the wheel wells, the RS 7 Performance has a top speed of 190 miles per hour, and runs to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds – our informal stopwatch tests suggest that may even be conservative. We drove the RS 7 Performance in Florida, which included an eventful lap around Daytona International Speedway's road course, just prior to the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. More about that in a moment. Driving Notes The RS 7 Performance is pretty rough-riding at its softest, a problem only on bad pavement and roads with dips. It isn't punishing, but it never lets you forget this is a performance luxury car, in that order. The eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission is a sweetheart, never confused and always standing by to maximize the 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8's muscle. It would have been nice to be able to dial in a little extra exhaust sound – what you can hear makes you want more. The RS sport seats, with optional Valcona leather and Alcantara inlays and steering wheel cover, are excellent. There's a reason why Audi is a template for automotive interior designers. Rear seat room is a little tight but tolerable. As for that lap at Daytona: We were only given one, so we went for it, and hit 164 mph on the back stretch before having to wade deep into the ABS for the bus stop turn. The engine was still pulling hard – we have little doubt the advertised 190 mph top speed is accurate. While the big ceramic brakes did their job, we weren't given a cool-down lap, and the combination of 4,500 pounds and 164 mph seemed to have set the front brakes on fire. No, really. It took a spritz of water to drown them out. We were told that it isn't unusual for ceramic brakes, the first time they hit 800 degrees, to burn out some impurities. Afterwards, the brakes worked fine, but we sure got a lot of attention from the IMSA Rolex crew on pit road. The RS 7 Performance is a viceless car, one we'd cheerfully drive for a very long time.

2014 Audi RS Q3 breaks out ahead of Geneva reveal

Ahead of its big reveal next month at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Audi has released a handful of images and plenty of details for the all-new RS Q3. As the first-ever crossover from the marque with RS branding, this will be the fourth RS model to go on sale this year after the RS5 Cabriolet, RS6 Avant and the RS7, and while UK and Germany sales have been confirmed, there is no word as to whether we can expect this high-performance CUV to be available in the North America.
Sharing its 2.5-liter turbocharged and direct-injected five-cylinder engine with models like the TT RS and the RS3 Sportback, the 2014 Audi RS Q3 should deliver on performance, as it pumps out 310 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque (peak torque starting at just 1,500 rpm and running up through 5,200 rpm). This potent engine is paired to Audi's seven-speed S tronic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive. Despite its small stature, the RS Q3 still tips the scales at just over 3,800 pounds. Even so, performance figures are still impressive with a limited top of 155 miles per hour and a stated 0-62 mph time of 5.5 seconds. The RS Q3 also gets a sport suspension that has been lowered by 25 millimeters, launch control and weight-saving front rotors with a wave-cut and cross-drilled design gripped by massive eight-piston calipers.
Looking almost identical to what we saw last year in concept form in China, the 2014 RS Q3 looks just as sporty as its spec sheet suggests that it is. Up front, the fascia gets massive air intakes with silver vertical accents and, like other recent RS models, the Quattro emblem is written across the lower air intake. The silver accent motif also continues on the grille surround, mirror caps, roof rails and rear diffuser trim, and the oval exhaust outlet is also an identifying feature of Audi's RS cars.

Audi builds 3-millionth A3

About a month after Volkswagen celebrated building its 30-millionth example of the Golf, Audi has announced that it has produced three million versions of its small hatchback, the closely related Audi A3. Probably more surprising than the fact that the A3 has moved in such big numbers since its global debut in 1996 is the fact that it has done so with relatively little support in the US, seeing marginal sales in the States since 2005.
The three-millionth A3 was a Sportback TDI model, but the lineup has grown this year to include a new sedan and S3 model, and the hybrid A3 E-tron is on the way. With these new models - especially the sedan in the US - we expect the A3 to continue to be a popular entrant in the premium small segment. Scroll down for Audi's official press release.