Living in the shadow of the RS6 may not be easy for the RS7. The former is the king-of-cool über family car, which is widely worshiped and a perpetual presence in numerous three-, five- and even ten-car fantasy garage lists as the ‘daily’. With good reason, because few cars manage the duality of being a practical family car that can make the driver smile even if they are alone on a road more interesting than those often taken on board with the family.
In theory, the RS7 should offer the same, although there is no room for the dog in the trunk. But in the past, it was a close relative of the RS6, namely flat-footed, a bit dull to drive and perform according to the fast-paced Audi stereotypes of old. However, the new RS7 is a true RS6 alternative, and in the seven months ours spent with us, just when the Towler clan (deputy editor Adam, the current guardian of the 7), had to go on holiday a lot. is missing the increased capacity that an estate car offers.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the RS7, however, is not from the inside, but from the outside of Audi Sport’s family, because if you want around 600 hp in a four-door, slightly coupe-looking body, you’re a bit spoiled. Porsche’s Panamera is also in the VW group, while Mercedes-AMG has its GT 4-door and BMW has updated its entry with the car you see here: the M8 Gran Coupe, which is only available to UK customers in the competition .
More reviews for BMW
Group tests
In-depth reviews
Reviews
Technical makeup for both the M8 Competition Gran Coupe and RS7 Sportback is a premium supersalon on the frontier. Dual-turbo V8? Cheque. About 600 hp? Yep, 592 hp for the RS7 and 616 hp for the M8. Torque of five hundred plus pounds? Please, anything less would be offensive. Eight-speed automatic gearboxes? What else would you expect, other than possibly a dual-clutch unit? Unfortunately, more mainstream manufacturers are now sticking to the torque converters, claiming that the switching speeds are close enough to those of a dual-clutch gearbox, and that the cost of developing both is a luxury rather than a necessity. BMW has also followed Audi’s 40-year tradition and now only offers its range of M-cars with xDrive four-wheel drive. Although, unlike the Audi, you can make your M8 Gran Coupe rear-wheel drive through the sub-menus of the iDrive system.
The initial thought when the M8 was brought to the RS7 party was that the BMW would be sharper in the areas where the RS7 continues to return to brand type. There have been a number of times with our RS7 that whoever was behind the wheel enjoyed the unexpected interaction. Its V8 has an enthusiastic character combined with a sharp throttle and neatly fitting proportions, providing a propulsion system that prefers pushing from behind rather than pulling from the front, capable of the standard Sport Differential . But going beyond this 70 percent operating window and the weight and size of the RS7 comes into play, the road never feels big enough to capitalize on its performance and gives it room to move around. The RS7 is about five feet long and two feet wide and needs quite a bit of space as it moves.
BMW M GmbH knows how to make its performance cars feel special and dance around, regardless of the speed you drive and the road you are on. Anyway to a point. And where the M8 is better than the RS7, this is the last 20-30 percent of the feedback and precision you are going to seek and need. As with our RS7, you need to find the right modes: Comfort dampers for both, sport steering to give a bit of weight, the sharpest throttle and shift speed, and any differential settings you have available have been switched to their most alert and reactive mode. According to it, the M8 GC is less prescriptive than the RS7. Its body control and damping are more in line with your expectations, it steers faster – less noticeable than the Audis, which require a higher degree of charge before you have confidence in the hook, but if it’s the M8, it cuts a more precise line. And its V8 is more energetic and responsive to input and therefore it is easier to maintain a balanced engine speed if needed.
However, the RS7 has the most intrusive V8, both in terms of noise and the way it builds through its power band, and the torque bulges, and it’s an advantage that it’s used throughout the VW group from Bentley to Lamborghini and by Porsche word. between, which means that Audi can utilize the available data and vote accordingly. In the M8, you only get speed, albeit at a frantic pace, while the octaves in the RS7 rise and fall in step with your pace, giving it excitement along the way.
BMW achieves higher marks with its carbon-ceramic brakes (an option of £ 7995, compared to £ 9200 for the equivalent on the Audi), which is much easier to moderate and naturally in pedal feel, braking much smoother and more consistently than you press again. And if there are 2000 kg or more to slow down, you need to have the anchors on your side. (The M8 tilts the scales at 1980 kg, and the Audi shows it even further at 2065 kg.)
But because of all the involvement and excitement that the M8 GC Comp offers, you have to be on the go to experience it. In pure terms, the BMW is a more focused, more athletic super saloon than the Audi. It certainly answers the question more comprehensively than the RS7 does when it comes to the question that delivers the best performance if speed and space are not limited. But here’s the point. These are road cars designed to offer a performance level that is above the norm, which both certainly do, but if you do not utilize all the performance of the M8, the advantage over RS7 is almost eradicated. If anything, the RS7 gives more time at more shallow speeds.
However, an unexpected black mark for the RS7 is the inside. Much is made of the quality that Audi manages to construct in its cabin, and our RS7 feels as solid today as it did before its uninterrupted life with us. But for all the shiny piano black decorations and the welcome use of Alcantara, there is too much £ 47,000 A7 TDI in this to justify the starting price of £ 95,000 for an RS7 (our fast fleet was £ 140,000 …). The M8 from £ 123,880 looks and feels much more tailored, with the quality of the material at the same level as the machine manufactured in Ingolstadt. It also has the quieter inside to travel miles away. Both cars swallow 300 miles (the best their fuel range offers) in the blink of an eye, and only a ride quality that focuses on performance, especially in the case of BMW, hinders these two alternatives as left-field alternatives to a more traditional GT- motor.
If our time with the RS7 Sportback has proved anything, it is that the RS6 Avant no longer holds the driving advantage. The 7 may not be as iconic nor does it have an important factor on social media, but it can be considered on an equal footing in terms of the driver’s appeal, if not the dog’s carrying capacity. (Does anyone do this casually with their RS6, or is it just a term thrown around in a similar way to people talking about the interior of their Land Rover Defenders?)
The M8 Competition Gran Coupe is the car for the better driver than the RS7, but the biggest problem is the M5 Competition, which is £ 22,000 cheaper, and for the savings I would like to forgo the former, more bespoke interior design. I will still have an RS6 above an RS7.