Month: September 2024
Brock Purdy Is Displaying All the Qualities of a Franchise Quarterback
In a win against the Patriots, the 49ers’ quarterback showed he can throw deep passes and extend plays by using his speed.
In a win against the Patriots, the 49ers’ quarterback showed he can throw deep passes and extend plays by using his speed.
How Manchester United Was Torn Apart in 45 Minutes
A calamitous half of soccer put Erik ten Hag’s job in danger, a columnist for The Athletic writes.
A calamitous half of soccer put Erik ten Hag’s job in danger, a columnist for The Athletic writes.
Why a 3-Time Batting Champion Is One of M.L.B.’s Most Polarizing Players
In a San Diego lineup full of stars, Luis Arraez is both admired and maligned.
In a San Diego lineup full of stars, Luis Arraez is both admired and maligned.
Calvin Johnson Is Back in Detroit, Where He Remains Larger Than Life
The Lions players who weren’t teammates with Johnson still understand what he means to local fans.
The Lions players who weren’t teammates with Johnson still understand what he means to local fans.
Here’s What We Learned in Week 4 of the N.F.L. Season
The Ravens appear to be getting their mojo back, and the Vikings continue to prove their staying power.
The Ravens appear to be getting their mojo back, and the Vikings continue to prove their staying power.
The Audi RS7 review—the last ride of a dinosaur
We take one last drive in an old favorite, plus there’s some RS6 wagon action.
Enlarge / I’ve had a soft spot for Audi’s RS7 for at least a decade now. Will Audi replace it, or is this the last in its line? (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
The arrival of competent electric vehicles is a boon for car enthusiasts as much as those who consider driving a chore and their vehicle a driving appliance. Electric motors can respond faster than the revviest naturally aspirated engines this side of a mid-2000s Formula 1 engine, and with more immediate torque than the mightiest of turbochargers. They are the way forward, for performance as well as energy efficiency. Such is apparent after spending some time behind the wheel of a $128,000 Audi RS7 Performance after a diet of mostly EV performance cars.
For a long time, the RS7 was the Audi to go for if you wanted something with more than two doors, because the R8 doesn’t work with your lifestyle. Based on the more humble A7 fastback sedan, it was worked over by Audi Sport, the four rings’ racing offshoot based up the road from Ingolstadt in Neckarsulm, Germany. The designers there gave it a restyle, with aggressively flared arches to envelope larger wheels and tires, and new aerodynamic features to keep the car planted at speed. The result is one of the brand’s handsomest creations, at least to this observer.
Under the hood, a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 is now even more potent than when we first drove the RS7 in 2019, with 621 hp (463 kW) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) at your right foot’s beck and call, sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed ZF 8 HP transmission and, at the rear axle, a torque-vectoring rear differential.