2016 Audi RS7 by PP

Nov 06, 2023

Audi's high-end four-door sports coupe gets an injection in style and power

The Audi RS7 has only been around since 2013 so it's still a little too early to tell if it has the appeal and status to make an extended run in the segment. But in the few years that it's been around, it has proven to be a worthy alternative to some of the stalwarts of the segment to catch the attention of the aftermarket tuning scene, including some early programs from the likes of ABT Sportsline. Today, a new tuner has taken a stab at the RS7 and it comes packing an engine upgrade package that that adds almost 200 horsepower to the sports coupe's 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8-engine, bringing the total output to a mouth-watering 745 horsepower and 743 pound-feet of torque.

This new program comes by way of PP-Performance, who you may remember for its involvement in Fostla's recent program for the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. If anything, PP-Performance has shown an ability to adapt its prowess to the cars that are being tuned because what it did for the RS7 is just as impressive, maybe even more, than what it was able to bring out of the BMW.

That said, the tuner also had some help in other areas, most notably on the exterior where it relied on the expertise of wrapping specialist Cam Shaft. It also outsourced its wheels package from Schmidt Revolution and got some nifty chassis and suspension upgrades from K&W. This sourced-out formula that has been a norm in the tuning industry and PP-Performance is smart to take advantage of it because the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

PP-Performance is mostly known for its performace upgrades so it is refreshing to see the tuner pay some attention to the Audi RS7's exterior, even though the upgrades come from outsourced tuners. The special edition "Sparkling Berry" vinyl wrap, for example, comes by way of Cam Shaft. The wrap is unique in it of itself because of its chameleon-like ability to change colors from brown to yellow to gold to purple depending on the light. The other notable upgrade in the exterior is a new set of 21-inch, two-tone, powder-coated Gambit wheels from Schmidt Revolution.

Let's go to the numbers first. In standard form, the Audi RS7 is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine that produces 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That's good enough to help the four-door coupe sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds to go with a top speed that can peak at 190 mph.

Using these numbers as a baseline, PP-Performance added a number of exclusive additions to the engine set-up, beginning with an engine optimization module that unleashes an extra 185 horses and 227 pound-feet of twist out of the V-8 engine. That extra output is close to what a Toyota GT 86 makes on its own! Add up the numbers and the RS7 now gets power in the form of 745 horsepower and 743 pound-feet of torque. Combine that with Audi's patented Quattro all-wheel drive system and a PP-Performance-tuned RS7 is good enough to hit a quarter-mile in just 10.6 seconds. The car's top speed wasn't mentioned, but expect it to reach north of 200 mph.

Of course, that's not the extent of the performance upgrades. PP-Performance is also offering new downpipes, a BMC sports air filter, and a new titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic's Evolution Line that shaves off close to 18 pounds of weight off of the RS7.

The chassis and suspension upgrades come in the form of an adjustable spring system from noted specialist K&W.

There are different pricing options for the program that are available depending on what the customer gets. For example, the unique vinyl body wrap from Cam Shaft costs €2,600 ($2,900) while the engine upgrade retails for €2,899 ($3,240). Meanwhile, the downpipes cost another €2,199 ($2,450) plus assemble while the sports air filter is priced at just €100 ($112). No mention was made on how much the Schmidt Revolution's Gambit wheels costs, but KW's adjustable spring system costs €899 ($1,000) including mounting.

Do the math and a full-scale upgrade costs just shy of €8,700, or about $9,700 based on current exchange rates.

The BMW M6 Gran Coupe is as close to a direct competitor as the Audi RS7 has. Fortunately, we can draw to a recent program for the M6 for comparison. That kit was presented by G-Power and while it didn't come with any flashy body wraps like what the RS7 received, it did have a multi-stage engine upgrade that revolves around the tuner's two modules, namely the Bi-Tronik 5 and Bi-Tronik 2 ECU remap. Together, the two modules combined to create a three-stage kit that results in different power levels, including 650 horsepower and 612 pound-feet of torque (Stage 1); 700 horsepower and 667 pound-feet of torque (Stage 2); and 740 horsepower and 719 pound-feet of torque (Stage 3). The German tuner didn't announce the resulting performance numbers for the first two stages of the engine upgrade, but the Stage 3 kit does help the M6 Gran Coupe sprint from 0 to 124 mph in 10.5 seconds to go with an increased top speed of 202 mph.

Read more about the BMW M6 Gran Coupe by G-Power here.

Technically, the Audi RS7's chief competitor in Mercedes is the Mercedes-AMG CLS 63. But in the absence of any notable programs for the AMG CLS 63, the CLS 500 takes the reigns. The good news to that is a recent program dedicated specifically for the model that was crafted by MD Exclusive. The notable highlight of that kit is a performance upgrade that revolves around an ECU upgrade. The result is an output of 500 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, good enough to increase the four-door coupe's top speed to somewhere in the vicinity of 170 mph.

Find out more about the Mercedes CLS 500 PD550 Black Edition Stealth by MD Exclusive here.

While I’m not necessarily a big fan of the "Sparkling Berry" vinyl wrap, I do understand the appeal that comes with making the Audi RS7 look as unique as unique can be. That said, I like what PP-Performance did in giving the four-dour coupe an engine upgrade that brings its output close to 800 horsepower. With the proliferation of similar programs for the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, it's about time that we see the Audi RS7 get in on the fun. And yes, 800 horsepower is a lot of fun when it's in a car that can make the most of all the extra power it gets.

Today, Kirby's focus has shifted toward following industry news, and he has a sincere passion for one-off and tuned vehicles, car toys (especially LEGO brand,) and anything else even closely related to cars. You can also, on occasion, catch him playing Need for Speed – old and new as he still loves to play NFS: underground 2 – and he's recently found a love for Forza Horizon 4 after putting off trying it for months. Kirby joined the TopSpeed team way back in 2009 and has since written more than 12,000 articles and has been featured on a number of other outlets thanks to his die-hard dedication and ability to reach out and obtain exclusive information that you can't find anywhere else but TopSpeed.com.