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Freaky Five-Door: Audi Prices 560-HP 2014 RS7 from $105,795
Audi’s A7 luxury five-door is one of the most attractive cars on the market, but it has since birthed the higher-performance S7 and now, this: The 2014 RS7. Compared to the S7 and regular A7, the RS7 packs an additional 140 and 250 horsepower, respectively. Now Audi has revealed how much more than those two models the RS7 will cost. At a starting price of $105,795, the RS7 will set buyers back quite a bit more than the A7 and S7, but then Audi claims it can hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and top out at 174 mph.
For those who aren’t keen on doing the math, allow us to crunch the numbers and illuminate how the RS7 costs $40,400 more than the A7, which is powered by a 310-hp, supercharged V-6. The next-speediest model in the A7 family, the S7, is still $24,700 cheaper; it is powered by a lower-output version of the RS7’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. On the upside, the RS7 is quite a bit more affordable than the (less expensive) BMW M6 Gran Coupe, which, like the RS7, is just a slinkier version of a regular sedan. (The RS7 essentially is a sultrier RS6 sedan, while the BMW is an M5 with a less-practical back seat.) Mercedes-Benz’s rough equal for the RS7, the CLS63 AMG, was priced at less than $100,000 before it was refreshed for 2014—pricing for that car is not yet available, but it is still down 10 ponies on the Audi. (Mercedes-Benz hasn’t revealed how much it will charge for its newly all-wheel-drive E63 AMG wagon, but it should come in near the RS7.) Impressively, the RS7 is rated for the same 27 mpg on the highway as the S7 (down 1 mpg from the V-6 A7) and just 1 mpg lower in the city, thanks to engine stop-start and cylinder-deactivation features.
While buyers can get the A7 in Premium Plus and Prestige trims, content-wise, the RS7 comes standard with the ritzier Prestige gear. As befits a car in this price category, the RS7 is available with a number of luxury options and packages. Techies will gravitate toward the $500 Cold Weather package, $2800 Driver Assistance package (adaptive cruise, front and rear cameras, lane-keeping assist, Audi Pre Sense Plus pre-crash system), the $5900 Bang & Olufsen sound system, and $2800 Innovation package (head-up display, night-vision camera). Vanity fans will dig the $2000 Comfort Seating package (ritzier leather with diamond-quilted inserts, 22-way power front seats with a massage function and ventilation), $4000 Carbon-Optic package (high-gloss black and carbon-fiber exterior trim; also requires $1000 sports exhaust), and $1000 21-inch five-spoke wheels.
Go all-in on the options, and the RS7’s price tag easily exceeds $130,000—but when you consider that Audi refuses to send Americans its excellent RS6 Avant wagon, what price can you put on owning a luxurious, hot Audi five-door?
2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Spy Photos
What It Is: Porsche’s upcoming mid-size SUV, the Macan, caught testing wearing almost no camouflage. The Macan, which carried a code name of Cajun—short for “Cayenne Junior”—is smaller than the Cayenne and designed to bring even more buyers into the Porsche fold. Our spy photographers previously captured a Macan prototype out for testing, but it had considerably more camouflage than the car you see here. We’ve also gleaned new details about the Macan’s powertrain in the interim.
Why It Matters: Although brand purists will cry foul, the Macan is poised to become quite the moneymaker for Porsche. Of course, this cash flow will help bankroll the cars these purists love—the excellent Cayman,Boxster, and 911—in a similar fashion to the successful Cayenne and Panamera. The smaller, more affordable Macan also gives Porsche a seat at the table in the ultra-hot luxury-crossover segment.
Platform: If the Porsche Macan’s basic stance and profile seem familiar, that’s because underneath, it’s an Audi Q5. Some dimensions will be altered for the Porsche, including its width (which will grow) and height (which will shrink). As is visible in these photos, the Macan will have Porsche-specific styling, right down to its sporty door mirrors and intake-riddled front end. This prototype is wearing odd headlight and taillight stickers intended to throw off an examination of those critical styling elements, but the cut-line for the front peepers is visible and roughly mimics those of the Cayman and Panamera. The fascia carries a heavy Cayenne vibe, as do the body sides and roofline. Out back, the rear window is steeply raked, and the fast D-pillar is stylishly thick, if detrimental to blind-spot visibility. Overall, the car closely imitates the Cayenne, but with smaller, tighter, and even sportier proportions.
Competition: Audi Q5, BMW X3/X4, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz GLK-class.Powertrain: The Macan will come in two trim levels: S and Turbo. Both will be powered by versions of Porsche’s new twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine, which was introduced via the 2014 Panamera. Expect the base S variant to make 340 horsepower, while the more powerful and sportier Turbo will get a solid 400. (Based on the big wheels, red brake calipers, and quad exhaust outlets on the test car pictured here, it’s a good bet this is the zestier Turbo model.) Look for all-wheel drive to be standard, as it is in the Cayenne. As for the transmission, a seven-speed dual-clutch unit is most likely.
Estimated Arrival and Price: The Macan will be introduced this fall at the Los Angeles auto show, and should go on sale shortly thereafter at a starting price of around $45,000. Actual transaction prices, of course, will depend heavily on how deep customers plunge into Porsche’s vast options and personalization catalog. A well-optioned Macan Turbo could pack an eye-wateringly expensive sticker. View Photo Gallery
Name That Shifter, No. 139: 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
On Monday, we presented this week’s shifter and asked you to identify the make and model of the vehicle whence it came. We had figured that a few of you would recognize the shifter, but a lot of you did. The first commenter to do so was Rickster, who will receive a Save the Manuals button and sticker as a reward for identifying the shifter as a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am’s four-speed.
The Trans Am pictured here is from our July 1977 issue, and it wasn’t stock—though its shifter was. The car was worked over by racer Herb Adams to make it more track-worthy. It got dry-sump lubrication, a zestier carburetor and intake manifold, new headers, custom exhaust, experimental four-wheel disc brakes, and Koni shocks. By the late ’70s, the Trans Am was something of a ponderous porker, but we described Adams’ car as “a Trans Am worthy of the name.”
If you can’t wait until next week for more knobby action, be sure to check out our latest Show Us Your Knobs contest. Post a photo of your knob (as in, your manual shifter), and you could win a Save the Manuals prize pack! Plus, silly wordplay with the word “knob” is always funny.
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