It's been a quiet few months for Audi South Africa, with very little in the way of new cars or developments. In fact, the last activation they had was the launch of the new Audi RS3 exactly 12 months ago.
Related: Audi RS 6 and RS 7 get power bump!
With challenges in the wake of the pandemic, Audi has seen a decrease in the number of vehicles sold globally. Compounded by the supply chain issues that plagued the entire automotive sector, moving metal has been a challenge for the German marque. Despite these hurdles, Audi is showing a growth in market share with sales figures slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Relaunch of the Audi Driving Experience
Audi South Africa pulled the plug on the Audi Driving Experience that allowed existing and potential customers to experience the full RS range of vehicles in the safe, but exciting environment of a racetrack. The last course was offered in 2010 and since then, enthusiasts have had to look elsewhere or completely abandon hope of getting to experience this range of machinery.
The Driving Experience is not only a joyride, it includes an in-depth look at the dynamics of driving and the correct way to go about driving fast, safely. The highly-qualified instructors guide participants through the theory of vehicle control, starting from the basics such as the seating position and how to hold the steering wheel (you'll be surprised at how many people get these basics wrong) and advancing to racing lines and effective braking.
Audi South Africa has relaunched the program, allowing Audi enthusiasts to experience the thrill of driving a variety of high-performance RS models around a racetrack and learning new skills in the process. Attendees will get a chance to experience vehicles such as the RS 3, RS 5, RS Q8, and the new RS 6 Avant Performance and new RS 7 Sportback Performance.
The refreshed RS 6 and RS 7 Performance models
The first two new models to be released since the RS 3 from last year are the duo of RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback, both now exclusively available in Performance trim. Audi South Africa has elected to drop the vanilla RS 6 and RS 7 models (if you could even call them that) and only bring in the Performance variants.
Is an Audi RS6 expensive to maintain?
Power in these two models has been bumped up by 22 kW and 50 Nm to give a final output of 463 kW and 850 Nm from the 4.0-litre biturbo TFSI V8. Paired with a revised 8-speed tiptronic gearbox and a new centre differential, the quattro system allows both of these models to shave 0.2 seconds off of the 0 to 100 km/h sprint time, posting a 3.2-second time in the process.
Shaving time off of the acceleration figures is also, in part due to the other shaving that has taken place, that of weight. Both the RS 6 and RS 7 are now lighter than before, helping improve not only acceleration but agility as well. Lightweight 22-inch alloy wheels rest in the corners, reducing the unsprung weight and improving steering feel in the process, aided by the recalibration of the steering system.
Audi RS6 test drive: make sure to check these features out.
Aesthetically, the new RS 6 and 7 wear one of 16 colour swatches, including the new Ascari Blue and matte Dew Silver. The accent pieces are finished off in matte silver with a matte carbon/black finish an optional extra. Inside, new trimmings include a woven carbon twill and ocean blue accents as options to complement the Dinamica microfibre control surfaces and diamond-quilt upholstery.
Prices
Both the Audi RS 6 Avant Performance and Audi RS 7 Sportback Performance are sold with a 5-year / 100 000 km Audi freeway plan to take care of services for this duration.
| Model | Price |
| Audi RS 6 Avant Performance | R2 332 700 |
| Audi RS 7 Sportback Performance | R2 444 500 |
