There’s no doubt that the Audi RS 6 Avant is presently the crown jewel of the Audi lineup when assessed by enthusiasts. Audi is taking the role of that car incredibly seriously despite the arrival of the EV transition, meaning the next-generation of cars will have both an EV RS 6 and an ICE RS 7. And while we’ve seen PPE-based RS 6 e-tron test mules already, we hadn’t yet seen an internal combustion RS 7 Avant test mule just yet. That was until now.
While the C9 A7 Avant has been testing for awhile, the obvious tell that this is the RS 7 version are the massive fenders. Early in testing, these aren’t production fenders but rather provisional workarounds so as to allow engineers to log test laps and other miles while not giving too much design away. So, while the car will look different come end of secrecy, we still get a great idea here as to how wide the RS 7 Avant will be over the standard A7.
The massive rear oval exhausts are another longtime RS-variant design cue, and always a good tell on drivetrain test mules. There are also big brakes underneath the wheels that you will want to note.
Interestingly, we don’t see any hybrid stickers required for manufacturers to run on these mules. There’s also not a charger port on the side. This would suggest that this RS 7 mule has no electrification beyond say a 48V mild hybrid system as has been rumored.
Rumors around the engine have still suggested it will be an evolution of the 4.0-liter V8 used in the current RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback. How that gets augmented, via turbo boost or boosted by a hybrid system remains to be seen.
