My FH5 Log: Progressive Values

Audi's tagline, Progress is an Attitude, truly showcased the German luxury car brand's progressive values when it comes to how much hard work they've implied. Of course, they may not be as cool as either a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW but when it comes to technology and behavior, Audi's a real standing ovation.

That's why Forza Horizon 5's Horizon Road Trip update showcased two progressively new Audis for us to try; the RS7 Sportback C8 and the first-ever Audi RS e-tron GT.

Beginning with the second-generation RS7 Sportback that I've obtained from the Storm Season Playlist, the ultimate version of the second-generation A7 is powered by a powerful 4.0L V8 TFSi engine with the 48-volt electrical system and cylinder on-demand system for added efficiency on the go. It produces 600PS of power and 800Nm of torque and when mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox, it goes from 0-100kph in over three and a half seconds and with the dynamic package plus, up to 305kph of top speed. It also comes with a number of race-inspired suspension setups, including the available dynamic all-wheel steering and RS sports suspension plus Dynamic Ride Control.

Lastly, obtained as an overall prize in the Horizon Road Trip, the Audi RS e-tron GT is the ultimate version of the first-ever Audi e-tron GT for those who demand more. With styling inspired from the concept car, the one Tony Stark drove in the Avengers Endgame movie, its electric powertrain produces 598PS of total power and 830Nm of total torque but when boost mode is engaged, it produces up to 646PS of power for a brief period of time, sprinting from 0-100kph in 3.3 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.

Now that we get to know these two progressively new Audis in detail, it's time to find out which one is the most progressive, and with that, it's a little sprint run at the streets of Guanajuato. As always, fastest time wins so, without further ado, let the progressive fight begin. Petrol vs. electric, this should be interesting.

After a quick sprint, here are the results;

RS7 C8 - 2:30.484

RS e-tron GT - 2:28.532

Call me crazy but it appears the electric-powered RS e-tron GT has chomped the RS7 Sportback by nearly two seconds. Guess Iron Man wasn't kidding about his...endgame.

Petrol or electric, celebrating the past or embracing the future, it's proof that "progress is an attitude" and Audi showcased the world what progress truly means. Now that's progressive, get it? Anyway, enjoy your new Audis, boys and girls. These two machines truly demand progress.

Audi RS6 Avant C8 and RS7 C8

The best RS Audis in the stable, the RS6 Avant and the RS7 Sportback, are back in the latest C8 generation and the newest incarnations of the so-called best Audis have been uncaged on the road and track to deliver the best-ever performance that will leave them driven to tears, wishing they just want either one of them. Let's investigate more on the all-new RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback.

2020 Audi RS6 Avant

2020 Audi RS7 Sportback

The all-new RS6 Avant, priced at 124260 Euros plus on-road costs, and the all-new RS7 Sportback, priced at 127,720 Euros plus on-road costs, are the best Audis aimed squarely at the opposition with its dynamics and performance that will push them beyond their limits.

Both of them are powered by a powerful 4.0L V8 TFSi engine with a 48-volt electrical system and cylinder-on-demand system for added efficiency on the go. This engine produces 600PS of power and 800Nm of torque and when mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox, it goes from 0-100kph in over three and a half seconds and with the dynamic package plus, up to 305kph of top speed. Stats like these will make them as fast as those from the AMG stable, especially their prime targets such as the E63S and the GT63S.

Unlike their AMG rivals, both the RS6 and RS7 don't have special witchcraft that makes them behave like rear-wheel drive monsters instead, both come with a number of race-inspired suspension setups, including the available dynamic all-wheel steering and RS sports suspension plus Dynamic Ride Control, allowing them to misbehave like the drivers want while keeping them enjoyable to drive on the road and track, even on gravel and snow thanks to its Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. 

Yes, they're not as mad as the AMGs but they're way beyond Subaru WRX STi levels of enjoyment and these best Audis are sure to give drivers a fresh new take on dynamic driving for all seasons. 

Such enjoyment will leave the others driven to tears, wishing they just want either one of them, and boy, they just did. And apart from being as mad as they look, their interior smells manly enough to get accommodated with. It even has good space in the back as well just like the normal ones.

The new RS6 and RS7 may not be as good as the AMG rivals because of the fact that they don't have rear-wheel drive witchcraft on their all-wheel drive systems but with numerous improvements tinkered inside out, these best Audis are simply the best Audis you really wish to want one. If you want one, so be it.

Photo: Audi AG

Forza Motorsport 5: The one with the M157 engine

This is the M157 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine. It's the mainstream in most Mercedes-AMG models bearing the 63 moniker. With the combination of direct injection and turbocharging, it delivers more exceptional power than the M156 6.2L naturally-aspirated V8 engine it replaces and it's 25% more fuel efficient as well. In 2011, most AMG models wearing the M156 engine had them replaced with this and three years from now, no racing video game is brave enough to feature any AMG model with such engine...until now...



Yes, this is the facelifted Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. It's now on Forza Motorsport 5 via the Alpinestars Car Pack, available now, and for the first time in racing game history, a Mercedes-AMG model with the M157 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine made its appearance but just how good is it?



I am one of the many people who played the Forza franchise since the first one and I am very desperate to have a Mercedes-AMG model using the turbocharged V8 engine. Three years ago in FM4, I've enjoyed the pre-facelifted E63 AMG because it feels and sounds like an American muscle car...except this isn't a muscle car, it's a German premium sedan with washboard abs. Of course the C63 AMG Black Series and the SLS AMG has this engine but because of the abundance of the 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine in any other AMG models, it seems that a game like this never seen it that way. They're much more stay outdated rather than update with the times.

With the addition of the facelifted E63 AMG, the dream of having a video game featuring a Mercedes-AMG model with the M157 V8 engine has became a reality and I'm glad I'm not the only one whose been trying out the new version for the first time.



However, this particular E63 AMG is not the AMG we've expect, it's the S-Model, and you know what that is, right? The S-Model adds more power on the M157 engine and this time, it's four-wheel drive. What a twist!



When you get your foot down, you really know that the torque in this saloon is just too unpredictable but by getting off from the start, it doesn't get that catastrophic wheelspin that most high-powered rear-wheel drive cars most do. As for the exhaust note...well, not every exhaust note is textbook but as far as I can say...it is as close as the real thing as I can get...or is it?

With the added power, it seems that the E63 AMG's four-wheel drive is not so bad but the main problem to this car is its catastrophic understeer. I know, right? Because of its electric power steering that most modern cars do get combined with the 4WD drivetrain, it feels like you're struggling to follow through the right lines and it feels like...um...getting a small hard ball dropped to your sensitive foot and you can feel the pain from within.



But despite the woes with the power steering and with the understeering issue, the four-wheel drive system is no mumbo-jumbo here and it really catches up against its rivals from a good corner and finding a way to its problem requires an unflinching commitment and this car's no exception because to see how good this car is, I've invited some neighbors from Germany...



This is the Audi RS7 Sportback. Like the E63 AMG S-Model, it has four-wheel drive and it has a turbocharged V8 engine except it's smaller.

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And this is the latest BMW M5. Often criticized by its fakey exhaust note fired at the stereo on the inside, its hydraulic steering, rear-wheel drive, 4.4L V8 turbo, and its all-rounder personality makes it a clever contender.

I sent those three German saloons at the Top Gear Test Track and whichever's the fastest to lap is the winner. Here goes...




Like the E63 S-Model, the RS7 is all about the grip and a bad case of bad-understeer-itis when it faces a tight corner. It's like getting suffocated by two fat ladies squeezing you like a sandwich in a subway. The M5 has no risk at all because of its hydraulic steering and its rear-wheel drive layout, although it may have a risk getting spun out from a corner in a dynamic fashion. Since all of them are rigged with a double clutch gearbox, the shifting feel is gapless and it can't be matched with any other gearbox in the world but it can be a bit too messy if you're more on the fun factor. Let's not forget that the E63 has more power than the RS7 and the M5 but will it be enough to take down the opposition from its compatriots?



After a lap round the Top Gear track, here are the results;

RS7 - 1:24.032
M5 - 1:24.353
E63 - 1:23.382

So, there you have it, the new and improved E63 AMG is the victor of this comparison, proving that this German 4-door saloon is still doing the rounds on the track with the added power and its unquestionable grip but only just.



Well I'm glad I'm driving the one with the M157 engine that no other game featured it just yet...

Audi RS7 Sportback

2014 Audi RS7 Sportback

Well, that was quite an unexpected arrival for this hot version of the Audi A7 4-door coupe even this promises to give the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and the BMW M6 Gran Coupe a run for their money. So, ladies and gents, meet the Audi RS7 Sportback.

Lurking behind the skunk works of quattro GmBH, this high-performance 4-door coupe tries to balance it out not just as a premium saloon car but also a sports saloon that prefers to play with alkali metals in the bathroom, only cesium is worth the big bang in the bathtub perhaps. The science lesson is always one of Audi's biggest excuses when it comes to retain their "Vorsprung Durch Technik" slogan but because Germans love to do some serious stuff, all that sense of humor is not here, and so are its German rivals. Sometimes, it always left fake smiles rather than real smiles even when you made a fantastic joke out of it but no matter what, the Germans never laughed because humor is not in the German lexicon. There's another thing about how German is a German car because rather than losing its sense of humor, it's bang goes to the fear, the sorrow, and the fury. A true German car has to be more emotionless in order to focus to its keen points a driver would want but to be honest, it's all emotion commotion for this kind of scenario anyway.

For such a serious car like the RS7, it's rigged with Audi's 4.0 TFSi twin turbo engine which develops the same as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. 0-100kph takes about 3.9 seconds and top speed normally limited to 250kph or if you have enough cash, there's this dynamic package which raises the limit to 280kph or the very serious dynamic package plus which has its limit raised to 305kph, about 20 less than the LP560-4 Gallardo so it's not much of what you call...hmmm...

In terms of handling, well that was a bit of a brainstormer here, it still retains its seriousness as a German car and even if your hammering around like a megalomaniac, heh, no fuss. It behaves just like an office junior jumping through the swimming pool with some office equipment. Be warned though that while it drives seriously on the open roads, it still yanks like babies and roadworks. You wouldn't want one to use it as a chauffeur's car because sometimes, you'll be waking your boss up with his wine spilled on his pants. Quite an embarrassing moment eh and if it happened if you drive one of these in formal occasions or some sort of luxury parties, you're going to ruin theirs because what you have here is morally impolite. Geez, I don't really want to have one or have my driver to chauffeur with me because things can really get as messy as Japanese wasabi.

What's also crazy about the RS7 is its serious pricing and I was hoping to be priced competitively between the CLS63 and the M6 Gran Coupe but with this, it starts at around 113,000 Euros, around 20,000 more than the S7 Sportback, which is a lesser brother to that. So, with so many questions about the new RS7 are better left untold, it all leads to everyone's verdict to figure out how does the RS7 stack up but in the meantime, don't. It's still worth leaving your ears red if you had one and when you hear people talking about your ride.

Photo: Audi AG