Spied Up Date: 2012 Audi S7

Luscious sheetmetal is the must-have in the four-door-coupe arena, but power doesn’t rate far behind, at least in the U.S. The Mercedes-Benz CLS-class is available here exclusively with V-8 engines, the same goes for the rakish Jaguar XF, and even the BMW 5-series GT—admittedly a bit of an outlier to the segment—is available with a twin-turbo V-8. And so for the Audi A7, a V-8 option seems indispensable. Enter the top-spec A7, the S7 spied here.

To be sure, we like the A7’s responsive and gutsy, 300-hp supercharged V-6, but its muted snarl just can’t deliver the aural satisfaction and hearty growl of a V-8. In addition, the 333 hp the engine produces in the S4 is likely near its maximum output. So we’re not entirely surprised that Audi has chosen to add an entirely new engine to its arsenal for the S7 (as well as the next S8): a turbocharged and direct-injected 4.0-liter V-8 good for at least 400 hp.

Loosely based on the old naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8, the 4.0 will launch in the S7 next year, and will also serve as the base engine for the redesigned 2011 Bentley Continental GT. The fact that the power addicts at Bentley deem this powerplant fit to move their portly luxo-cruiser with sufficient authority can be taken as a strong indicator of its capabilities. We expect it to be equipped with a single turbocharger in the S7 and with twin turbos in the S8, where it could make around 450 hp. We hear rumblings that the S7 will scoot to 60 mph in fewer than five seconds; top speed will be a governed 155 mph. Power will be channeled to a rear-biased Quattro all-wheel-drive system through Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual, which will surely be programmed to deliver all sorts of sweet-sounding, rev-matched downshifts.

The prototypes caught by our photographer are running on the same parallel-spoke 18-inch “S-Design” wheels that are standard on the Europe-only S5 Sportback. They will certainly be the smallest available on the S7; count on Audi to offer optional 19- and 20-inchers to visually offset the S7’s considerable size. The exterior of this prototype is rather low-key, and in fact virtually identical to the A7 with the optional S-line package that we sampled during the A7’s launch in Sardinia earlier this month. The gaping, rectangular air intakes do little to improve the look of the base model, and we hope—probably in vain—that the S7 will come to market with a somewhat more sophisticated front bumper. The four exhaust pipes out back, on the other hand, look just fine to us.

The suspension will naturally be upgraded to deliver sportier responses, and Audi will offer a number of assistance systems, such as the torque-vectoring “sports differential” and active steering. Inside, the S7 will receive specific trim and décor.

The S7 won’t arrive at U.S. dealers before the 2012 model year. By then, Mercedes will have unveiled its 550-plus-hp CLS63 AMG, which begs the question: How about an RS7?

Thanks to: Car and Driver