• Lots of legroom in the cabin for passengers and drivers
• Big boot is easily accessed via hatchback
• Four seats and compromised headroom in the rear

As you can imagine, for a five-door hatchback that’s just over five metres long (5,009mm), there’s plenty of room for everyone inside. As is traditional with Audi, passengers of all shapes and sizes will get comfortable up front thanks to ample rearwards travel of the seats, and lots of height adjustment. As you’d expect from the sporty styling of this car, there’s a drop down into its snug-fitting seats in the first place.

In the rear, it’s great for legroom too – with even six-footers in the rear not feeling pinched behind people of similar height. Taller passengers may struggle for headroom due to the sloping roofline, but it’ll be a pleasant place in which to spend time if you’re not too hunched over.

Officially, the RS 7 is a five-seater but in reality, it’s really a four-seater due to the configuration of the rear seat and floor. The transmission tunnel running through the centre of the car compromises legroom for any passenger in the middle seat, meaning that it’s only really suitable for a small child on a short journey.

Will it fit in my garage?

There’s no escaping how big the RS 7 is, as it’s based on a full-sized executive car, and will need a full-sized parking space to accommodate. The biggest deal is its length – this is not a city-friendly car, even if shorter than the previous-generation A7, it’s a still a big car and you’ll notice it when manoeuvring in a town centre or a narrow street, for example.

There are plenty of parking aids, such as a reversing camera and all-round sensors. These are standard as you’d expect at this price point, and are there to assist with manoeuvring because visibility out the back isn’t the best.

Will my luggage fit?

At 535 litres (seats up), the RS 7’s boot is large enough for daily life. You’ll get a golf bag in the back, so something like a weekend’s luggage for two, or the family’s weekly shop will be no trouble whatsoever. It’s a hatchback so the access to the load area is very good indeed, and much more practical than an equivalent saloon, such as its A6 cousin or rival Mercedes-Benz CLS.

You get a standard-fit electric tailgate, which takes the effort out of loading it up, but bear in mind that there’s quite a high sill to get your luggage over. The rear seats do fold, though, and free up a total of 1,390 litres of space, which compares favourably with the 1,680 litres you get in the boxier Audi RS 6 Avant. But it is a fastback, so don’t buy it and expect to go shifting bulky furniture in it…

Safety

• RS 7 comes with full suite of safety systems and airbags
• Expected to achieve a full five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Technology is already there for advanced autonomous driving

The RS 7 Sportback hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, but the A6 saloon it’s based upon has, and it’s scored a very healthy five-star safety rating, as it comes with a host of standard safety kit that includes autonomous emergency braking and various driver assistance systems.

There’s also a full complement of airbags throughout the car, while rear side airbags can also be added from the options list. Family buyers will be pleased with the two Isofix child seat points found on the two outer rear seats. As standard, the RS7 features Pre-Sense front – a traffic monitor that alerts the driver of potential hazards and collisions, with audible warnings followed by braking intervention if the driver doesn’t respond.

Audi A6 crash test video