It’s a curious thing, the Audi RS7 Performance. I mean, when was the last time you drove a hatchback with more than 600hp?
The genre of mega-potent four-doors that don’t conform to the conventional three-box saloon formula has gradually evolved since Mercedes unleashed the CLS (a car with a shape that was once compared to a “slowly melting banana”) in 2004. Since then, Porsche leapt into the fray with its Panamera, while BMW has given us the 6 Series Gran Coupé. Jaguar has also flirted with the not-quite-a-saloon format with its fastback-roofed XJ.
But somehow the RS7 seems the most oddball contender of the lot, because its proportions are distinctly dissimilar to anything else out there. Yes, up front is the familiar Audi face, with the gaping “single-frame” grille and angry headlights, but all normality goes out the window as you make your way to the rear.
Instead of the roof sloping down behind the passenger compartment to make way for the boot, it gradually tapers all the way to the rear extremity of the car, with a large rear window forming most of the upper surface. The RS7’s derrière could be described as voluptuous or even hefty – and whether or not it’s appealing will be down largely to your sense of aesthetics.
A random poll among friends and fellow motoring hacks yields polarising results. Some love it, others hate it. At least no one thinks it looks boring. As for me, I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. From certain angles, I quite like the offbeat proportions, but overall I’m not sold.
The example I’m testing is the RS7 Performance edition, which means power is bumped up from 560hp to 605hp, while the maximum torque is nudged up to a stump-pulling 750Nm. Clearly, there’s no such thing as excess if you work in the power-train department at Audi RS.
The Performance also scores massive 21-inch rims, blacked-out tailpipes, a gloss-black grille, a restyled rear diffuser, contour-hugging RS sports seats and adaptive air suspension. Just to ram its credentials home, there’s “quattro” lettering in the lower half of the grille.
The notion of a large (it tips the scales at just under two tonnes), luxury-laden saloon scorching to 100kph in 3.7 seconds and hitting 280kph (it would top 300kph, if it wasn’t electronically governed) with effortless ease seems, frankly, absurd. These are numbers that match Lamborghini’s flagship of a decade ago – the V12-propelled Murcielago, a car that was massively impractical and demanding to drive.
The RS7 Performance makes it all very simple. You get in, mash the throttle and the quattro all-wheel-drive chassis, with its battery of electronic aids, sorts it all out. There’s no drama or white-knuckle moments, because it’s all very anaesthetised. The big Audi is capable of making extremely rapid progress across all manner of roads, so discretion is needed unless you’re intent on rendering your licence into a useless piece of plastic.
The steroidal Audi is a ballistic piece of machinery, but it’s not the most involving device to pedal. The steering – although accurate and direct – doesn’t convey a whole lot of feedback, and overall, there isn’t a great sense of connection to the car. It’s a somewhat synthesised experience by comparison with, say, a Mercedes-AMG E 63 S, which gets the hairs on the back of your neck on end after a hard drive.
The RS7 Performance is still an enjoyable device to pedal – the urge and guttural soundtrack of the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 is truly something to savour – but it doesn’t feel as deranged, in the best possible way, as the aforementioned Mercedes, or for that matter, the surprisingly impressive Cadillac CTS-V that I had the pleasure of driving the previous week.
Where the Audi shines is in the quality and presentation of its cabin. The RS sport seats hug your torso in all the right places, and they look really tasty, trimmed in Valcona leather upholstery with black honeycomb stitching. The lovely flat-bottomed steering wheel and carbon-fibre inlays on the dash, centre console and door trims also help in endowing the cabin with a motorsport-themed ambience.
The story isn’t so great in the rear compartment, because the small glasshouse and low roofline make for a claustrophobic feel. If you’re any taller than 1.75 metres, you won’t particularly want to be stuck in the back. This is basically a car designed for one or two occupants, despite the fact that it’s almost five metres long.
After a couple of days of living with it, I can’t help thinking I would rather have an RS6 Avant, which gets exactly the same powertrain and chassis as the RS7, but differs in that it’s an estate, making it a far more practical proposition. That said, if genre-bending looks and eyeball-squashing acceleration are your key criteria, you won’t be disappointed by the RS7 Performance.
motoring@thenational.ae
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
