The Audi A7 is a four-door coupe, but what does that really mean? A four-door coupe is a sedan that places a priority on its styling, emphasizing a sporty coupe profile at the expense of some rear-seat headroom. In this case, the A7 is a sleeker, more beautiful version of the proven Audi A6 sedan—and that’s a very good thing.
Add to those looks the utility of a hatchback rear cargo area, and you have an intriguing combination of style and practicality.
Add to those looks the utility of a hatchback rear cargo area, and you have an intriguing combination of style and practicality.
In the fuel-economy race, the new A7 TDI aims to emerge at the top of this segment. The new turbodiesel model earns impressive EPA numbers of 24 mpg city/ 38 highway/ 29 combined. It's offered with standard all-wheel drive and the eight-speed automatic, and with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft torque, it's said to be capable of a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds. Street performance is just as expansive as the supercharged six; the differences come down to price and preference.
Further down the scale is an engine that's probably smaller than what might have been installed in it a few years ago. Audi's supercharged V-6 makes 310 horsepower and can get the base A7 to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. At 18 mpg city, 28 highway, it arguably has V-6 fuel efficiency, too, via its standard eight-speed automatic. A few small gripes aside, the A7 is quick, it handles shockingly well for such a large car, exhibiting little of the nose-heavy understeer Audis are often known for in hard driving--yet it still rides comfortably.
A step up the ladder is where the Audi S7 lives. It shares a similar turbocharged V-8 to the highest-performance RS7, only it's reduced to 420 hp--but still capable of getting to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. It has a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox coupled to quattro all-wheel drive, and much of the same adept handling, fluid road manners and outstanding acceleration--just not all of the outrageousness.
Last year, the A7 adopted two new models into its breathtakingly pretty lineup, and one finishes that oxygen-extraction process. It's the RS 7, the most powerful Audi you can buy, even more powerful than the V-10 R8 sports car. The $105,795 RS 7 punches out a gulpworthy 560 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, straps it to an eight-speed, paddle-shifted automatic with an active rear differential and a variable-torque-splitting quattro all-wheel-drive system, to throw down one of the most tastefully tailored gauntlets of all time. It thrives in the same extremely thin air as the CLS AMG 63 and M6 Gran Coupe: with 0-60 mph times of 3.7 seconds, it's no longer just a rival for the usual luxury sedans, it'll hound a Corvette Stingray down the straights while evading gas-guzzler taxes through the miracle of cylinder-deactivation technology.
From the front, the A7 strongly resembles the A6 that shares its mechanical layout, its instrument panel, and most of its features. Walk around the A7 and where a trunklid should be lies a hatchback, long and wide, opening up into a shallow cargo floor under the gracefully curved roofline. The grand-tourer outline gets played here for maximum practicality. Subtle details distinguish the base cars from the uber models: chrome grilles become black honeycombs, simple exhausts tap out for diffusers and oval tailpipes, and matte aluminum and carbon replace gloss black trim. The dash is a chorus of cutlines, but Audi's mastery of materials carries it off without a hint of chaos.
It's not over in the corners, either. The air suspension that's standard can be adjusted into dynamic mode for flatter cornering, and steering can be dialed into a direct-ratio mode, too. (A DRC steel suspension's coming but won't be very common.) All told, the RS 7's rear-biased all-wheel-drive system can't erase its built-in understeer, but it can neutralize it so the RS 7 dives into corners flatly, predictably, at incredibly lofty speeds. We imagine a four-door GT-R might feel like this, if it let its richer instincts take the wheel.
No matter which A7 edition is hosting your passengers, they'll all be warmly welcomed. It's a top-notch luxury-car interior, with supremely comfortable front seats, although the back seats are a little tight for lanky adults. The S7 and RS 7 are four-seaters; other versions have five seats, nominally. With the seats down, the Audi A7 and S7 are limited only by the sloping glass in terms of capacity; there's a lot of room here, and a lot of utility--even though the space is a bit shallow.
In addition to the phenomenally good interior appointments, it's technology that also makes the A7 a standout. Most of what's great in the new Audi A8 flagship has been handed down to the lower-priced A7, either on the standard-equipment list or as part of the options list. The A7 comes standard with 12-way power heated front seats, and a choice of trim to go with standard leather. Ventilated seats are an option. The S7 and RS 7 come standard with Valcona leather seats and ambient lighting, while the RS 7 offers up a three-spoke steering wheel; a sport shift knob; and a gorgeous, natty pinstriped black-and-aluminum trim.
A night-vision display, blind-spot assist, and a system that can anticipate a collision all elevate the A7's safety roster above many luxury sedans. But it's the infotainment systems that are truly memorable: they include 3D Google Earth maps with Sirius Traffic updates, Google Voice search, an awesome Bang & Olufsen sound system, Audi Connect (in-car data services with a wireless hotspot), and MMI Touch, which lets you enter destinations, phone numbers, and the like by simply tracing a letter or number at a time on a little scratchpad.
This year, Audi's signature LED headlights have been updated for the A7 lineup. It's one of few changes that do nothing to alter the A7's stunning shape.
The A7 doesn't make waves inside the way it does on the outside, but it does show the best of Audi interior design, which includes some of the best-coordinated materials and trims on the luxury-car market. With a look that's essentially borrowed from the A8 flagship sedan--though slimmed down a bit and sitting low to fit the A7's more rakish look and feel. The smoothly styled, straight-across instrument panel helps maximize interior space, while matte-metallic finishes and two-tone soft-touch surfaces, along with some woodgrains and flowing door and dash contours, altogether make this interior feel special.
A centerpiece of the instrument panel is the MMI touch controller, pop-up nav screen, and rather thick, low center console; they're much the same as in the bigger A8, but the interface itself is even more cleaned-up and simplified.
The A7 is Audi's purest design statement, the culmination of a culture of curves. The A7 has its rivals--the very handsome Mercedes-Benz CLS and BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, and the very controversial Porsche Panamera--but none can claim its surfacing or its fine detailing. It's a beautiful piece with just a hint of quirky sensibility. If there's a flaw to be found, the A7 can look a little thick at the tail. Which modern car could be described differently?
Raising the ante to S7 and RS7 trim brings a discreet application of logos, wheels, and an automatic rear spoiler. There's a fantastic matte grey available on the RS 7, and painted brake calipers are on the order sheet too, to compliment its black honeycomb grille.
Source: thecarconnection.com
