COVER Audi A7
FIRST DRIVE Newcomer brings tech from latest A8 to the four-door coupé class. So is it a winner?
A8 tech and striking looks make Sportback a winner
TRADITIONAL three-box saloons are gradually losing market share, as new car buyers flock to the variety of more ‘on-trend’ bodystyles available. SUVS are, of course, all the rage, but four-door coupés are also becoming increasingly desirable.
The German car makers are never slow to capitalise on a new market niche, and Audi’s secondgeneration A7 Sportback has beaten the new version of its rival, the Mercedes CLS, to showrooms.
The A7 is the second Audi, after the rather straight-laced new A8, to be penned from the start by design boss Marc Lichte, and clearly he’s been allowed to be a bit more expressive here. It appears far more athletic in profile than the heavy-looking outgoing model, with the low bonnet, pronounced styling lines and that gracefully sloping rear deck giving rivals such as the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé a run for their money.
S line models – like the car we have here – sprinkle on some extra glitz with Audi’s slick matrix LED headlights, while every version features the distinctive single-piece light bar running the full width of the rear. The latter also features on the A8, but it’s a more unique shape here.
There’s a further treat for the eyes when you lock or unlock the A7, too: both front and rear clusters put on a fancy animated light show to impress the neighbours.
Inside, things are less showy. Much of the cabin architecture is lifted from the A8, including the smart-looking
dual-screen MMI touch control system, but the dash has been reshaped to give it more of a driver focus. While the screens aren’t quite as easy to use as the old MMI rotary wheel, haptic and acoustic feedback make selecting functions less of a lottery on the move than on many other touchscreens.
The driving environment itself is clean and comfortable, with a low-slung, easily adjustable seat and the latest version of Audi’s slick digital instruments. Material quality is largely up to the impeccable standard expected from the brand, although, if we’re nitpicking, the plastic air vent panel on the dash top looks and feels oddly cheap.
We’ve no complaints about the space, though – there’s more head and knee room than before, so even six-footers can get comfortable. There are three seatbelts back there, too.
Audi is launching the A7 initially with a pair of V6 engines; one petrol and one diesel, and each featuring 48-volt mild hybrid technology. This means the car can shut down the engine and coast between 34mph and 99mph, while the stop/start system can activate well before the four-door coupé has come to a halt. In addition there’s regenerative braking, which charges a 12kw lithium-ion battery pack at the rear.
All of these features are said to boost fuel economy by around 10 per cent, so while Audi has yet to release figures for the diesel, the V6 petrol claims an impressive return of 40mpg. Importantly, the systems operate
smoothly and have almost no impact on the driving experience.
The ‘50 TDI’ V6 diesel is expected to make up over 80 per cent of UK sales, despite recent market trends. We can see why, because when combined with a smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox, it’s a brilliantly flexible powertrain. With a healthy 620Nm of torque, it pulls strongly but serenely in any gear, with only a cultured V6 hum instead of a diesel rattle.
By comparison, the 55 TFSI petrol we also tried needed working harder to get the best from it, often hunting for ratios where the diesel would hold on to a high gear and ride the torque wave. Rather confusingly, Audi offers four suspension options for the A7 Sportback, with everything from passive springs and dampers to full air suspension; we’re driving the latter here, fitted with optional all-wheel steering to increase agility and stability.
With everything in its sportiest setting, the A7 disguises its bulk well, feeling relatively nimble and controlled in bends. The variable-ratio steering makes the steering more direct, too, and with the standard-fit quattro system you’ll have to push extremely hard to detect any slip.
We’d stop short of saying it’s as capable or as fun as a Porsche Panamera (tested on Page 46), but it’s a definite improvement on the old car.
By and large, the A7 is an extremely refined and comfortable cruiser, but the ride on air-sprung models isn’t perfect all the time. Despite disguising bigger bumps well, the variable surfaces of our South African test route occasionally made it feel unsettled and jittery, even in Comfort mode. It’s a trait that could be replicated or even magnified by UK roads, although opting for steel springs with adaptive dampers and avoiding the larger wheels could improve things.
Audi has yet to reveal pricing for the diesel, but we’d expect it to start at around the same figure (£55,000) as the V6 petrol. That would make it much cheaper than the equivalent 6 Series Gran Coupé or Panamera – as long as you don’t spend too much money on the A7’s lengthy options list.
“With everything in its sportiest setting, A7 disguises its bulk and feels nimble in bends”