First Drive: All-New Audi A7 Sportback

The A7 Sportback exudes a simple magnificence. Audi’s second-generation grand touring luxurious coupé is a swish automotive and a cultured instance of commercial design. It’s a extremely technical cell gadget too, providing the newest driver-assist improvements and a totally digital cockpit. Additionally it is a stunning automotive to drive, as I’m about to expertise.

Mine is the uber-refined 340ps 3.0-liter V6 petrol, teamed right here with the non-compulsory four-wheel steering system for a smoother drive. The chassis is agile but comfy and the quattro will get to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds whereas reaching a high pace of 155 mph. Audi is providing mild-hybrid help with stop-start on all its engines, which is all the time a helpful characteristic particularly in congested, city areas.

Driving to at least one facet, I believe it’s with its appears to be like that the A7 is prone to impress. Right here the design echoes the marque’s newest visible language, first seen on the Prologue idea 4 years in the past, then launched on the brand new flagship A8 manufacturing automotive.

On the A7 the main focus is on the play of huge subtly-sculpted surfaces and chiseled sharp edges, replete with a low, horny coupé roofline. The only-frame grille, a distinguishing characteristic on up to date Audis, is slim and horizontal, extending the width of the automotive. On the rear, the flat full-width mild strip varieties a steady mild graphic that does slightly sudden dance if you lock and unlock the automotive. This animated characteristic is reserved for the extra premium Audis.

Parts of this staged sense of enjoyable proceed contained in the A7 the place the cabin lights up at evening with a large alternative of theatrical ambient lighting. It’s noticeably comfy driving this automotive although the roofline is tighter than the outgoing mannequin. Inside size has elevated by 21 mm, so there’s extra knee and head room for rear passengers. On fashions with the three-seat rear bench design, with the backrest totally stowed, the baggage capability can increase from 535 to a beneficiant 1,390 liters. Nevertheless, there appears to be enough area to hold our three small suitcases with out the necessity to decrease the again seats. There are twin leather-based­ upholstered seats with full electrical adjustment, in addition to a menu of therapeutic massage therapies to assuage aching muscle mass whereas on the street.

The cabin can be pleasantly uncluttered because of Audi’s digital cockpit, seen on the Prologue and launched on the A8. A completely digital MMI multimedia system replaces the same old Audi rotary controller and satellite tv for pc buttons so most operations now happen by contact on the duel-screen which is completely built-in into the dashboard. Navigating the system is intuitive because it features very similar to a smartphone with the addition of haptic and acoustic suggestions as affirmation when a fingertip triggers a operate. As much as seven drivers can retailer their most popular settings in particular person consumer profiles and a few 400 parameters might be personalised.

The few remaining mechanical driving components additionally combine throughout the single unit that homes all digital themes to replicate the form of the radiator grille exterior. This sense of precision, which is so very Audi, makes all of the distinction if you sit in and drive this automotive. These are the subtleties of design that just about ought to go unnoticed but add to our sensory expertise. The Ingolstadt marque has lengthy recognized the way to construct a seamless relationship between digital and analogue – one thing that isn’t all the time the case with different carmakers.

It nearly feels pure for the A7 to be one of the superior vehicles on the street at the moment – definitely on this worth vary. This can be a vastly technical automotive providing 39 driver-assist improvements akin to hands-free autonomous driving in site visitors at speeds of as much as 37 mph and self-park in a storage or a bay from the skin. Sadly, at this stage native rules imply many of those can’t be enabled, however as legal guidelines step by step chill out Audi guarantees to introduce them in phases in the course of the yr.

There are different rival four-door luxurious coupés of this dimension and status in the marketplace – most notably the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Porsche Panamera, each equally good merchandise. This area of interest style is difficult to grasp because the GT coupé purchaser must be impressed with each the sporting appears to be like and area and luxury. The A7 has achieved these goals. The design is so exact; each aspect has been meticulously studied but the completed product feels modest, probably even slightly reserved but with simply that little contact of sudden theatre delivered in a really technical Audi means.

The A7 Sportback is priced from round $77,000 with first deliveries anticipated in April 2018.