FX45Chicago
Member
- Location
- Chicago
- Car
- 2005 FX45 AWD
The Audi A7 Sportback combines the upscale appeal of the A8 sedan with the style of the A5 Sportback to create one incredibly desirable car. And without the similarly styled A5 Sportback in the way at U.S. dealerships, the A7 actually has a chance to succeed. Inside and out, the A7 features design details that reward the driver before the engine has ever been turned on. The A7 faithfully follows the design of the Sportback concept from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, aside from the concept's oversized 21-inch wheels. The large glass roof enhancing the design of the concept is also gone on the production model, which retains the show car's frameless windows.
The new A8 sedan has rewarding design details too, though not nearly as many as the A7. Compared with rivals from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus, the A8's sales are low but the A7 can act as a supplement for Audi's high-end sales.
Overseas, the A7 will go on sale in the fall for €51,650, or about $66,600 U.S. Like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, we expect the U.S. A7's pricing to fall between Audi's midsize and large sedans, though closer to the A8's base price. Before the inevitable S7 variant is unveiled, A7s in Europe will offer only V-6 engines; two gas and two diesel. Front-drive models get a CVT while all-wheel-drive A7s have a seven-speed automatic transmission.
In the U.S., count on the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 making 300 horsepower to serve as the main engine. Accelerating from 0-to-62 mph will take 5.6 seconds, Audi says. On the more fuel-efficient side, some markets will get a 3.0-liter diesel that will achieve the U.S. equivalent of about 44 mpg by European standards. All A7s get a stop-start system to save fuel. The body is composed of a steel and aluminum mix, and the car is about 15 percent lighter than it would have been were the A7 made completely from steel, according to Audi.
Efficiency, of course, isn't the A7's raison d'etre. The A7 starts with the A8's large six-corner grille and (optional) LED headlights, making the strongest impression from the side view. Xenon headlights are standard, and the slim row of LEDs integrated into the side mirrors is a nice touch.
The side view shows off the A7's style to the greatest effect, with the C-pillar rising to the roof in what the automaker calls a "dynamic wave." The strong character line running atop the door handles and below the frameless windows gives the A7 strong shoulders in back, where a spoiler automatically lifts at about 81 mph, retracting at about 50 mph. Again, the A5 Sportback has similar lines, but the A7's extended length sets it apart, though the 18- and 20-inch wheels help too.
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1007_2011_audi_a7_look/index.html#ixzz0z8jWdD6h:wink (2):
Attachments
Last edited:
