A7 Sportback 3.0 TFSI quattro – AED 343,245

The Audi A7 is more like an athlete. Designed to be a young dynamic personality on the road. The exterior lighting has been a highlight for me in this car. The interior is now stream lined with the latest Audi models. Technology is to be admired inside this sporty athletic car. The trunk space on this car has been amazing and can fit a lot more than most other sedans out there. The A7 starts at a price of AED 315,000 and the model being reviewed (with further options added) is priced at AED 343,245.

A7 Sportback 3.0 TFSI quattro Specification

• Cylinder                                                              6
• Transmission                                                      7 Speed S tronic
• Output (hp)                                                         340
• Torque (Nm)                                                       500
• Top speed (km/h)                                               250
• Acceleration 0-100 km/h (seconds)                      5,3
• Fuel consumption (combined) (in l/100km)            7.2

 

“S line” exterior package features

• 20″ 5-twin spoke ‘S’ design alloy wheels
• S Line sports suspension
• Front sports seats
• HD matrix LED headlamps and LED rear lights with animations
• Leather/alcantara upholstery
• Headlining in black cloth

The front single frame grille is low and stretched wide. The sculpted sections of the door and rising angles gives it a harmonious look. The new lights in the Audi A7 comes with new functionality as well. The exterior lighting on the new A7 is a highlight. The front headlights are made of 24 vertical lights which gives it a distinctive appearance on the road. The LED taillights dance in a choreographed fashion and is really a pleasure to watch when locking and unlocking the car. The A7 exterior design is all about controlling air pressure, air flow, friction and downforce.

The Audi A7 cockpit sets an exclusive ambience with a combination of high gloss black inlays along with a selection of Aluminium or Wooden trim. There isn’t any button in this car and everything is about touch. Basically all those buttons we used to see in the past is now all inside two screens in the center, so that’s how the dashboard looks clean. The touch response screen is not just about touch but also has a haptic feedback. Further more all that you see in the center screen does also get extended to the drivers 12.3 inch virtual cockpit which is in color as well. The quality of the screen and the colors that come out of this high glass black screen has been impressive. The one disadvantage has been that the screen is prone to finger prints and all that press on the screen leaves a mark on the screen. They probably need to find a solution to that in their next version of screens.

The gear knob feels great to hold and the design is such that it makes a good support for the driver to rest his hand at times. You can also easily switch to sport gear by simply pulling the gear backward. The buttons on the gear is also big and convenient. It has a side button to switch between different gear modes and a dedicated parking button. An electronic switch for hand break which is now a standard in all German cars.

There is a high resolution 10.1 inch HD touchscreen on top of the dashboard and an 8.6 inch HD touchscreen on the bottom. Usually the AC controls are found below and is also your writing pad when you need to search for places while using the built in GPS Navigation. The handwriting recognition feature by the touchscreen has been impressive for it’s accuracy. It simplifies the process by avoiding the typing effort for the driver. The best part being, it even recognized entire words in joined  handwriting. It doesn’t recognize other handwritten languages though, but i am sure that’s possible through a software update. The anti-fingerprint coating was not found very effective. Although it doesn’t bother you much but it does affect the appearance of a clean screen especially during the day. The quality of the touch and handwriting functionality on the screen has been impeccable.

The multi-color ambient interior lighting is an absolute must for this car. It’s a sheer delight to watch the razer sharp thin color lines in the dark. Also they play multiple colors of light depending on the setting. You also get to choose different colors depending on your mood for the day. You can also adjust the brightness of the ambient lighting. It’s a well done for an interior. Probably the best interior ambient lighting for a car.

The instrument cluster for the A7 is a 12.3 inch full color digital display. A display that can be switched to two different views. If you are using navigation guidance then it would be best to adjust the view a full screen display of the map. Some of the information that will be displayed on this so called Audi virtual cockpit would be:

•  Vehicle/engine speed
•  3D Navigation map
•  Radio/media information
•  Driver assistance systems
•  All MMI functionalities (e.g. telephone, car settings etc).

The VIEW button on the multi-function steering wheel allows you to change between 2 differently sized representations of the instrument dials as you see in the pictures.

The navigation assistant works really well in this car. You have a 2D navigation display or a 3D navigation view. The buildings are in 3D form and also noticed the color of the maps change as per the day or evening light. It’s a beautiful way of showing the maps and I think they are in the right direction with this map software. Once again the colors for these maps are so vibrant and lively.

The park assist has been brilliant. You just can’t ask for a better view while parking. The Parking Aid displays a 3d view of the car as if the display is being projected by a camera placed outside facing the car. These visual images are created from the external cameras found on the sides, front and back of the A7. The Top 360 degree angle display of the car has been very handy and there is no way that you fill find parking difficult.

The leg room for the rear passengers is decent, the seats felt a little lower than usual. The AC is well positioned for the rear passengers. There is also an AC vent on the sides of the rear passenger. The controllers for the AC vents are also touch and in color making the display look so pretty. The frameless windows of these cars are just special, we just don’t see them very often and I thought it made the A7 look so cool and stylish. The wide Panoramic glass sunroof is also a joy for the rear passengers, however the Panoramic glass didn’t have any lighting effect which I thought would have looked better with the ambience lighting of the car.

The trunk space in this car is the best. Lots of space and you can almost fit in everything you need. The trunk opens electronically and even senses if you are too close before it opens. The car also has a built-in tray for you to insert a sim card which can make it more useful for communication as well can be used as a hot spot. Click here to visit the official website. Click pictures below to see them in full screen view: