TMCnet News
Hatching smarter plan ; The Audi A7 Sportback gets a shot in the arm with an extensive reconfiguring of the range. Andy Enright takes a look [Grimsby Telegraph (UK)](Grimsby Telegraph (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) AUDI doesn't really tolerate underperformers and as lovely as it was, the A7 Sportback just wasn't cutting it. This ought to have been a showcase of all that Audi could do, a celebration of the marque's talent. Instead, the A7 emerged as something of an oddity, a car that never felt on quite the same dynamic plane as a Mercedes- Benz CLS or a BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. Rather than let that situation persist, Audi has instead given the A7 some fairly radical remedial surgery. Although the shape may well look much the same, look a bit closer and you'll see that this is a very different and much-improved car. Getting that message across to potential buyers might be a bit tougher than generating a tick sheet of areas to improve, however. Where the old A7 made do with a choice of four engines, this time round there's a quintet of powerplants to choose from. From launch, the new generation A7 is available with a choice of five engines. At the base of the range is the 218PS 3.0 TDI ultra which has been developed to offer outstanding fuel consumption, while at the top end of the range are the 450PS 4.0-litre S7 and the even more aggressive 560PS RS7. Perhaps the most appealing engine is the 3.0-litre TDI biturbo, which delivers 320PS via an eight-speed tiptronic transmission. All other engine configurations work with the seven-speed S tronic transmission. In the versions with front- wheel drive, the uprated dual-clutch unit replaces the eight-speed multitronic CVT transmission. For engine outputs of 272PS and above, quattro permanent all-wheel drive can be supplemented with the sport differential, which actively distributes power between the rear wheels. The Audi drive select dynamic handling system is standard. Options include dynamic steering, two sports suspension options and adaptive air suspension. The revised engine and transmission set up gives this A7 refresh some real substance, but it's good to know that a bit of style's been injected to provide essential balance. The front end now features a hexagonal single-frame grille while the bumpers are shapelier and complement the LED headlamps as well as LED daytime running lights. At the back there are wider trapezoidal tailpipes. Not a lot really needed doing to the interior, which was already probably the classiest cabin at that price point, but Audi has offered some additional interior materials, including aluminium and Beaufort walnut inlays. The colour palette has been revised, extending to include the Valcona leather upholstery available as an upgrade to the standard Milano leather in versions below the S line. In S line versions, which previously featured black Valcona leather, a Lunar silver option is also now offered. The S7 has always been one of the more practical choices in its sector and that continues. The cargo space under the electrically powered tailgate measures 535- litres which extends to 1,390-litres when the rear seat backs are folded. Prices square up fairly closely to BMW's 5 Series GT and significantly undercut the Mercedes Benz CLS and the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. If you're seriously thinking about choosing the A7 Sportback, it's well worth taking a detailed look at the equipment lists to make sure you're comparing eggs with eggs. Whether you choose one of the petrol or diesel engines, the standard specification includes a powered tailgate, leather seats, electric seat adjustment and heating, cruise and parking controls, satellite navigation, the Audi Music Interface (AMI), DAB digital radio and Bluetooth phone preparation. The 'hub' of the interior is Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) system with a retractable monitor. The top system uses a powerful new graphics processor from Nvidia and includes MMI touch, enabling you to scroll and zoom in lists and maps via a touchpad. You can also team this with Audi connect, which access the net via an LTE high-speed data transmission standard for zippy 4G data rates. Other noteworthy options include the Matrix LED lights which can dim individual diodes to divert their pool of light around oncoming and following traffic without reducing their intensity in other areas. Dynamic indicators with a sweeping function in the direction of the turn are also standard at the rear and optional for the front units. Audi's rightly proud of the 3.0- litre TDI ultra model and it seems scarcely credible that such a big, luxurious car can return 60.1mpg and emit just 122 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Even the S7 model has cylinder-on- demand technology which allows it to run on four cylinders when cruising, saving fuel and reducing emissions in the process. Choose your options sensibly and depreciation isn't too savage, with the top diesel model retaining 38% of its value after three years. That's about par for this class where typical buyers are always looking for the newest, shiniest thing and look to offload once the three-year warranty has expired. Those three years shouldn't cost too much on a day to day basis, with Audi utilising some smart technology to achieve those unlikely looking fuel figures. The latest direct injection technology is used across the engine range and all four units also feature energy recuperation during coasting and braking and the now familiar engine start-stop function. Other fuel saving tech includes an engine load-reducing electromechanical power steering, the torque converter-free multitronic continuously variable automatic transmission, and the optional MMI navigation plus, which uses detailed route data from the sat nav to factor corners into the automatic transmission's shift strategy and avoid unnecessary, fuel-sapping gear changes. As we're often reminded, every little helps. The Audi A7 Sportback is clearly a car that a massive amount of thought and development budget has been ploughed into. It's a very considered thing, a car which pushes boundaries with its styling and engine technology but which feels reassuringly familiar to drive. The latest model improves the oily bits while at the same time keeping the look fresh and the technology indoors bang up to date. Bear in mind that despite the close grouping of prices between the various A7 Sportback models, the engines, transmissions and suspension set-ups are very different indeed and unless you've got very rigid criteria regarding emissions or fuel consumption, it might be worth trying as many of the variants as possible before committing to buy. Still, hardly a chore is it? (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |