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Audi A7

Audi A7 review

While much of the luxury market has been co-opted by premium SUVs in recent years, many buyers still seek out the less conspicuous, more elegant shape of the time-honoured luxury saloon. Think of the Audi A7 as a thoroughly modern take on that traditional motoring recipe. It boasts the sleek ‘5-door coupe’ looks, sloping roofline and hatchback layout of the Mercedes CLS and Porsche Panamera.

Design

The Audi A7 is a handsome beast. Its wide, streamlined body, sculpted bonnet and chunky alloys give it a squat, purposeful stance on the road, while its ducktail rear spoiler – which pops up at speeds over 75mph – suggests that this is a car with serious performance credentials.  

A full-width LED tail-light bar at the rear also hints at the technology inside. Take one glance at the Audi A7 and you know this is a solidly built, ultra-capable performance saloon. Put simply, it looks like it means business. 

Audi A7 red

What's it like to drive?

Slip behind the wheel of the Audi A7 and you’re greeted with a low-slung seating position and a centre console angled towards the driver. It‘s a sporty yet comfortable place to be – like box seats at Wimbledon 

The A7 boasts high levels of grip, responsive steering and a firm yet comfortable ride. Cars fitted with Audi’s optional air suspension make even lighter work of rough surfaces.  

While the A7 is by no means a small car, it‘s surprisingly agile for its size. On the road it feels planted and reassuring, inspiring high levels of driver confidence in fast sweeping bends and tighter B-road corners. The majority of A7 models also come with Audi’s legendary Quattro 4-wheel drive system, which adds further to the A7’s impeccable road manners. 

Even the smaller-engined versions have plenty of power, making the A7 more than capable in all driving conditions. Interior road and wind noise are also kept to a minimum inside the Audi’s bank vault-like cabin, so longer, pan-European jaunts won’t present much of a problem. 

Audi A7 silver

The A7 boasts high levels of grip, responsive steering and a firm yet comfortable ride.

Interior

Once you’re settled into the Audi A7’s futuristic, high-tech cabin, getting comfortable won’t be a problem. That’s thanks to a wide range of adjustability for both the driver’s seat and the steering wheel.  

Front visibility is optimal, although the view back is slightly impeded by thick rear pillars and that sloping roofline. Thankfully the A7’s parking sensors and rear-view camera mitigate any problems.  

The entry-level SE Executive version still manages to boast Audi's MMI infotainment system with a 6.5-inch retractable screen, sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth and a USB interface, as well as heated and electrically adjustable leather seats, 4-zone climate control and parking sensors. If you need even more, S-Line cars get leather and alcantara-clad sports seats and a perforated leather steering wheel. Higher spec Black Edition models add a Bose sound system, high-grade interior finishes and upgraded materials and seats, as well as sporty exterior addenda. 

Audi A7 interior

Recently facelifted A7s feature Audi’s latest touch response MMI infotainment system, which boasts larger upper and lower central screens that use ‘black panel’ technology for improved contrast, as well as a host of driver assistance systems including traffic and hazard information that can be shared between Audis on the move. 

The cabin is a high-quality affair, with tactile plastics, premium materials and leather covering nearly every surface. The simple, uncluttered dashboard is intuitive and the cockpit’s few buttons and switchgear have a well-engineered, tactile quality that seems to sum up the A7’s overall premium feel.  

Practicality

Despite its rakish, coupe-style looks, the interior of the A7 is remarkably spacious. There’s an abundance of head- and leg-room for front seat occupants, while even six-footers will be relatively comfortable in the rear seats on longer journeys – somewhat surprising when you consider the A7’s sloping rear roofline.  

Boot space is equally impressive, with the A7’s hatchback layout making it considerably more practical than a common or garden saloon car. There’s enough room in the back of the A7 to carry several mid-sized suitcases for a family holiday and with the rear seats folded down it will easily swallow larger household items or flat-pack furniture.  

While it may look sporty and purposeful, it seems that the A7 also has family car credentials up its stylish sleeves as well. 

Audi A7 saloon rear

Reliability and running costs

The Audi A7 represents good value when compared to the competition, with high levels of equipment and strong residual values.  

Fuel efficiency is equally notable, with the A7’s range of petrol engines returning between 30mpg and 35 mpg, and the latest diesel units delivering between 39mpg and 50mpg. Considering the size and performance, these numbers, along with the general CO2 emissions figures for the range, are very competitive with the A7’s closest rivals.  

Audi has a good reputation for reliability, so we don’t foresee much going wrong with the A7 any time soon. However, we’d recommend you consider taking out cinchCare for added peace of mind. 

What we love

We love the rakish, sporty looks of the Audi A7. It’s a saloon, but thanks to its sloped roof and coupe styling cues it looks more purposeful than a standard 4-door car. It’s extremely safe too, with a host of standard kit including front, side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control and tyre pressure monitoring as standard. Unsurprisingly, it also has a maximum 5-star Euro NCAP crash test rating.

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Verdict

Great!

Can we say that the Audi A7 is one of our favourite premium family cars? With its raffish looks and serious performance creds you’d think not, but thanks to its surprisingly spacious interior and generous boot space, at cinch we think the A7 is a serious contender as a performance saloon and luxurious family conveyance.

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