“Dynamism and progressiveness from every perspective.”
German luxury carmaker Audi has unveiled the second-generation 2018 A7 Sportback, a five-door grand-touring coupe that promises to provide the luxury of a saloon, the style of a coupe, and the performance of a sports car all in one. This is the second iteration of the ‘A7’ nameplate, with the outgoing model setting the pace for the brand in this area of the market, and achieving those targets really rather well. The 2018 A7 “evolves and finesses ever facet” of the car it replaces, as it typical of Audi’s ‘progressive’ stance on development.
What has to be addressed from the outset is the look of the new A7, and boy is it a looker. The sleek, taut lines break up only few expansive surfaces that give the A7 a purposeful, athletic stance along with a degree of grace thanks to the long wheelbase and large proportions of the model. The new design language that the A7 has adopted was first seen in the also-new A8 limousine, which itself was inspired by the 2014 Audi Prologue concept car.
At the event in Ingolstadt, the A7 made its debut in 3.0-litre V6 turbo petrol guise (badged 55TFSI) and in 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel guise (badged 50TDI). The petrol V6, known for its smooth operation and impressive noise, puts out a considerable 250kW and 500Nm, putting power to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic automatic gearbox and Audi’s proprietary ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive system. That allows the A7 to rocket from rest to 100km/h in just 5.3-seconds, onwards to a top speed of 250km/h.
Once the car goes into production early next year, a range of four-cylinder engines in both petrol and diesel varieties will join the lineup, and crucially, all vehicles will feature a mild-hybrid system. In the V6 cars, that constitutes a 48V electrical system, a lithium-ion battery, and a belt-alternator starter motor. With the inclusion of the system, the A7 is capable of coasting with the engine disengaged (but not off) between 55km/h and 160km/h, while the engine itself can be shut off entirely at speeds of up to 22km/h (thanks to the intelligent stop/start functionality that knows whether or not the engine is required).
The new A7 is built on a steel/aluminium construction, and measures in at marginally the same dimensions as the outgoing model. However, the A7’s wheelbase has grown by some 12mm despite the overall length reduction of 5mm, resulting in better passenger space inside. The 2018 model maintains the lift back that we loved from the outgoing car too, revealing a space rated at 535L with the seats up, and 1390L with the seats down.
As befits a modern Audi, the A7 is chocked full of interesting and intelligent kit, including things like an ioniser, a heated windscreen, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, matrix LED headlights with laser-light high beam, and a four-zone climate control system to avoid those annoying squabbles about interior temperature. Raid the options list and you’ll find no less than 4 suspension options to choose from, a myriad of alloys measuring up to 21” in diameter, as well as a visually-arresting S-Line package that turns up the wick on the A7’s aggressive appearance.
The cabin of the A7 Sportback sees a emphasis on “creating a feely of airy spaciousness,” thanks to a clean design language and plenty of horizontal lines that help make the car feel wider to passengers. There’s more knee room and headroom in the new A7 too, which is also available with four- and five-seat cabins depending on spec.
The biggest change with the new model is the Audi MMI infotainment system, which ditches the BMW-esque click wheel and goes with a more intuitive double-touchscreen system, not unlike the TouchPro Duo system that Jaguar-Land Rover has. The 10.1-inch display integrated into the dash controls the infotainment system, while the lower 8.6-inch display handles the climate control, comfort, and text input systems.
The Audi A7 will launch in Europe early 2018, with production slated to begin within Q1 2018. The A7 is then expected to arrive in Australia by mid next year, with prices to hover around what the present A7 commands in the showrooms. We can’t wait to get this gorgeous grand-tourer in our hands for a full review in the coming months, so stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
For more information on Audi, check out our Showroom.
