By G.R. Whale of NewCarTestDrive.com
On Sale: Early 2011
Audi will enter the so-called four-door coupe segment when the new 2011 Audi A7 Sportback goes on sale next spring.
Coupes normally have two doors; four-door cars are usually called sedans, but this four-door Audi has sleek, coupe-like styling. Like the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo (and the Saab 9000 that helped define the concept decades ago), the Audi A7 will be a four-door plus hatch arrangement, not the separate trunk configuration of the Mercedes-Benz CLS or Volkswagen CC.
It’s quite beautiful, with handsome proportions and elegant lines. From the full-height grille, front air dam pincers and Bentley Continental-esque front fender curl through the upswept lower side crease to the LED taillights and well-finished rear, the styling follows Audi’s current trends and will be quickly identifiable.
Derived from the newly minted A8 standard-wheelbase platform, the A7 is a sizable car, yielding a broad and generous environment for the four passenger seats, head and legroom for adults all around and substantial luggage space. In terms of rear-passenger space, it will be more like the BMW 550GT than the Mercedes CLS.
Well-bolstered seats sit between sculpted doors and a center console near armrest height for cozy ambiance, all fit with leathers, woods and likely choices of carbon fiber, aluminum or stainless steel trim. In front of the driver are a pair of large analog instruments, tachometer and speedometer, framing a multifunction display. The center console features the latest generation of MMI controls mounted behind the shifter. A navigation screen rises from the dash, while a pair of aluminum Bang & Olufsen acoustic lenses (speakers) extend from the instrument panel when the audio is switched on.
Rear passengers will enjoy trim on par with the front and should have available individual climate and video systems. The split rear seatbacks fold down for maximum cargo space (49 cubic feet). The power rear hatch opens widely for cargo loading.
Depending on the state of financials and fuels, look for the A7 to come with a supercharged 3.0T engine of about 290 horsepower. Other engine options might include a 3.0-liter V6 TDI turbodiesel (170-240 hp) and a 2.8-liter V6 (280 hp).
Front-wheel drive models with come with a continuously variable multitronic transmission, those with quattro all-wheel drive will come with a 7-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission.
Sophisticated fully-independent suspension will be standard, with air suspension, adaptive damping, Drive Select and quattro sport differential among the upgrades. Big sweeping rooflines need big wheels to keep proportions so watch for wheels 18-20 inches in diameter to fill those wheelwells and keep Audi’s biggest fastback glued to the road.
The A7 goes on sale in Europe late in 2010 with a base price of approximately $62,000. It is expected in the U.S. in the spring of 2011.
