It's the A7!!!!

Ladies & gentlemen, I introduce to you the Audi A7....



It's the car that takes Audi into yet another niche, but has the A7 got what it takes to outmanoeuvre quirky rivals like the Mercedes CLS and BMW 5-Series GT? Well that's what we're here, at Audi's exclusive event at the museum of modern art in Munich, to find out.

Audi’s take on the four-door coupé has been a long time coming since the firm debuted the Sportback concept at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show. Unlike its rivals, Audi has opted to give the A7 an electrically-operated hatch, making the car a more practical executive proposition, while still retaining the steeply raked roof that defines its four-door coupé characteristics.

The production A7 Sportback features a similar grille to the A8 saloon, while the concept’s sharp lights and sculpted lower intakes have made way for a front end similar in design to the A5 coupé’s. The sloping bonnet helps the car to achieve a drag coefficient of only 0.28Cd.

At the rear, the A7’s hatch tapers to a rear end that incorporates an active spoiler which rises at motorway speeds. There is also a shallow boot opening and a body-coloured diffuser that houses twin exhausts. Adaptive LED headlamps, plus front and rear running lights, further mark the car out.

As the covers went up our immediate reaction was that Audi hadn't done quite enough to make this car the design icon it could have been. But on closer inspection the rear end is well excuted and the overall look is a notch above the bulbous Porsche Panamera. In fact, the proportions are closer to a larger, less-sporty Aston Martin Rapide.

Inside, designers have created a spacious and luxurious four-seat cabin. The finish is superb as we've come to expect from Audi - featuring two choices of real-wood inserts combined with splashes of aluminium and a range of leather and Alcantara trim options. The real revelation though is space in the rear, we sat next to another journalist who was six foot two inches tall and he still had several inches of head room to spare - quite an achievement when you consider the plunging roofline.

Standard kit includes a 6.5-inch dash-mounted monitor which displays satellite navigation, climate and phone functions. The car’s Multimedia Interface (MMI) system can be upgraded to include an eight-inch screen and allows the driver to write on to a touchpad to operate phone and navigation systems.

Buyers can also specify a head-up display which projects important data directly in front of the driver at a virtual distance of 2.5 metres. A parking assist programme allows hands-free parallel parking, too.

While cars with the Multitronic auto are front-wheel drive, quattro four-wheel drive comes as standard with Audi’s seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch gearbox. A centre differential allows up to 70 per cent of power to be shifted to the front or 85 to the rear. Multilink suspension front and rear should give a dynamic and comfortable ride, while sports and adjustable air-suspension can also be specified.

Four V6 engines will be available from launch, comprising two petrol and two diesel options ranging from 201bhp to 297bhp. The most efficient unit is the 3.0-litre TDI, which boasts emissions of 139g/km and economy of 53.3mpg. The top-spec 3.0 TFSI delivers 297bhp, 34.4mpg and 190g/km CO2, with 0-60mph taking 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. And with 20 per cent of the body made from lightweight aluminium, expect the A7's handling to be nimbler than its dimensions suggest.

The first A7s are available to order from 16 August, with first deliveries on 8 January 2011. Prices will start from £43,745 (inc 20 per cent VAT increase due in January) for the 3.0 TDI fwd and £47,990 for the more-powerful Quattro version. Both petrol versions come with Quattro four-wheel drive as standard, and cost £45,210 for the 2.8 FSI and £48,060 for the 3.0 TFSI.

Sources: Text - Auto Express Image - Fourtitude