Consumption
data Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSI quattro S tronic: Combined fuel consumption in l / 100 km: 7.2 – 6.8 * CO 2 emission combined in g / km: 163 – 154 *
* Data depending on the wheels / tires used
Dynamic in its most beautiful form: the exterior design
The exterior design of the A7 Sportback is an expression of the new design language that Audi introduced in the prologue study and brought to mass production with the new Audi A8. With its large surfaces, sharp edges and athletic taut lines, the A7 signals dynamism and progressiveness from every angle.
At the front, compared to the Audi A8, the wider, lower-mounted single-frame grille, the narrow headlights, the strikingly contoured air intakes and the flat front end of the car already convey the sportiness of the Gran Turismo at first glance. The headlamps are available in three versions, in the medium and the highest equipment, the light signature picks up the theme of digitization: separated by narrow spaces, here 12 light segments side by side, they create associations with the principle of the numerals 0 and 1. Top version are the HD Matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light available.
The Audi A7 Sportback is an athletic sculpture with a long bonnet, long wheelbase and short overhangs. Distinctive contours accentuate the wheels, which range in diameter to 21 inches, and refer to Audi’s quattro genes. These determine the proportion of the vehicle body. The silhouette is defined by the dynamic, sloping down roofline. Four numbers outline the sporty character of the big coupe: It measures 4,969 millimeters in length, 2,926 millimeters in wheelbase and 1,908 millimeters in width – but only 1,422 millimeters in height.
As with the previous model, the stern is retracted similar to a yacht. The long luggage compartment lid ends in a pronounced, curved spoiler lip and integrates a spoiler, which extends electrically at 120 km / h. A flat light band – a common design feature of the Audi top models – connects the taillights with each other, whose tail light consists of 13 vertical segments. When unlocking and closing the doors, the tail lights and the headlamps emit fast light animations and stage the dynamics of the large coupé in the stand. The progressive exterior design of the new Audi A7 Sportback comes without chromium in many areas. There are 15 colors to choose from, including eight new ones. The optional S line exterior package further sharpens the look. The modifications affect the grille and the front air inlets, the sills and the diffusers front and rear. They are bordered in black shiny and shaped stronger.
Showcar design in series: the interior
Inside, design and technology merge in a unique way. The interior of the new Audi A7 Sportback impresses with its futuristic lounge atmosphere. His reduced, clean design language rests in a very unique balance of tension and coolness. The horizontal lines and the slender instrument panel create an airy sense of space. The driver-oriented center console underlines the sporty character of the Gran Turismo. Four essential values characterize the interior concept: progressiveness, sportiness, intuitiveness and high quality. All colors, cover materials and inlays underline the new aesthetics – from the basic version to the design selection, to the S line sports package and to the particularly high-quality Valcona leather.
The upper display with its 10.1-inch diagonal (equipped with the MMI navigation plus) is inclined towards the driver. Thanks to its black panel optics, it is almost invisibly integrated into the dashboard when switched off – framed in a graphite-gray aluminum clip. The body that carries it forms its own geometric sculpture. The user interface of the display appears as soon as the car is opened. The look is reduced to match the interior design and concise, all screen content can be captured quickly.
Easy to handle: MMI touch response operating system and online voice control
The new Audi A7 continues the digitization strategy of the A8. The interior design merges seamlessly with the new MMI touch response operating concept from Audi. It replaces the rotary pushbutton and the conventional buttons and controls of the previous model with two large, high-resolution touch displays.
The driver controls the infotainment on the upper display. The lower display, located on the asymmetrically cut central tunnel console and 8.6 inches tall, provides access to air conditioning, comfort features and text entry. The wrist can rest on the wide selector lever of the automatic transmission.
Optionally, Audi provides a head-up display that projects important information onto the windshield. Together with the MMI navigation plus, the Audi virtual cockpit comes on board with a 12.3-inch display.
The operating concept of the MMI touch response with haptic and acoustic feedback can be operated intuitively like a smartphone: when the finger triggers a function, the user hears and feels a click as confirmation. With its logical and flat menu structure, it offers quick access to the various vehicle functions and can be personalized with configurable and movable favorites buttons.
The optional voice control in the new A7 Sportback makes operation even more comfortable. With the MMI navigation plus, the natural-language dialog system processes the questions and commands in two ways – with information stored onboard and in parallel with the detailed knowledge from the cloud.
Fully networked for more comfort and safety: the infotainment and connect peripherals
With its extensive networking, the Audi A7 is perfectly equipped for the long haul. It offers the customer more comfort, security and customization options. The Gran Turismo takes over the infotainment and connectivity offer of the Audi A8. Up to seven drivers can save their preferred settings in individual user profiles, with up to 400 personalization parameters. The online services of Audi connect have been expanded. New here are, among other things, the traffic sign and danger information – Car-to-X services, which make use of the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet.
As standard, the new A7 Sportback drives off the line with the MMI radio, optionally with MMI navigation or MMI navigation plus. There are four sound systems to choose from. The top version, the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, also brings the fascinating 3D sound to the rear seats.
Intelligent and comfortable: the Audi AI systems
With the AI button, the driver activates the Audi AI Remote Parkpilot and the Audi AI Remote garage pilot, which will be available during 2018. You automatically steer the new A7 Sportback into a parking space or garage and out again. The driver can get out and start the function on his smartphone via the myAudi app. To monitor the process, he keeps the Audi AI button pressed there permanently. The central driver assistance control unit (zFAS) permanently calculates an image of the environment from the fusion of the sensor data. It uses the data of a sophisticated sensor set. Depending on the equipment, it includes up to five radar sensors, five cameras, twelve ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner.
In addition to the Audi AI systems, there are a total of 39 driver assistance systems in the new A7 Sportback to relieve the driver. They are divided into three packages: the Audi AI assistance package Parking (introduction from 2018 onwards), the City assistance package with the new Intersection Assistant and the assistance package Tour. The latter includes, among other things, the efficiency assistant, which supports a consumption-saving driving style, and the Adaptive Driving Assistant, which complements the adaptive cruise control (ACC) by supporting steering interventions to hold the track. All driver assistance systems have refined control mechanisms.
Driving dynamics and long-distance
comfort : the chassis The new A7 continues to expand its synthesis of sportiness and comfort. With the optional dynamic four-wheel steering, the new electronic landing gear platform (EFP) – the central control unit for the chassis – and the enhanced air suspension, it gains in agility, maneuverability and comfort. This makes the A7 the perfect Gran Turismo, dynamic agile on winding country roads and at the same time comfortable on long motorway stages.
Front and rear axles are newly developed in many areas. In the standard progressive steering, the generally sporty translation with increasing steering angle is even more direct, provides a new concept for intense feedback from the road. Behind the big wheels with improved ride comfort – up to 21 inches and the format 255/35 – brakes work in aluminum fixed caliper construction. Their discs are up to 400 millimeters in diameter. The chassis setup offers the customer four options: a conventional steel spring suspension, the sports suspension with 10 mm lowering, electronically controlled damping and the adaptive air suspension with leveling compensation.
The top innovation in the suspension area is dynamic all-wheel steering. It combines a direct, sporty steering response with confident driving stability, solving the conflicting goals of agility and comfort. Depending on the speed, the steering ratio varies between 9.5: 1 and 16.5: 1 due to active steering interventions on the front and rear axles. On the front axle, these are superimposed on the driver’s steering input via a wave gear. At the rear axle, a spindle drive beats the wheels by up to 5 degrees. At low speeds, they steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels and further increase the agility of the large coupe, such as when parking or in urban driving. This reduces the turning circle by 1.1 meters at maximum steering angle. From 60 km / h the rear axle steers in the same direction,
The optional sport differential further increases the dynamics: It actively distributes the drive torque between the rear wheels, thus completing the quattro all-wheel drive. Just like the dynamic four-wheel steering, the regulated damping and the adaptive air suspension, the sport differential is integrated in the regular work of the Electronic Suspension Platform (EFP). Due to the close networking, all these systems work together for maximum precision. The driver can use the Audi drive select system to activate different driving profiles, whose spread between comfort and sportiness has once again been improved compared to its predecessor.
Wide electrification : Mild hybrid system for more comfort and efficiency All engines in the new A7 Sportback come as standard with a new mild hybrid system (MHEV) for greater comfort and efficiency. In the V6 units, it is implemented with a 48-volt main on-board network. A belt starter generator (RSG) works here with a lithium-ion battery and achieves a recuperation power of up to 12 kW when decelerating. The four-door coupe can sail between 55 and 160 km / h with the engine off in overrun mode and then restart comfortably via the RSG.
The start-stop function is significantly expanded and starts at 22 km / h. In conjunction with the standard front camera, the engine is restarted at standstill as soon as the vehicle in front is moving. In real driving, MHEV technology reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.7 liters per 100 kilometers.
At the launch, the new Audi A7 Sportback is initially available as a 3.0 V6 TFSI. The sonorous, subtle-sounding V6 turbo engine delivers 250 kW (340 hp) and boosts 500 Nm. The four-door coupe sprints in 5.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h, its top speed is 250 km / h. The basic
version of the Audi A7 55 TFSI consumes 6.8 liters of fuel in the NEDC, which corresponds to a CO 2 emission of 154 grams. The 3.0 TFSI is linked to a seven-speed S tronic. Its quattro powertrain uses the efficient ultra-technology that engages the rear-wheel drive whenever it’s needed. Further six-cylinder and four-cylinder engines, both petrol and diesel, follow soon after the start of production.
The body concept: Coupé, sedan and Avant in one
The A7 Sportback combines the best of all worlds and is a dynamic all-rounder for business and leisure. It offers the design of a coupe, the space of a limousine and the variability of an Avant. The interior concept of the A7 Sportback convinces with more space and more seating comfort – and despite an even more dynamically drawn roofline: Compared to the predecessor model, the interior length increases by 21 millimeters and thus leads to more knee space in the rear. At the same time, the headroom of the passengers there is improving. The through-loading width has grown to 1,050 millimeters compared to its predecessor.
The range of newly developed seats extends to the versatile individual contour seats with ventilation and massage at the front. The single seat layout in the rear (alternatively: 2 + 1-seat system) offers plenty of space and comfort. New high-tech options make handling the new Audi A7 Sportback even more comfortable. The Air Quality package improves the interior air with a subtle aroma, an ionizer and a powerful combination filter.
The body with its mixed steel-aluminum construction – large components, such as the attachments are made of aluminum – contribute significantly to increased driving dynamics and the added comfort of driving. In terms of body stiffness, aeroacoustics and aerodynamics, the four-door coupe achieved top results. The Gran Turismo pampers its passengers with improved acoustics comfort and, thanks to sophisticated aerodynamics, with minimal wind noise.
More light for the interior brings the improved panoramic glass roof with extra large glass elements. The heated windscreen and windscreen wiper with integrated washing nozzles are further new options for more comfort.
Despite much more dynamic lines, the trunk holds 535 liters in the basic version. With folded backrests, the storage space grows up to 1,390 liters. Thanks to the luggage compartment optimization, two golf bags now fit right into the boot – in addition to the optional spare wheel. On request, the tailgate opens and closes under sensor control by a movement of the foot.
The new Audi A7 Sportback leaves the production line at the Neckarsulm plant and launches at the end of February 2018 in the German market. Its base price as the 55 TFSI quattro S tronic is 67,800 euros.
