Test Drive with the Audi A7

I’ve had a BMW 5 series saloon for 3 years and it’s time for a change. I have been searching for a comparably sized, well specified executive car, but wanted that little something extra. It’s nice to have a luxurious car that sweeps effortlessly along the motorways and A roads around London but for my next car, I wanted something that also offered something different…. Something that everyone else didn’t have!

With 50% of cars being sold as fleet vehicles in the UK, there are lots of the same types of car on the roads. That’s ok, and I’m no snob, but if I’m going to spend my own hard earned cash I want something that feels somewhat unique to me, and not to see another car of the same spec driving around me all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a limitless budget that I can draw upon, so I searched carefully for this next car of mine.

Having visited a number of dealers and looked at lots of cars online, I stumbled across one of Audi’s better kept secrets, the A7.  I can’t say I have ever seen an advert on TV or in any magazine for the A7 and when I now look, I do not see them on the roads either! Is the car a poor seller? Or is it just under appreciated? I need to try and find out, I thought!

I arranged a test drive for Saturday morning and arrived promptly at the West London Audi dealer, ready for my 10.30am departure. The car was there and waiting for me: the Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI quattro S Line. The styling on this car is very appealing and the space inside is deceptively large for a car of its style. The car was Phantom Black, had a black interior (plus some aluminium trim) and Valcona leather seats. Upon inspection of the interior, the car has sloping lines, like that of the A5, but on a larger scale. There is no doubt that this car was designed to go head to head with Mercedes CLS, but having driven that also, the A7 is more spacious and the one I drove had a better spec and trim level.

I am 6ft 5 and climbed into the drivers cabin easily. The seat has more adjustments than precision watch and I soon found a comfortable seating position. Were I to buy the car, it has two memory settings so myself and my wife could have our desired seating positions at the push of a button. I adjusted the mirror, pushed the ‘start’ button and the 2967cc diesel engine came to life. This V6 engine produces 242 ps of power, offers maximum torque of 500Nm, delivering 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, although I knew I’d get nowhere near the top speed of 155mph. I pulled away from the dealer and got onto the A4 in West London. This road is busy regardless of the time of day, and as expected, I joined slow moving traffic. The car was very well behaved and even though I knew I had some power beneath my foot, it was delivered smoothly and efficiently. The car drove how my BMW drives, in a smooth and controlled way with no sudden movements when the S-Tronic gearbox moved through its range. When I could put my foot closer to the floor as the traffic around me cleared, the delivery was as I’d hoped. Being the quattro model, the power was equally delivered to all 4 wheels resulting in a smooth acceleration and enabling me to rapidly reach 60mph. I worked my way along the A4 heading toward the M4 from where I would really see what the performance was like. As I came up the slip road and joined the M4, I pushed my foot down and I was soon traveling at 80mph, effortlessly moving across the 3 lanes, before I eased off the gas.

One very nice addition to this car, an optional extra, was the heads up display. Projecting onto the screen was my speed and directions from the satnav. The dash is a good size and the maps on the main screen more than adequate, but this quirky extra of having data on the windscreen in front of you was very appealing to me. I had the option of flicking the car into semi manual and I could use the paddles either side of the steering wheel. I didn’t try this but I’m sure the gear shifting would have been as smooth as what I had already experienced through the automatic gearbox. I left the M4 and approached the dealer again after what was an enjoyable 30 minute drive.

Did this car suit my needs? Yes. Did it offer something unique and different? Yes. Can I understand why there are so few of these cars on the road? No! This car had just what I wanted. It has executive saloon space and room, even in the boot, combined with superior power delivery and handling. The car has a high level of spec and I can’t think of anything else I would add beyond what was already there. For GBP50,000 I can get a lot of other cars for my money, but this one is certainly a favourite so far!

By Stephen Reeve