Audi A7 Sportback : First Drive

A couple of years ago, we got the chance to cast our eyes on a car made by Audi that would leave a lasting impression in our minds. It was a concept of course, christened the Sportback. Starting as an elegant sedan at the front and flowing gracefully into a coupe-like rear end. The lines were very atypical of any four-door Audi the world had seen till date and somewhere in that aerodynamic design, one could feel that this was a car that wanted to be an airplane when it grew up. And a little over a year, grow up it did – from concept to production. Not an airplane, but with the transformation leaving almost everything unchanged, the A7 Sportback as it is now called is probably the best looking four-door Audi we’ve ever seen. So you can imagine just how exciting the prospect of getting behind the wheel of one must be. But before we can get to how this car drives, more must be said about just the way it looks.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid

A quick glance at the front reveals the standard Audi sedan treatment – large trapezoidal grille, sculpted front bumper, the daytime running lights – it’s all there. But do a double take and some slight differences begin to emerge. The first thing one notices is how the hood slopes towards the front of the car and gives the A7 a purposeful, aerodynamic profile – a feature that is particularly un-Audi-like. This effect is further enhanced by the slimmer headlight cluster as well. But adding to the overall butch appeal of the car is the strong shoulder line which runs from the outer edges of the headlights all the way till the tail of the car. That shoulder line, combined with the sloping coupe-like rear section of the cabin, creates a shape which is the real piece-de-resistance of the A7. This graceful rump certainly seems like a hat-tip to the Audi 100 Coupe S from the 70s.

Of course it’s not like Audi is breaking any new grounds with the idea of a four-door coupe. It’s been done to death, by the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and even brands like Porsche and Aston Martin. But the real beauty of Audi’s design is all in the details though, whether it’s those optional LED headlights, or that thin strip of orange LEDs in the taillight cluster which form the indicators or even that little flick of the fastback tail which acts like an integrated spoiler (and conceals one too). The A7 is really a sight to behold and is the ideal choice for someone who enjoys getting a lot of attention wherever he or she goes, as long as one is content with either driving the car, or at least sitting in the front passenger seats, because thanks to the wildly sloping rear roof line, there is a serious dearth of headroom in the rear seats.

: Audi A7 Sportback : Stylish and Luxurious!

Flights of fancy

And speaking about the rear seats, the interiors of the A7 are your usual current Audi fare and don’t do much to set themselves apart from those we have already seen, and enjoyed, in the A8 limo. All the gadgets and gizmos that Audi introduced on the latest generation of their flagship sedan, the A8, have found their way to this Sportback. And that list includes the almost militaristic thermal vision system to assist in night driving, the latest iteration of Audi’s MMI (Multi Media Interface), the touch pad input system with gesture recognition as well the brilliant seat massage system which we’ve promptly dubbed “Bangkok in a seat”. But the A7’s designers have included a wonderful touch in the interiors, which has the wooden trim of the dashboard wrap around the cabin, cocooning the driver and front passenger and creating an aircraft cockpit effect. This really gives you the feeling that the A7 was designed around the driver and is meant to be enjoyed as a driving experience from the front seats. And you’ll notice a few other such touches which are keeping in tune with the whole aviation theme. Look in the mirrors and you’ll see the rear haunches of the Sportback sticking out from the sides and extending all the way till the back – a view you could very well imagine a fighter pilot gets looking back at the massive jet engines behind his F-15’s cockpit. Combine that with the projected head-up display on the driver’s side of the windshield, and there’s a good chance that you’d want to wait for takeoff clearance from the control tower before driving away.

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Thrustmaster

When it comes to actually driving away, the A7 Sportback doesn’t disappoint in any way, but modern Audi’s rarely do. The car that has come to India features the same 3.0-litre turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine that we tested on the A8L a couple of months back, and while it has been tuned for a little lesser power and torque for the A7, it also has to move over 100kg less. So performance is not really a problem. But our favourite bit has to be the wide rpm range in which the monstrous 500Nm of torque is available – starting as low as 1,400rpm and continuing in a flat manner till 3,250rpm! So this means any gear, any speed, put your foot down and there is enough thrust to really get moving. And coming equipped with Audi’s celebrated Quattro four-wheel drive system, there is no real need to explain how this car goes around the bends. Just point it in the right direction and the system decides how to lay down the power just right so the car always stays neutral and balanced through the corner.

It’s a very unique car this, the A7 Sportback. In terms of outright performance, there are other cars, even from Audi’s own stables, which are far more exciting to drive and some might even scare the bejeezus out of you. And when it comes to stately luxury, there are those like the A8L which are the ultimate back-bencher’s delight. So what you have here is a driver’s car that is not the class topper, as well as a spacious four-door estate which is not the most opulent of the lot. So how does the A7 stack up? Well, it is almost the perfect middle ground in terms of something that is fun to drive and practical at the same time. And to top it off, it is absolutely stunning to behold – a visual treasure trove that none of the cars from Ingolstadt can match, and something that most from Stuttgart and Munich can’t live up to as well. This is the car for the perfect gentleman – a car that says that while his wild days might be behind him, he’s not ready to step into the shoes of the unexciting back-seat high-roller yet – and someone who has a keen sense of aesthetics as well. But if you think this is the car you want to be seen stepping out of, just make sure it is out of the driver’s door.

: Audi A7 Sportback : Stylish and Luxurious!