Is this the slickest looking Audi on the market?

When we were invited by Audi Australia to test drive the new Audi A7 Sportback, we wanted to check if one of the slickest designs on the market had been seriously overhauled or just slightly tweaked…

With the brand new Calile Hotel in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley acting as a backdrop, we started our day greeting our brand new A7 55 TFSI Quattro in the lobby, and while Audi’s marketing execs explained to us that this car was aimed towards a more mature crowd, the exterior design seems far more suited to a younger, faster demographic. Incredibly clean lines (even for Audi…), a low profile and an aggressive front end are all great compliments to the new design language, but the real hero of the A7 is the rear design.

The rear of the A7 looks like something out of Blade Runner, and while this is probably going to divide the crowd, we couldn’t be more excited about the new look. The tail lights run the entire length of the wide rear end, and while at first it might be a little confronting, I’d have to say that this is the best looking back end I’ve seen on an Audi to date. Hopefully this trend of bolder, more aggressive rear styling catches on because this is a statement in modern sport styling.

As we took off toward our Audi hosted lunch, we got a chance to open up the A7 and really test if the aggressive styling matched the performance. Now, the A7 55 TFSI Quattro has the good old V6 powering it (3.0 litre V6 producing 250kW and 500Nm of torque) and that should be good for some grunt on the highway, but if I’m being honest such a bold design lends itself to a car I thought might be a little grittier off the line. I understand that the target demographic wants a comfortable, smooth ride to the golf course, but at times I felt like such a sporty looking car needs just a little more life under foot. Can’t complain about the Quattro system paired with the A7 though, it’s a perfect match and it has massive amounts of grip through sharper turns.

One of the cooler elements of the A7 though was the mild hybrid technology. Audi claims that it saves up to 0.7 litres per 100km by allowing the engine to ‘coast’ at speeds between 55-160km/h using energy stored in batteries on board. It was a lot of new tech that had me worried about the car possibly cutting in and out of this sequence, however it is completely seamless and I didn’t notice any sort of transition in and out of the battery operation.

The interior of the A7 is, well, incredible. Audi have taken the fight to other luxury automakers and have led the pack in terms of features and comfort to the point it can be overwhelming. The interior has actually been completely redesigned, and it shows. The dual touchscreens respond to the pressure of your touch while giving feedback (which was a bit weird at first…) and are beautifully integrated into the dash while having fully seperate controls (which did become confusing at times although that’s something that would probably become more comfortable over time).

At lunch we talked with Audi exterior designer Andreas Joachim Koglin, who stressed Audi’s attention to detail and direction with the A7 and Audi’s new design language, and this is where I started to realise the relative genius of the A7. It’s a beautifully designed, sporty looking car that won’t destroy your back on the way to your Sunday golf session, not to mention the quiet, comfortable cabin packed full of features that is actually kind of a bargain when looking at it’s competitors. I understand that as a complete package the A7 might not be aimed at me specifically, but its definitely styled like a car I’d want to buy.

The A7 55 TFSI Quattro will be available later this month, while the remaining models (A7 45 TFSI and A7 50 TDI) will become available to Australia mid 2019.

Thanks to Audi Australia for the preview.