Audi A7 Sportback - design masterpiece

Created Date: 30/03/2011

Fresh from winning the Design Summit 2011 award for its fantastic looks we have the Audi A7 Sportback, which is their answer to a small, sleek saloon which still carries the power of its brethrens. While Audi are billing it as a coupe, its aim is to further blur the line between a traditional saloon and that of a smaller hatchback.

Its looks are instantly a striking selling point of the car, with an angular yet elegant design complimented with subtle chrome trimmings. Definitely a businessman’s car, the A7 looks remarkably premium and classy without even a hint of flamboyancy. Its understated modern character continues with the folding rear wing that only appears when needed and the suitably angry but definitely not ostentatious front grille. The back window curves elegantly to the very rear of the car with the back bearing close resemblance to that of a much sleeker Maserati Gransport – certainly not a bad thing at all. The headlights are xenon powered and LED assisted and are angled in a way that helps to aid the grill in giving it that mean German performance look. This all adds to an exterior package of understated class that understandably got the design critics all hot under their collars.

The A7 Sportback comes in two trim versions – the SE and S line, with the SE line leading the way as the most expansive and expensive. You get heated leather seats, DAB radio, iPod connectivity and front and rear parking sensors as standard, with upgrades available on top when ordering. For example Audi offers a mind blowing 910 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system for anybody looking for musical prowess, which comprises of no less than 15 intricately tuned speakers. The interior itself is a beautiful blend of leathers and wooden trimmings, with plastics that are definitely of a premium and don’t look like they’re from an old DVD case. It’s very spacious inside despite its small size and carries a surprisingly large 535 litre boot which can be expanded to a massive 1390 litres with the rear seats folded. In car entertainment is supplied from a handy popup centre console display that also acts as your satellite navigation screen.

Engine sizes range from 2.8 to 3.0 litre and you get a choice of either petrol or diesel. The most powerful is the 3.0l petrol model, with a supercharged V6 delivering 296bhp and a respectable fuel economy figure of 34.4mpg. The more fuel efficient 3.0l diesel version sports a less meaty V6 engine at 242bhp but a more distance friendly economy rating of 47.1mpg. More impressive is the diesel engines carbon rating, which manages to achieve a very green figure of 139g/km of CO2. The 2.8 litre versions both run on petrol with 201bhp. All come with a choice of either Multitronic or S Tronic gearboxes, Audi’s own stepless transmission systems.

This is a fantastic contemporary looking business car that will stand out in any parking lot simply because of its understated beauty. It doesn’t need to scream at you how good it looks because it knows it’s good looking. Beauty aside it’s also very functional, with a large boot and a good choice of economy based engines for city driving. In typical Audi charm the amount of in-car entertainment and comfort is second to none and as one would expect, it is of a high quality. If you’re looking for a halfway point between saloon and coupe that you want to be seen in, I can’t recommend this enough for executive class.For a full range of Audi cars, kindly visit here.

Article written by Thomas Wellburn...

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