The Audi A7 55 TFSI quattro S-tronic arrived for a short test recently. On the first day I was on a drive and a colleague said to me ‘’ worst looking Audi in the range’’ My response was everything is subjective, but really? This is one sexy looking drive for sure. You cannot fault it on that. It came in Glacier White which just pops in the Winter sun, and many a envious glance was thrown my way during this test.

It’s by no means a cheap buy, and it will run you standard at R1,298,000, and the tested vehicle had  a host of extra’s, topping it up to R1,636,890. Not everything is needed, but my standard options to add would be 360 Camera’s, S Sport seats, Audi Sport wheels & Night vision assistant, which would add approx. R100k

So let’s look at the exterior styling, where the rear half is where the car really looks great, sloping coupe roof with the fastback look at the rear, with the fancy lights that make it look futuristic. It’s a four door, but it doesn’t really look it. The large familiar Audi grille & the Audi Sport wheels complete the look. The test unit had a moonroof which looks great as well.

The overall effect is that it looks sleek, fast and Sporty. The most obvious opposition model is the Mercedes CLS, and I think the A7 has that one beaten. It measures in at 4969mm , and 1908mm wide, with a height at 1422mm.

Into the cabin, and here there is a lot to like, unfortunately a lot of it does not come as standard though. Love the S- Sport seats with the Valcona leather and embossed logo. The dash is great with two media screens, and it was easy to connect with Android. Always enjoy a heads up display, as I don’t like taking my eye off of the road.

The Sporty steering wheel has all the controls you need on either left or right, that you may need. And cruise control is paramount with fuel prices these days. If I had a bigger budget, I might be tempted to add the AudiHD matrix LED headlamps with laser light, and LED REAR combination lamps, it comes with a washer system as well.  

The virtual cockpit, which replaces all analogue dials is also cool. The interior is very comfortable and has a large boot, so road trips would be fun.

The Audi A7 only comes in one model in SA, which is the petrol 55 TFSI, and this could be something to work on. We all love diesel models in SA, and with the petrol model being a tad thirsty, when you push it a bit, a diesel would be an option. It has a 3.0L V6 engine that pops out 250kw & 500Nm of torque, which is plenty.

Your 0 to 100km/h will be around 5.3 secs which is not that rapid by modern standards. It’s governed at 250 km/h, but gets there easily, and holds the road well, thanks to the adaptive air suspension, and other drive modes you can employ. Cornering is tight, and steering is pin point.

Fuel economy is a claimed 9.3 L/100km, but we got around 11. The auto S-tronic gearbox is awesome, smooth changing through the 7 gears, paddles are either side of the steering wheel for quick change. I personally, have long been a fan of Audi, and am an owner of an SUV the Q5, but if I was choosing a sedan, the A7 would certainly get the consideration it deserves.

‘’