2015 Audi A7

The Audi A7 comes in two distinct trims – Premium Plus and Prestige. These two trims both come in either a gasoline engine or a turbodiesel (TDI) engine. Based on this, the pricing varies. Being a luxury sedan, it offers a whole bunch of safety tech and creature comforts. Also laden with a gorgeous and premium interior, the A7 is an all-rounder.

You can also upgrade the A7 with optional packages. The Cold Weather Package will add a heated sport round steering wheel and heated rear seats. The Black Optic package introduces 20” double-spoke titanium matte wheels. The Driver Assistance package, perhaps the most important upgrade, adds adaptive cruise control, Audi pre sense front, Audi pre sense plus, active lane assist, and front and rear corner view camera system.

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We would recommend going straight for the Prestige trim. If you want to spend $66k, we reckon you can also spend a little more. The Prestige will give you access to the most luxurious features inside, including heated and ventilated seats, a heads-up display, an upgraded Bose audio system, and the S-Line exterior. There are a ton of customization options that you can choose from depending on your budget and individual requirements.

The 2015 A7 comes with two engine options – a 3.0L supercharged V6, capable of pumping out 310 horses and 325 lb-ft of torque. The other option is the 3.0L turbodiesel V6 which produces lesser power at 240 horsepower, but more torque at 428 lb-ft. Both these engines are mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and feature Audi’s famed Quattro AWD. Handling is sharp and precise. The eight-speed auto performs its job extremely well, offering smooth and seamless gear shifts. Low-end torque is also high on the gasoline engine. Quattro AWD also does a fantastic job of offering grip on the road in all situations. 

On 19” wheels, the ride quality is decent but not excellent, and the suspension is a bit stiff. The larger wheels make it worse. The turbodiesel offers less power but has a big pulling capability. The A7 gasoline engine can shoot from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.4 seconds, which is an impressive feat. It touches the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds. For a luxury car, you couldn’t ask for more. The TDI engine can make the sprint in 5.8 seconds, which is exceptional for a diesel engine.

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLS 400 has the most powerful engine in the competition, but it does not translate into the fastest acceleration. The Merc is known to provide a comfortable drive with the best-in-class luxury and it excels at that only. The BMW is slightly behind in terms of acceleration but offers the best driving dynamics in the competition.

The A7 is not going to be the best fuel-efficient vehicle you will ever drive. The gasoline engine is hungrier for fuel, and hence, it sips 18 mpg for the city, 28 mpg for the highway, and 21 mpg for combined driving. The turbodiesel engine returns much better figures at 24 mpg for the city, 38 mpg for the highway, and 29 mpg of the combined economy. 

In this segment, it's one of the most fuel-efficient engines. Both the engines are fed fuel stored in a big 19.8-gallon tank. The range stands out to be 554 miles for highway driving. The diesel engine runs for a much longer distance of 752 miles on a full tank.

The Audi A7 is the least fuel-efficient luxury sedan in the competition sharing the spot with the Porsche Panamera. However, the Porsche comes with a bigger 21.1-gallon fuel tank which helps it achieve better range on the highway. The Mercedes-Benz CLS 400 has the most fuel-efficient engine which is very similar to the BMW 5-Series. The Merc also offers the best range in the competition.

The 2015 A7 sports a beautiful interior, with an abundance of high-quality materials that enhance the luxury. The design is ergonomic and there is just the right mix screen and buttons. The dashboard looks very pretty and features genuine wood panel trims. The AC vents are surrounded by chrome inserts. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and heated in the Prestige. Also, it features an excellent quad-zone voice-controlled automatic climate control. The Prestige trim also adds ambient LED lighting.

The front seats are heated and 8-way power-adjustable w/ 4-way driver lumbar and seat memory. The Prestige trim also features ventilated seats. Of course, the seats are leather-trimmed. The front row is very spacious, but that sloping roofline hurts the rear row headroom. Legroom is also compromised. Average-sized adults can still fit in easily. The cargo capacity is around 24.5 cubic feet, which is a massive area in a luxury sedan for storage. The 60/40-split rear seats can expand the area even further. Cupholders, a sizable center console storage, and seatback pockets increase in-cabin practicality.

The front row is quite spacious on all the sedans. However, the rear row legroom is the best inside the A7, but the headroom is best inside the Bimmer. The Porsche has the most congested rear row seating space. A7 blows everyone out of the water with its cargo capacity. Some of the standout interior features include:

• 8-way power-adjustable heated and ventilated seats
• Leather-wrapped heated steering wheel
• Interior LED ambient lighting
• Quad-zone automatic climate control
• Genuine wood panel trim
• Leather seats

How intuitive is the 2015 Audi A7’s infotainment system?

The 2015 A7 comes equipped with an 8” Audi MMI infotainment system, and the screen sticks out from the center of the dash. The Prestige trim also has a heads-up display. The system is pretty intuitive and crisp. The response is also sharp.

Standard features include MMI navigation, Audi music interface w/ iPod integration, Bluetooth, SiriusXM radio, HD radio, etc. Audi Connect 3G Wi-Fi hotspot is also available. It makes use of Google Earth data for navigation maps, and also offers Google search. The base trim comes with a 10-speaker Bose premium audio system, but the Prestige trim offers a 14-speaker Bose sound system. Some of the infotainment features include:

• SiriusXM and HD radio
• Bluetooth
• Audi Connect 3G Wi-Fi hotspot
• Google search and Google Earth data
• 14-speaker Bose audio system
• Head-up display

The 2015 A7 is one gorgeously designed, stylish modern sedan. Its looks are enough to attract anyone. Audi tries to make their sedan look stately with the sharp angles and flush sides. The front fascia features two stylishly shaped headlights and the grille at the chrome grille in the center features horizontal bars across. The side profile not only makes the vehicle look pretty sleek with the roofline but also keeps things flush. 

The sloping roofline does hurt the headroom but helps in the overall design philosophy of the car. The rear also features some good-looking taillights and dual-tip exhausts. The design is athletic, but it's also very much an executive car. It rides on 19” 10-spoke wheels as standard. You can equip the 2015 A7 with 19” 7-double-spoke Galvano Silver wheels, or 20” 5-double-spoke titanium matte wheels. The headlights and taillights are LED, of course.

The Panamera is the lightest, while the CLS 400 sports the smallest wheelbase. With each their own styling, the dimensions pretty much remain similar, more or less. The Audi A7 is the longest sedan in the competition but the 2015 BMW 5-series manages the longest wheelbase, though it is the shortest car in overall dimensions. Some of the exterior features include:

• 19” 10-spoke wheels
• Multi-link front and rear suspension
• Dual stainless-steel exhaust
• Heated auto-dimming power side mirrors
• LED DRLs

Being a luxury sedan, which is priced quite significantly, the Audi A7 does not have any crash-tested safety ratings from NHTSA or IIHS. However, we all know how safe Audi’s cars are and their innovative new safety features are also something to behold. The body is constructed of aluminum and high-strength steel, so rest assured, it is pretty safe. The Driver Assistance package will add more modern features. Some of the safety features in the 2015 Audi A7 include:

• Audi Side Assist blind spot warning
• Audi pre sense basic
• Audi pre sense rear
• Audi pre sense front (optional)
• Audi pre sense plus (optional)
• Active Lane Assist (optional)
• Front and rear corner view camera system (optional)

The Audi A7 is definitely worth owning if you have that huge amount of cash to spend. It’s a pretty strong performer, offers a very luxurious interior, a striking exterior, and a massive trunk. An optional diesel engine can be equipped for maximum efficiency. It’s a complete package and a very strong German luxury sedan for the family.