Audi’s product offensive seems to be gaining more and more traction and with each new product the company launches it seems to cement itself as a solid contender in the luxury car industry. With competition rife among the Uber luxury German car brands Audi has been carving out for itself a very unique niche in a play pen that very few brands dare to tread in. Audi has taken a very different approach to the luxury car industry: Mercedes’ S-Class reigns supreme in the luxury department while BMW’s 7 Series is most likely to show a clean pair of heels to its competition in terms of handling and sportiness. Audi completes this banquet by injecting pure doses of tech brilliance into the design of their cars.
The new Audi A7 is second in-line, after the recently launched A8, to receive a complete tech overhaul. A lot of the design cues have been inherited whole sale from the new A8. Gone is the old flip-up infotainment screen and in is a new 10.1 inch unit integrated into the dashboard. The screen lights up as soon as the car is opened. Just beneath it is a smaller 8.7 inch screen to control auxiliary functions such as the climate control and text input. Both screens feature haptic feedback and vibrate each time they register user input. The center console which houses both units has been angled towards the driver like BMW’s of old to help create a sporty atmosphere to complement the car’s exterior styling cues.
With car manufacturers advancing Autonomous technology in their vehicles Audi hasn’t been left behind in this onward charge. Audi’s AI systems feature in the new A7 in a variety of ways. Just like the BMW 7 Series the Audi A7 can be parked remotely without a driver in the cockpit. The only difference here being that while BMW’s 7 Series and 5 Series use their respective key fobs as remote controls, Audi’s A7 makes use of Audi’s smartphone app to park the car. Audi’s AI can also actively steer the car when the adaptive cruise control is engaged helping the car stay in its lane.
From launch there will be a 3.0 litre petrol TFSI V6 engine available with other engine variants following later. The V6 features mild hybrid technology which not only reduces the environmental impact of the engine but aids in improved efficiency. The car features what Audi calls a Belt Alternator Starter(BAS)which recuperates energy under braking and can be used while the car is coasting between 55kph-160kph completely bypassing the engine. The petrol V6 churns out 250kw of power and 500Nm of torque which help launch the A7 Sportback to 100kph in 5.3 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 250kph.
Like the A8 before it the Audi A7 features dynamic all wheel steering as an option. At low speeds the the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels helping to reduce the cars’s turning circle. From 60kph and above the rear wheels steer in the same direction as the front wheels to improve high speed stability and aid in lane changes.
As standard the car features normal steel springs. There is sport suspension on offer which lowers the ride height by 10mm and self leveling adaptive air suspension is also available optionally.
The most pronounced features of the A7’s exterior design are the matrix headlamps up front and the light strip running the entire length of the car’s back end and joining both tail lights. The head lamps have been designed to mirror the binary digits 1 and O. Whenever the car is locked/unlocked the front and rear lights put on a ‘light show’ to highlight the car’s sporty design.
I am finding that Audi is encroaching more and more real estate in the part of my heart that I have reserved for my love of cars. Their new design language is quite evocative and their interiors seem to be unrivaled. The new A7 highlights Audi’s bold new approach to the market place. It foreshadows the upcoming Audi A6 and further reinforces Audi’s tech heavy approach in the future of the company.
