Audi A7 Sportback

The Audi A7 Sportback is the latest model from a German car maker that seems intent on world domination. The company introduces a new model seemingly every week, this latest being an executive hatchback with few obvious rivals.

It’s easy to be confused by the Audi A7 Sportback, so think of it as a hatchback version of the all-new Audi A6 executive saloon and estate, which will be launched next year.

Until recently, the Germans have avoided building hatchbacks, apart from small ones, because saloons and estates are more prestigious in Europe. But buyers wanting more practicality have demanded something like the A7 Sportback be created – and Audi has been happy to oblige.

We’re glad Audi did so, because the hatchback styling translates brilliantly on a car this size. Long, wide and low, the A7 looks classy, sporty and luxurious, thanks to the trademark large-grilled nose, shallow window line and gently sloping tail.

Full gallery: Audi A7 Sportback

Audi A7 Sportback

The generous dimensions also ensure the A7’s cabin and load bay are decently spacious. Legroom is plentiful front and rear, but the plunging roof line means anyone in the back who is well over six feet tall, may end up with their hair buried in the roof.

Coupe looks, estate space, saloon comfort

Audi claims the A7 Sportback combines the sportiness of a coupé with the practicality of an estate and the comfort of a saloon. With fold-down rear seats that boost carrying capacity from 535 to 1,390 litres, there’s plenty of space available, but that tailgate ensures there’s nothing like the practicality of an estate on offer.

What you do get though, regardless of model, is ample performance. At first the A7 Sportback will be offered only with V6 engines – a pair of diesels and two petrols, all fitted with stop & start – which stops the engine when the car is stationary and restarts automatically when the car moves of – as standard. The least popular powerplant will be the 201bhp 2.8FSi, pegged at 187g/km and capable of 146mph along with 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds.

Hardly any more common will be the 296bhp 3.0TFSi, the fastest A7 initially as it can sprint to 62mph in just 5.6 seconds, before hitting an electronically limited 155mph. More impressively though, CO2 emissions for this petrol-powered range-topper are just 190g/km.

If low CO2 emissions are your priority, the entry-level 3.0TDi will be for you. With CO2 emissions of a mere 139g/km, no rivals can touch it, yet it’s plenty quick enough as it can do 146mph and 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds.

By far the most popular model however will be the 242bhp 3.0TDi, which will account for more than two-thirds of sales. Packing 242bhp and a very useful 369lb/ft of pulling power, the quattro-equipped 3.0TDi is also limited to 155mph, and can despatch 0-62mph in just 6.3 seconds.

Four-wheel drive grip

Apart from the entry-level 3.0TDi, all A7s will come with quattro four-wheel drive, so the ample power can be transmitted to the road, whatever the conditions. A semi-automatic gearbox is also standard on all models, so drivers can let the car choose the gears or they can do it for themselves.

We sampled the various 3.0TDi models, to find that even the entry-level model is fast, refined, handles tidily and offers good ride comfort on the standard 18-inch wheels. The 19-inch wheels of the S line don’t destroy the ride either, but move up to the optional 20-inch items and things start to get a bit crashy.

With 18-inch wheels the smallest available, the A7 is marked out as very much a premium product – it’s not intended to be nearly as mass-market as the A6 on which it’s based. As a result, purchase prices are relatively high, but then so are equipment levels.

Two trim levels will be offered; SE and S line, the latter carrying a £1,790 premium. The SE has a tyre pressure monitoring system, xenon headlights, parking sensors all round, sat-nav, leather trim and heated front seats as standard.

Also included are electrically adjustable seats, cruise control, dual-zone climate control and Audi’s brilliant Multi-Media Interface, which allows easy, centralised control of many of the car’s main functions.

Move up to S line trim and Audi beefs up the cosmetics, with 19-inch alloy wheels, a body styling kit plus sportier interior details such as a three-spoke steering wheel and a black headlining.

Safe and well-equipped

There’s a mass of standard-fit safety kit too of course. As well as airbags galore, ESP, traction control and anti-lock brakes, there are numerous options offered. These include lane assist, which steers the car back between the white lines should you stray, plus night vision, which uses a thermal imaging camera to show if there are any pedestrians in the road after dark.

For those who want even more, a stack of upgrades will allow A7 buyers to specify wheels up to 20 inches in diameter, air suspension, double glazing, a head-up display, massaging seats and four-zone climate control.

The cheapest A7 Sportback, the front-wheel drive 3.0TDi SE,  will cost £43,755 when it arrives here in January 2011. The range-topping 3.0TDi quattro S line will be pegged at £49,790, pitching the car firmly against the BMW 5-Series GT and Mercedes CLS.

Like the BMW and Mercedes, the Audi A7 Sportback will be relatively exclusive; Audi expects to sell 300 in the UK this year and 3,250 in 2011. If you can afford one it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t buy an A7 Sportback.

It looks classy, is spacious, practical, great to drive and is superbly equipped, while also being beautifully built. As such, it’s easy to argue that this is a car which is in a class of its own.

Key facts

Model tested: Audi A7 Sportback 3.0TDi SE, Audi A7 Sportback 3.0TDi quattro S line
On the road price: £43,775, 49,790
Price range: £43,775-£49,860
Date tested: September 2010
Road tester: Richard Dredge