The introduction of the all-new Audi
A7 Sportback gives the world another coupe-styled sedan.
This ever-growing trend started with the Mercedes-Benz
CLS and now encompasses a wide range of vehicles from
the Hyundai Sonata to the Aston Martin Rapide. Audi gave
the world the Audi A5 Sportback last year but for
reasons unknown, forgot to include the U.S. market.
Luckily for us, they've graced us with the A7 Sportback.
The A7 Sportback goes up against a few notables in this
category including the trendsetter CLS which is soon due
for a redesign and the recently introduced Rapide. The
Porsche Panamera however, may give the A7 Sportback the
stiffest competition though until the new CLS arrives.
For 2011, Porsche has added a new 3.6-liter V6 to the
Panamera's lineup which brings the entry price down but
still costs thousands more than what the A7 Sportback
will be priced at.
The A7 Sportback's front fascia closely resembles other
Audi models from the A4 to A8. Audi's large trapezoidal
grille is most similar to the A8 with six subtle corners
rather than four and chrome horizontal lines. The lower
front fascia has more resemblance to the A4 and A5
though with larger air inlets and sportier design. The
headlight shape even draws inspiration from Audi's
supercar, the R8, which encompasses the 18-LED daytime
running light wave design lining the lower edge. Eleven
more LEDs below the daytime running lights act as turn
signals. The A7 Sportback comes standard with bi-xenon
headlights but different lighting options are available
including Audi's adaptive light system which adjusts
lighting depending on different environments (city,
highway, rural, etc.). The A7 Sportback somehow manages
an coefficient of drag (cD) of 0.28 despite having a
taller front end than the Panamera.
The Panamera's front fascia combines the styling of
different Porsche models. The headlights are similar the
Porsche Cayenne SUV while the lower front fascia is more
like 911s. The floating turn signals in the lower air
intakes have been seen on several 911s lately but
originally appeared on the 911 Turbo. The Panamera's
hood gets more distinction though from other Porsches
with contoured creases tapering inward on the flat front
lid. Turbo models have a cD of 0.30 whereas the S model
gets a slightly better cD of 0.29.The A7 and Panamera
are nearly identical in size but the A7 manages a lower
curb weight due to more than twenty percent of the body
being aluminum. Proportions of both are equivalent with
relatively balanced front and rear overhangs and
similarly-sized wheelbases. Up front however, the
Panamera is lower slung in typical Porsche fashion. Both
the Porsche and Audi have long hoods although the
Panamera's contoured fenders and sculpted hood help
break up the vastness of sheet metal. There's also more
curvature in the Panamera but design cues on the A7 such
as the "tornado line" (as Audi likes to call it) keeps
the A7's rigid design interesting. The tornado line
extending from front to back gives the A7 broad
shoulders for a sporty appearance. Traditional sports
car design cues find their way on both such as the
door-mounted side mirrors. If you're going to make a
coupe-like sedan, you might as well do it right the
first time. Audi did it right with the A5 Sportback and
now they've done it again with the A7. Audi has managed
to make a more flowing body with a smoother curved
roofline than the Panamera. The Panamera's hunchback
rear can be an eyesore. It upsets the balance of the
front and rear proportions and recalls Saab hatchbacks
of the past. The window silhouette also ends abruptly
creating an oversized D-pillar. Audi on the other hand,
has created an elegant shape with just the right amount
of curve. Front and rear heights are equal and the
window shape creates a sporty demeanor with an upswept
rear quarter-window. It may even give the Aston Martin
Rapide some competition.
Inside is room for four, not five, in both cars. The
Panamera's odd roof shape does allow for more headroom
for rear seat passengers but styling is obviously
sacrificed. The A7 Sportback does have better cargo
capacity though in the better looking rear end. More
traditional Audi and Porsche design cues can be seen on
the rear. The A7's rear fascia is nearly identical to
the A5 Sportback and also resembles the A8. Audi's
tradition of keeping every vehicle in their lineup
looking nearly identical can leave much to be desired.
Nevertheless, it is attractive and better proportioned
than the Panamera. The wide taillights are nearly
entirely made of LED's and match the wide rear end of
the A7. The rear concaves inward to form a spoiler lip
that outlines the upper edge. Another spoiler is located
in the liftgate that extends at 81 mph but is otherwise
hidden as to not disturb the A7's elegant shape. Single
round exhaust pipes reside on each side of the A7
integrated nicely in the body-colored diffuser.
The Panamera's rear diffuser is the only
non-body-colored body panel. Had it been colored to
match though, the rear would look even taller than it
already is. The roofline thankfully tapers inward to
create muscular rear shoulders, another 911 design. The
LED taillights are unlike other Porsche's however and
feature unique shape and pattern. Quad exhaust pipes
outback lack the elegance of the A7 but emphasizes
power. The A7 Sportback's interior may be the most
original part of the vehicle. The dashboard design is
different from other Audi's with a more modern look. The
wing-shaped center vents have been seen in the BMW Z4
but the rest of the design is rather unique. High
quality materials range from aluminum to wood to
Alcantara. The center piece is a 6.5-inch display
popping up from the dashboard for use by Audi's MMI
infotainment system. A head-up display is also available
to display the same information on the windshield. A
much talked about feature is the Google Earth
integration which finds its way into the A7 Sportback
and works with the navigation system. Optional features
include climate-control, massaging front seats, ambient
lighting, a 15 speaker, 1,300 watt Bang & Olufsen audio
system, lane assist, and even park assist where it'll
parallel park the car for you (similar to Lexus's
system).
The Panamera's interior design takes bits and pieces
from other Porsches but is otherwise unique. A
center-mounted tachometer in the gauge cluster and
another gauge located in the center of the dashboard are
all Porsche trademarks. The dashboard and center stack
design however, remains unique only to the Panamera.
Porsche has opted for a Burmester audio system with 16
speakers and 1000 watts along with voice activation,
navigation, Bluetooth, dual screen rear entertainment
system, and four-zone climate control. |
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While the rest of the world gets four different engine choices, only the
3.0-liter supercharged V6 will be offered in America. But we can't
complain, the supercharged V6 is the most potent engine that will
offered elsewhere and at least Audi is offering the A7 Sportback here at
all unlike the A5 Sportback.
The A7 Sportback and Panamera manage to be fairly practical as well.
Cargo capacity is generous, performance can be outrageous, fuel economy
is respectable, and they both even tow over 4,500 pounds.
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