tenspeed

Those numbers sound low to me. My Pontiac daily driver is 8 inches. A soda can is five inches. Maybe someone can measure their clearance to confirm those numbers.

jjsC6

Hold your fingers one inch apart and tell me if you think that really matters. I would not think so.

Maui19

My 2016 A7 with sport suspension appears to be a little over 5-1/4".

wiseguy67

One alternate suggestion: Consider the Subaru Outback.

We have 2015 A7 (did EuroDelivery) and 2015 Outback 3.6. Absolutely love the Audi but the Outback is amazing (253 hp; $34K + TTL), 8 inches of ground clearance, tons of space, blast to drive, great value for $$$. Worth considering.

ben_aip

Can someone please advise as to where exactly on any car, are these ground clearance measured at? I just went to my garage and even though mine is an S7 with active air suspension raised, it is nowhere near what those numbers are. The lowest point I measured was 8+" high! Say if I were to lower it via the MMI to Dynamic it is only going to be an inch lower static and another maybe 0.5" lower at speed of 120kph.

mrvar

I may be overly cautious and did not have an A7 in Vermont in Winter or Mud Season when I lived there. Take a look under the A6 and the A7 and see what would be damaged if you bottomed out or ran over something low. My fear would be that the intercooler on the A7 would be vulnerable as it is located so low and in front. As I recall, the A6 does not have that problem. Check where you are going to live to see how bad mud season will be there and if a low ground clearance will really limit your travel in the Spring. Quattro is the best system, I think, for Winter driving but driving in mud in the Spring or getting stuck in a snow bank is a challenge for any system and ground clearance is critical. When I was in the Vermont mountains this Summer there were Audi's everywhere but I did not see another A7. Check the dealers in Burlington, Rutland, and N.H. to see what their experience has been (though I am sure they would love to sell you either one).

I love my A7 but I still think I would not want it as my day to day driving car in Vermont in Winter and Spring. Good luck.

Maui19

The problem in snow is that, at some point, your car starts to float on the snow, rendering the Quattro system ineffective. This used to happen with my Q7 once the snow started piling up (I'm guessing 18" or so). Mud is different because rarely does it get that deep, and you can mostly avoid the deepest ruts. But sometimes your car just slides around and you end up in the deep stuff.

I think the idea of talking to Audi dealers in the area is a really good one.

I still have to ask this question: as someone who retired FROM NH to the south, isn't the OP doing this backwards? I thought Hawaii was the kind of place you moved to in the golden years, rather than away from.

zekeman

Yeah, kinda curious about that...sort of bassackwards. Last place I would retire to would be cold wx! I've retired now 3 times and the first 2 times I had to find something to do, so got another job. Retired life is peachy, but you'd better have a serious hobby to sink yourself into...doing nothing will send you off to do the dirt nap quickly. Winter way up in the NE isn't the place to do anything outside. BUT - to each his own!
Z

Braces

Did I read this correctly? 60 yrs old and you've only owned 4 cars?

Gavia

Yes. A 1980 Ford Fiesta. A 1990 VW Golf, A 2002 Golf TDI, 2011 Nissan Leaf. Probably would have hung onto the TDI longer but wanted to get an electric car. The only one I actually wore out was the first Golf. The Fiesta was still doing pretty well but it didn't make sense to take it to Hawaii with me.