tridentnyc

Hi all,

So this weekend I was fortunate enough to get a 24 hour test drive on a Premium Plus A7. As some of you know, I'm hoping to join the ranks of you great folks and to be a fellow A7 owner. I currently have a 2012 Premium Plus Q5 and am looking to make the switch to the A7 for various reasons...but that's another thread in another forum!

Ok, so on to the test drive!

I set up my test drive through a great sales guys named Chris at Audi Of Newton in Newton, NJ. Although I'm looking to ultimately get a Prestige A7, Newton only had a Premium Plus on hand for test driving and that was fine by me as it was configured exactly as I want my Prestige, only two options: Side assist and the cold weather package.

Looks:

First off, this really is a beautiful car. The loaner was in Phantom Black with black interior and dark walnut wood trim. The lines on this car are just incredible, I really feel this is Audi's best looking vehicle...ok, maybe the R8, but the R8 is not $100k prettier in my opinion!

Driving Impression:

I found the A7 to be an extremely refined ride and this is both a really good thing and then a slightly just "ok" thing. This car can move! On more than a few occasions I punched the gas HARD and before I knew it I was up to close to 100 mph. Not to worry, I did it on very open and empty roads for only as long as it took me to get up to that crazy speed. The downside of all that power is that the drivetrain to me seemed TOO refined. I was waiting for that neck snapping acceleration or that giddy seat of the pants response with a **** eating grin, that well, never really happened. Although the A7 has plenty of power, I just never had that "wow" moment while I was taking off like a shot. The downside of the A7 being a bit too refined for it's own good IMHO.

On the handling side the A7 felt very planted, very secure. My tester didn't have the optional sport suspension and it was equipped with the standard 19" all weather tires. During spirited driving through some twisties I felt a tad more body roll than I would've liked but nothing too serious. I'd love to hear from anyone on the forum that has either tested or owns an A7 with the optional sport suspension as to how it compares to the standard set up. I did feel the standard suspension did just fine, it handled road imperfections with ease and the ride overall was very comfortable. By the way, all my testing was done in various Audi Drive Select modes: Comfort, Dynamic and Auto.

I also share a lot of the disappointment others have voiced in regards to the seats. Why on earth we can't have the option of the comfort seats on the A7 is beyond me. IMO, the seats are too hard, don't provide enough lateral support and could have more adjustments. One of my main gripes about my Q5 are the same as the A7 in regards to the seats. It's really the ONLY thing making me think twice about buying the A7. I've had some significant back pain in my Q5 and I was hoping the seats were different enough in the A7 where this might not be an issue. I wasn't so sure as I definitely felt some of the same back pain I've been experiencing in the Q5...anyone else have this issue? I'd love to hear from you if you have. I have never had back issues in my life until getting my Q5 and now it's an ever present thing, not so sure I want to risk it again but I really am in love with the A7.

Road Noise

Although road noise should be under my "Driving Impression" section, I felt the need to give it it's own section here. I know there has been much made of road noise on this forum by some members, so I was prepared to be disappointed in this regard but it was the COMPLETE opposite! I found the A7 to be VERY quiet in regards to road noise. Bumps and road imperfections were very well muted and even driving on hardtop instead of blacktop still proved to be very muted as well. In addition, wind noise was almost non existent and engine noise was extremely well muted. It may be because of the lack of audible engine feedback that I felt a little flat regarding punching the engine as I mentioned earlier. It's not that there isn't a wonderful growl from this engine, oh it's there alright, it's just that the mufflers seem to be doing TOO good of a job..of well...muffling! I want to hear MORE of that growl...I think might help me with my lack of ear to ear grin when punching the 7. Anyway, this is one seriously quiet cabin, not sure what some of the complaints have been about. I know noise levels too as I'm a 24 year professional audio engineer and know a thing or two about noise floor levels.

Sound System

As my tester was a Premium Plus, it was equipped with the standard Audio Symphony system. As with my Q5 B&O system, I find it better to listen critically from either CD or SD cards with high bit rate mp3 files. I forgot to bring my cd's with me so I pulled my two SD cards out of my Q5 and jacked them into the A7. I basically have one word for the standard system in the A7: Adequate...but just barely. First the system could use a bit more power in overall volume, felt a bit low to me..and I listened to a number of different music types and they all felt a little low. The bass isn't very well defined and in order to get any real top end or brightness I needed to crank up the treble control about 70-80% of the way up. This unfortunately brought up some high mid range frequencies which I didn't want more of so the overall sound was mid range heavy and kind of "barky". Made the music feel a bit AM radio. I think Audi could have done better even with this standard "stock" system. I've read a lot of negative reviews about the Bose system that comes with the Prestige trim so I'm a bit concerned over what that'll sound like. No way I'm dropping $6k on the B&O system, Audi is smoking crack on that figure.If I'm going to drop that kind of cash on a system, I'll design it myself and it'll blow the B&O out of the water.

Interior Fit & Finish

I found the fit and finish to be really, really impressive. The surfaces all felt great to the touch, attention to detail was obvious and the dark walnut wood, which I derided in an earlier post, looked really nice...really nice. I now have no qualms if I have to go with that wood trim as I won't be doing a factory order. Aluminum is DEFINITELY out as I saw it in the showroom and I really didn't care for it. The wood is so much more luxurious and just adds an overall richer vibe to the vehicle. All in all, fit and finish are excellent.

Technology

My tester was pretty stripped down, only had side assist and the cold weather package in addition to the MMI and Nav. I paired my iPhone 4 easily and made some calls. My wife, who was at home, said I sounded very good on her end and she sounded crystal clear in the car, so no problems there.

The Nav worked just fine and I kind of like the look of the interface. I know some have said it felt cheap or something but I thought it looked clean and the addition of a home menu screen was welcome, my Q5 not having the same feature.

Final Thoughts

So all in all if I had to grade the A7 on a scale from 1-10 I would give it a solid grade of 8. I think it's a very capable, gorgeous vehicle that is only marred by a couple of significant things: Somewhat uncomfortable and unsupportive seats and the lack of a visceral "BANG" when the car is punched or thrown about during spirited driving. In my opinion, I think Audi could have left just a little more "bad" in this very, very refined bad boy.

2THRSQ

I traded in my 2010 Q5 Prestige for my 2012 A7 Prestige.
Q5
0 to 60 6.7 seconds. 17/22 mpg
BandO system 500 watt 14 speaker
More storage, less speed, subpar Audi quality on 2010 model
A7
0 to 60 5.4 seconds. 18/28 mpg
BandO system 1300 watt 15 speaker (far superior audio system)
More speed, less storage, above standard Audi quality 2012 model
Apples to Oranges my friend!
S7 will go .5 seconds faster and cost 10 K to 15 K more.

Sammersam

I drove both cars prior to ordering my A7 Prestige with 19" all season tires. Yes, the sport suspension is a bit firmer and gives you a little less body roll. However, coming from New England,and leasing my car for 36 months or less, I just didn't see the value or hassle of having to buy and mount snow tires twice a year. I think one of the big advantages of owning an Audi and I have had two in the past is that it is all wheel drive and you don't have to bother with snow tires.

JerryS4

TridentNYC: Good review and lots of thoughtful details to consider. Personally, I think the A7 deserves a 9 in your scale. It is a rare car that is great to look at and great to drive.

I think the A7 is targeted for the upscale market and the $10K adder over the A6 shows that fact. The 19" wheels are just right for this car, imho. With the 20" wheels and 35 series rubber, I feel the A7 leans toward handling control at the expense of some comfort and smoothness. I am fine with that.

In your review, it almost seems that you would like the A7 to be the same as a S4 but with a bigger car chassis and all the other functions? That is a tough thing to do. The A7 has already beat the BMW 5 series and MB E series in many tests and making it also beat, or come close to the S4, is a tough goal. My money and vote went to the A7 as it had the best combination of size, looks, function and drivability.

I suspect the S7 will be closer to $20K over the A7 price next Fall and will be a beautiful beast. I plan to do a Stasis ECU tune on mine and that will give it close to S7 acceleration. Too bad we cannot have the Active Rear Differential in the A7...that would have made it the S4's big brother.

tridentnyc

Sam,

I totally agree about the two sets of tires thing. I feel like if I get the sport suspension I'll just take the summer tires off and sell them and get all seasons on straight away.

Did you feel the sport suspension detracted from the comfort of the A7's ride substantially in your opinion? Also, did you happen to try Comfort mode in the Drive select while testing the sport suspension?

Thanks for the feedback Sam.

tridentnyc

Jerry,

Thanks for the thoughts. Not sure I want the A7 to be as capable as the S4 but definitely would like it to feel a bit more planted and less body roll during spirited driving. Did you test drive the A7 with the sport suspension by any chance? Is that why you feel it detracts from the overall comfort?

Any additional feedback would be greatly appreciated and thanks again for your comments Jerry.

A7SD

I was concerned about getting the sports suspension but I've been super happy with it. Not too firm/harsh on the road but stiffer through the turns. The A7 isn't a rocket but to me it has a bit of a kick. You did kick it into S(sport) mode instead of the regular D(drive) mode, right? Drive is pretty tame, good for when other people are in the car.

tridentnyc

Ok, I am fairly embarrassed to admit I did not. I was so focused on switching between Dynamic and Comfort modes that I totally spaced on dropping it into Sport. Ok, well that should definitely make a difference.

As far as the sport suspension, did you get it with the 19 or 20" wheels? Also, is the car appreciably lower with the sport suspension, I'd rather it not be dropped too much lower than it already is.

Thanks for that A7SD, definitely kicking myself for overlooking such a rookie move with dropping her into sport!

A7SD

You have got to drive it in S mode! It's very responsive. Big difference from D mode. Got the 20" but I probably would have gotten the 19" if I was ordering it. They both look nice to me.

A7SD

The drop in suspension isn't very noticeable. 10mm I think. Less than half an inch.