darreln

Hey folks,

So, just celebrated my 6-month anniversary with my Audi A7 (came from A5). Thought I take an emotional / rational inventory of my purchase and share with you (or those of you on the fence) how things have been going.

Overall, I still love the car as I did when I first saw it. It still oozes sex appeal, power, masculinity and still has an undeniable unique appearance, unlike any other car. I still get frequent compliments from strangers, admiring the car's lines and appearance. What i find interesting is that these compliments come from teens, young adults and mature adults alike. It seems that the car's "looks" have a very broad appeal, which, in a time where cars are so specialized toward certain demographics, is quite a feat!

I am also still impressed with the cargo capacity of this car. Whether i buy bulk at Costco, or haul the Lab to the doggie spa, the car has yet to disappoint me. It's cavernous capacity is truly impressive (and I haven't even put the back seats down yet)!

There are, of course, some dislikes and they have remained with me throughout the six months.

On the "daily annoyances" side, every time I put the car in reverse (which happens a lot!), I am reminded of the truly terrible camera resolution offered in this car. I can barely make out objects, as everything is so fuzzy and/or pixelated. I understand this to be a resolution issue between the camera and the large LCD screen. The camera cannot serve images that are at the (larger) resolution of the screen. This seems like a cheap money savings move that unfortunately impacts my driving pleasure on a daily basis. Definitely my biggest complaint. I would "LOVE" if Audi were to upgrade the camera to be able to handle the LCD's resolution, but alas, will not hold my breath.

As widely discussed here, the brakes are soft and have a dead feel to them. They are not grippy, and I often find myself not braking hard enough, which causes me to then stomp on them to get the car to stop where I want it to stop. I attribute this to the said lack of feel, and I have to literally "re-learn" how to brake in this car, compared to other cars I drive.

I am still very much impressed with the Audi MMI, it does everything very intuitively and does not get in the way of what i need to do. It is responsive, and looks great. The voice control system is great, and for the first time, I find myself actually using such a system in a car on a consistent basis! I am disappointed that the album art on a plugged in iOS device is not displayed, and I cannot understand why the car does not have a USB port to import music to the internal hard-drive. I understand there is a USB dongle that can be purchased, but I think it's silly. I really don't need two micro slots, I would have preferred a USB slot instead.

The NAV system is outstanding, although the color coding for roads is wildly confusing, and all over the board. There is not documentation that I found that clearly explains what all the colors mean, and I gave up on it. At least I understand the highway color coding, green, yellow and red. I do not understand what a red or yellow onramp or main street means, for example. And no, it does not mean stop&go traffic EVERYONE loves and is impressed by the Google Earth display, it's definitely a killer feature. I did not renew the data plan from T-Mobile, as it is prohibitively expensive for the little use I'd get out of it. My iPhone does all of it and more and I am already paying a data plan for that. I did keep Sirius radio, as I want the real-time traffic display on the NAV screen.

Lastly, the center console for the rear passengers creaks when it is down, which can be annoying. Obvious resolution is to keep it folded away..

In summary, I have loved every minute of driving this car (5k now), and have no regrets. I expect this car to be with me for a number of years, and look forward to lasting love affair


Cheers,

darreln

tridentnyc

Great review Darrein!

I too have had my A7 for six months and would like to add to your insightful review. I agree with all your likes and dislikes, although I don't have the rear center console creak...I think.

I love the power of the Supercharged six..could I use more power? Sure, but that's why I'm considering a possible S7 purchase!

Like you, I love the looks of this car and it's functionality...just remarkable on both these counts.

I opted to go with the non sport package and feel the car has too much body roll. Not a fault of the car really, suppose I should have gone with the sport package but I've seen some on this forum claim the sport package equipped A7's still have body roll issues as well.

The seats: Still feel the front seats could be MUCH more comfortable as I still get a dull backache 50% of the time after driving even a short distance. Don't have it in any of my other vehicles and I have adjusted my seating position a thousand different ways. Like many other people, I sit at a computer 8, 10, 12 hours a day and have zero back issues..definitely the seats...my biggest gripe by far with the A7. Audi should offer the comfort seats as an option.

Drivers door armrest: Still ridiculously too low to be of any real use, made my own armrest cushion that looks great and does the job. Surprised more members of this forum don't complain about it.

Bose Sound System: Still fairly crappy sounding, considering the price point the unit should sound MUCH better.

All in all I love my A7. A few weeks back I did a Porsche driving event in upstate New York where I drove 911 S's, 911 Carrera's, Boxster's, Cayenne's and yes...the Panamera...and a fully blown out Panamera GTS at that... for $134k! Although a fantastic vehicle, I just couldn't justify the price premium over the similar specs of the coming S7. Will the Panamera GTS outperform the S7? Probably but is it worth an approximate $33k premium between base models...I seriously doubt it. I was a little concerned that when the event was over I would be a little underwhelmed when I got back in my A7...no such thing happened...made me appreciate the value we've gotten in such a great car even more...the A7 really is just a fantastic vehicle.

I think Audi did an exceptional job with the A7 and I'm anxious to test drive an S7...glad it'll come with the option of comfort seats as well as everything else!

nyca

That comment about the brakes is troubling, I don't remember feeling that when I test drove the car, or have seen that in other reviews of it. Are you sure your system doesn't need to be bled, I would go back to the dealer.

tridentnyc

This is a well documented complaint here on this forum. I agree with the OP's comments on the brakes. Very little feedback, numb feeling and you wind up getting on them harder at the last second. I wound up adjusting to it pretty quickly but the issue is definitely there and not optimum.

nyca

The A7 must have the same brake hardware and ABS booster unit as all the other Audi cars (some of the S models and R8 aside) - do they all do this? Are A6 owners saying the same thing? My friend has an A5, I never heard him mention this.

acey81

Haven't noticed the brakes being soft (I come from a B8 S4). I'd say they are similar in feel and performance. I should add that this is not my primary car for spirited driving, but stopping from 100 mph has never been an issue and during "normal" driving I've had no experience with them fading. Obviously the brakes feel very dead compared to a 997 GT3, but that is a different ballgame.

Otherwise, after exactly (today!) 1 months of ownership I'm very, very happy with the A7. It does everything I ask it to do. Great room for wife and kids, great cargo space and the car is one of the best looking cars on the road.

The technology and feel is very much 2012. The S4 felt very outdated in comparison. I love the big LCD-screen, I love the comfort seats and the 3.0 liter diesel suits my needs perfectly. Accesible performance and great range (went 500 miles between fill ups on my last trip).

Not too many grapes. But the fact that I can't use my iPhone to tether data is one. The sound system another. One of the rear doors was not properly aligned and has caused som scraping on the side skirt. Which obviously is a major grip, but a lot will depend on how Audi deal with it. Road noise with the 20" Yokahomas is not great (and varies a lot depending on surface).

All in all probably the best car I ever had. Really, really happy with it. I don't think I will be tempted to pull the trigger on the S7. The comfort and range is more important to me for the type of "work" this car does. But I'm sure it's a really great car.

carljones11

Good review. I've had mine just over 6 months & agree with your comments!

Adi Mitrache

I have had mine for 1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days and although I still have much more to learn about the car, I have 8.000 km's with it, so I guess I'm entitled to a say. It is a fantastic car, very well designed and built, and with the S-Line options and 3.0 TDI, it offers remarkable performance and efficiency.

To what you guys said, I would have to add exemplary engine noise from a diesel. This is the cleanest, most silent turbo-diesel I've ever experienced.

Braking is a non-issue, but I must agree, it is a weird braking system. I've learned that the car will detect how vigorously the pedal is pressed and it will adjust the braking force accordingly. Maximum braking power is achieved when you slam your foot on the pedal, point at which it freezes. I'm thinking upgrading to Audi Ceramic brakes later on.


One issue I have with the car is that its center of gravity is way forward or put another way, it is too light in the back compared to the front. It handles perfectly with 2 passangers and their luggage.

Other than the cabin noises for which Audi provides free "repairs", road noise from the tires is absolutely horrible(the roads in here are also horrible, so that may be acceptable), execrable. I have Pirelli P-Zero on 19" and they handle great, even at speeds of +220Km/h, but the noise is terrible.


Standard Audi sound system is below ok, but above acceptable, however the door panels are weak and they vibrate heavily when bass is set on high.

Overall, it is a fantastic car, elegant, pretty comfortable, also very sporty, practical and although it accepts a few mods/upgrades here and there(not visual ones, imho), it is ok even stock.

Enjoy your A7's/S7's for many years to come.


P.S. My A7 is my first Audi, and I'm glad it is, because through the A7, Audi managed to keep me as a customer/fan of the 4 rings in favor of the 3 pointed star which recently, has turned to SH*T.

darreln

My 2008 A5 did not exhibit this brake behavior...

darreln

Yeah, the BOSE system is definitely not the strongest system I have heard, but with some tweaking it can be made to sound good. Maybe it has to do with the lack of rear speakers that other cars have, due to the hatch back?