Help me choose
 

Hi everybody,

I'm new to Audi World. In the process of ordering a new daily driver and can't decide between the S7 and the A8L 4.0. Different as they may be they have many similarities and are with the same ballpark money wise. Test drive both. The S7 sounds amazing, felt faster, lighter and more emgaging to drive. The A8 wins the interior argument in my opinion. It wasn't equipped with the sport package wiThe plastic bits in the S7, particularly the dash get to me for a car at this price point.

The lady likes the A8 better but is happy with either as long as it's glacier white. Both would be equipped with the B&O system. The S7 would have the Audi exclusive interior in brown with open pore would inlays while the A8 would have brown interior and possibly one of the Audi design packages. It's intriguing that certain interior options on the A7 aren't available on the S7 like brown leather and the brown wood inlays.

Anyways, appreciate any input from you. Wondering if anyone had cross shopped the two cars. I'm posting a similar threat on the A8 forum to avoid sampling bias.

Cheers!!

Both nice guys. I drove an A7 and an S7 for the first time last week and immediately went for the S7.

The week before I rode in an A8. I think the S7 (A7) styling is much more emotional and I loved the way the S7 drove.

The A8/S8 are super cruisers (S8 fast!) but they sort of feel like driving a big limo to me. My kids would have liked the S8 better. The rear leg room is awesome.

can't find edit button. (see above). Both nice cars....

Agreed. The S7 looks amazing. Drive nice and sounded great. One day I think that I made up my mind one way and the next day I change my mind! First world problems I know. Thank you for your feedback.

The answers from this forum will be to get the S7. That is what most of us here drive and we love them.

From a practical viewpoint, the A8 has much better rear legroom and headroom. Which is relevant if you carry (large) adults in the back regularly.

But the S7 has much more flexible load carrying capabilities due to the hatchback and folding rear seats. Better for infants/young children, or load carrying utility.

There is actually very little difference in weight between the cars, but the S7 feels smaller than it is, whilst the A8 does not. And S8 would mitigate, to an extent, the difference in driving dynamics.

The D4 A8 is at end of life, the D5 starts production next year (not sure when the US gets it). This is a platform change, so differences D4 to D5 will be significant.

The C7 S7 has another two years to go before moving to C8 - same platform change as the D5.

As for the trim choice comment, Audi do regard their S versions as Sport variants, and don't offer then with luxury lounge room style interior decorations. Conversely, the A line cars can't be had with certain sports trims available with S models. Seems pretty reasonable to me. But from your comments, it sounds like you would be happier with the A8 trim over the longer term.

Thank you for you feedback. I'm happy that they at least give you the option to order a different trim with the Audi exclusive which comes at a high price of course. The back seat of the A8 might end up selling me the car but I can't get over the looks of the S7 and the driving dynamic. I have to decide in the next couple of weeks. I'm waiting for a day to wake up with my mind set, make the call and get it over with!

I saw in your similar post on the D4 forum that there is the possibility of children in the medium term. The S7 will be much more practical as a baby wagon, and what I would get in that situation. A sedan is more limiting in layout.

Get a D6 when the children have grown up* and they actually need more rear legroom, and you're starting to think about pipe and slippers :)

A CPO S8 may be the best of both worlds for you, but finding your preferred Glacier white and trim choices seems unlikely?

* assuming you have any money left

Ha! Epic :-)

There is a black on black CPO S8 at my local dealership I might look into but I don't want to do black interior again. So realistically it's either the A8 or S7 and I still can't decide.

I say buy what ever you want. I'd take the S8 money no object in any color. However the resale value of the A8 is terrible at the moment. I would factor this into your equation. Resale value is not a big deal if you hold the car long term though.

+1 on the load flexibility of the hatch back. I have a '15 S7, but I really wanted a S6 Avant (or RS6 Avant), but no joy here in the US.

I fit all 4 wheels and tires of my S7 in the hatch with the rear seats down ... not sure you could do that in the A8. It is *almost* as practical as a station wagon except for the height towards the back.

If you envision needing to carry 3 folks in the back regularly, then the A8 is an easier choice. I've occasionally found myself having to take my wife's Passat since the S7 is only a 2 seater in the back.

The S8 was a no go. Smells of cigarettes and has badly repaired wheel damage. Also I'm just not a black on black car kind of guy.

Leaning towards the S7 right now. Can't get over how good looking this car is. I just wish Audi offered more in standard interior options. Between a rather opinionated man and woman, the only common ground we found was in an Audi exclusive interior chestnut brown with alabaster white contrast stitching and Tamo ash trim. Although I'm finding the trim piece a hard $1,600 pill to swallow. The standard ash grey might have to do. This is all on a glacier white car. I think it'll look great but will offset any higher value the S7 might have over the A8 depreciation wise. But whatever. I can't have both so one will do for now!

Other options are the comfort seats -lady wants air conditioned seats and will hear no more of this-, 20" black optics, B&O and cold weather. We live in Minnesota, otherwise that flat bottom thick wheel looks awesome. It's interesting how in the A8 you can get diamond stitching and seat cooling but not in this. I wanted to do a cool exterior color like a goodwood green or something but got vetoed hard. These things were simpler when I was single!

All in all probably a nice build. Probably over optioned too but it's a car we want to keep for 10+ years so I figure get what you want. If all goes according to plan we place the order on the 21st.

Just an FYI. The Audi seats are ventilated and not air conditioned. The fans in the seats pull air away from you and do not blow cold air.

Definitely. Sorry that's what I meant. It's the same technology in my c7 corvette seats. I think works well!

I don't find the listed 24 cubic feet as that usable. On the rare occasion you are moving flat stuff or vacation rectangular bags fine. But I would prefer a trunk for my everyday items like golf clubs. If the clubs fit in sideways I'd be good, but they don't. To me depending on what you are carrying useful capacity is somewhere between 10cu-24cu.

Overall though the term, load flexibility, does seem appropriate.

I don't know why your clubs don't fit in the trunk. My Titleist staff bag fits in diagonally without the need to remove any of the clubs. I can also get my wife's bag in on top of it. No need to fold the seats or take clubs out of the bags.

I also keep at least one shag bag in the trunk, sometimes as many as 3.

They do fit. Just not as expected from someone coming from a trunk to a hatchback. In my last mid size car I may have gotten 4 bags and 4 jackass friends in the car. Not a chance with this one. The Audi has less useable room.

Well, I have both and I love them both, but it depends on what day it is and how I'm feeling. I'm lucky to be able to walk into my garage and say "what will I drive today?"

And then I get into my TT Roadster. LOL

No one can decide for you, it's a very personal decision.