2021 Audi A7 Review

　　

2021 Audi A7 Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　Looking to break out of the midsize luxury sedan mold? The 2021 Audi A7 might be an intriguing alternative. It's based on the more traditional A6 sedan but replaces the trunk with a sweeping hatchback. Not only does it give the A7 a sportier fastback profile, but it also greatly increases cargo capacity.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Audi A7 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$188/mo  for A7 Premium

　　A7 Premium

　　Premium 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 7AM) - $69,200 MSRPPremium Plus 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 7AM) (Most Popular) - $74,350 MSRPPremium Plus 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI e (2.0L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 7AM) - $74,900 MSRPPrestige 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 7AM) - $78,350 MSRPPrestige 4dr Sedan AWD w/55 TFSI e (2.0L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 7AM) - $80,250 MSRP

　　vs

　　$197/mo

　　Avg. Large Car

　　There's also an increase in price over the A6, to the tune of about $10,000. In addition to the standard V6 engine with a mild hybrid system, there's a plug-in hybrid e Quattro model that is estimated to return 24 miles of electric-only range.

　　The A7's body style makes it a bit of an oddity among other sedans, but it's not alone. The tangentially related Porsche Panamera shares many similarities, but not when it comes to price — the Porsche costs quite a bit more. There's also the coupe-style Mercedes-Benz CLS to consider. So is this 2021 A7 for you? Check out the categories of our Expert Rating below to learn more and get our in-depth take.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.5/10

　　How does the A7 drive? Acceleration is strong. Our test A7 logged the 0-60 sprint in just 4.7 seconds. It also posted short emergency-stopping distances, though much of the credit went to our test car's optional summer performance tires. Fitted with the optional S line sport package, the A7 handles surprisingly well. But there's quite a difference in steering feel across the driving modes — Comfort is almost too light, while Dynamic tends to feel needlessly heavy in some situations.

　　The power delivery when leaving a stop can be a little jerky, which is somewhat unrefined for a car of this class. Sport mode helps smooth out the delivery a bit and doesn't hang onto gears unnecessarily long. Upshifts are nearly imperceptible, no matter which gear you're in or how much throttle you're giving it.

　　

Comfort

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the A7? The A7 is a comfortable cruiser offering a smooth ride over a variety of surfaces. The base seats feel great but don't have as many adjustments as those in rivals. Massaging seats with more customization are available, but they are expensive. The climate control system works great.

　　While the engine is barely audible at highway speeds, there's more wind and road noise than we'd expect for this class. Ambient noises from outside the car seep in readily too. None of it is terribly distracting, however, and keeping the radio at even a low level will drown it all out. You'll always feel the aforementioned driveline shocks in first gear.

　　

Interior

7.5/10

　　How’s the interior? The swoopy roofline suggests rear visibility will suffer, but the A7 actually has excellent sightlines all around. Alas, the slinky profile hampers entry, exit and rear headroom. It's not the most spacious midsize car, so if you sit in the rear behind a tall person, you'll need to scrunch and rotate your body 90 degrees before exiting.

　　Audi's latest dual-panel touchscreen is attractive but difficult to use. Navigating the menus of the setup requires far too much driver attention and presents a steep learning curve. There are many menus and selecting items require a firm, deliberate press when in haptic mode. A few functions can be accessed by drawing on the lower screen, but you have to navigate to those input screens first.

　　

Technology

9.0/10

　　How’s the tech? The A7 cabin is an oasis for tech lovers. The instrument panel and touchscreen displays are crisp, while the sound system is so good you might swear off talk radio forever. The voice command system works great, which is fortunate due to how confounding the touchscreen interface is.

　　Our test A7 was equipped with four USB ports — two under the front armrest and two behind the center console for rear passengers. There was also a wireless charging pad under the front armrest. Wireless Apple CarPlay is a great feature, and the system reacts quickly to user inputs.

　　The A7's driver aids are generally very good. The adaptive cruise control operates smoothly. Lane-keeping is subtle and deals with gentle corners well, but it's disconcertingly flummoxed by tighter corners. Rear cross-traffic braking assist is too sensitive.

　　

Storage

7.5/10

　　How’s the storage? The hatchback design gives the A7 more cargo room and space flexibility than the A6 sedan and other competing four-doors. Since the A7 is a hatchback, the cargo area has a flat, wide space with side pockets, tie-down rings and LED strips. There's nowhere to stow the cargo cover if you don't want it, but at least it's short. The 40/20/40-split rear seat folds almost flat and doesn't require the front seats be moved forward.

　　Like the Audi A6, there aren't many places to store things inside, so drivers should probably declutter before settling in. Easily accessible car seat anchors aid in fitting a safety seat.

　　

Fuel Economy

9.0/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates the A7 earns 24 mpg in combined driving (22 city/29 highway). These numbers are slightly higher than the class average — and great for an engine with this much power. Our test car averaged 27.5 mpg over our 115-mile mixed-driving evaluation route, indicating that the EPA's estimates are achievable.

　　

Value

7.5/10

　　Is the A7 a good value? The quality of materials and construction is excellent, though the blinding chrome trim and a rattling speaker in our test car diminished the primo luxury vibe. Still, the A7 can be expensive, and you can get more cargo room from the Q8 SUV for less money. Warranty coverage for a luxury automaker is average.

　　

Wildcard

9.0/10

　　There aren't many midsize luxury hatchbacks, and Audi went out of its way to make this car feel special. The S line package and sticky tires endow this tech-heavy people mover with performance chops, and the turbo V6 is more powerful than you might think.

　　For better or worse, the A7 greatly differentiates itself from the A6 it's based on. Its rear hatch allows for more cargo room at the expense of rear-seat headroom. The styling makes it look a bit sleeker too. Otherwise, it has the same high-tech interior and spirited dynamics we love in the A6.

　　

Which A7 does zzdcar recommend?

The midgrade Premium Plus trim gets our recommendation in the A7 lineup for the best value play. Besides all of the Premium trim level's features, you also get the contents of the Convenience package and several additional advanced safety and driver assistance features.

　　

2021 Audi A7 models

The 2021 Audi A7 is a sedan with a rear hatch and is available in three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. The standard powerplant is what Audi calls the 55 TFSI. It's a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine (335 horsepower, 369 lb-ft of torque) paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It also features a 48-volt mild hybrid system that can help with engine smoothness and efficiency.

　　There is also this year's new 55 TFSI e Quattro. This is a real-deal hybrid. It uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired to a plug-in hybrid system (meaning you can recharge it using an external power cord) and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Combined output is 362 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The EPA estimates the e Quattro can go 24 miles on all-electric power before switching over to the regular gas/hybrid operation.

　　Premium

　　The base Premium trim is anything but basic. You get plenty of comfort, convenience and tech features such as:

　　Sunroof Front and rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking) Power rear hatch Three-zone automatic climate control Leather upholstery Heated front seats Audi Connect remote monitoring and control Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay Twin-screen infotainment system Navigation system Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios) Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)A Convenience package is optional for the Premium trim. It adds:

　　Digital instrument panel Heated steering wheel Wireless charging pad with signal booster Blind-spot monitor (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot) Larger primary infotainment display Surround-view camera system (gives you a top-down view of the vehicle and its surroundings for tight parking situations)Premium Plus

　　The midrange Premium Plus comes with all of the features above plus:

　　Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front) Lane keeping assist (steers the vehicle back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker) Bang & Olufsen premium audio systemExecutive package

　　This Premium Plus optional package gets you:

　　Four-zone automatic climate control Interior ambient lighting Ventilated front seats Heated rear seatsPrestige

　　The top Prestige trim comes with the Executive package plus:

　　Soft-close doors Noise-reducing side windows Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line onto the windshield) Traffic sign reader Frontal cross-traffic alert (alerts the driver to possible side collisions at intersections)Luxury package

　　The Luxury package is available only with the Prestige trim and adds:

　　Premium leather upholstery Additional leather interior trim Front-seat massage functions

　　

2021 A7 Highlights

Type: SedanPlug-in HybridSedan

　　Trim: PremiumPremium PlusPrestigePremium

　　

Base MSRP	$69,200
Engine Type	Mild hybrid
Combined MPG	24 MPG
Cost to Drive	$188/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	24.9 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles