HATCHING A SMARTER PLAN (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_audia7sportback_2018

By Jonathan Crouch

Audi's A7 Sportback offers a smart, quite unique fastback-style option to Executive segment buyers and the Ingolstadt maker has put a lot of effort into keeping this second generation version current. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 40

The second generation Audi A7 Sportback has been subtly updated, extra equipment and some tempting optional technology. It's still a beautifully constructed thing but now offers just that little bit more polish in the face of some very talented rivals.

Backgroundword count: 201

You might think that a full-sized Executive car - say something like an Audi A6, a BMW 5 Series or a Mercedes E-Class - was a pretty desirable thing. Buyers in this segment though, don't always agree, which is why in recent times, so many of them have drifted away into up-market SUVs and crossovers. In response over the last few years, the prestige brands have produced more dynamic and individual four and five-door designs to sell alongside their standard executive models. Here's Audi's offering, the second generation A7 Sportback. The underpinnings feature some of the technology you'd find in the brand's luxury segment A8 saloon. This car though can be more efficient than any A8. That'll be important for business segment buyers, but we've a suspicion that it's technology that'll really sell them this car. Much of this is optional of course, but if you tick the right boxes for things like the hi-tech Matrix headlights and the advanced autonomous driving and connectivity technology, this car really can be state of the art. A final round of subtle updates made to this MK2 'Type 4K8' design (first introduced in 2018) has produced the car we're going to look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 360

Set off and initially, the 'Sport' element of this Sportback model's driving demeanour can seem a little remote if you're driving quite lazily. Up your game though and this A7 responds. The stiff MLB-Evo platform that's done so much for this model's Porsche Panamera GT cousin also makes a big difference here, combining with the supple multi-link suspension system to deliver a composed ride and cornering ability more agile than you might expect such a large car to be able to deliver. The two most accessible engines Audi offers this A7 are 2.0-litres in size and feature mild hybrid tech with quattro 4WD. The petrol 45 TFSI offers 245PS, while the diesel alternative is the 40 TDI, putting out 204PS. The 2.0 TFSI petrol engine reappears again in a plug-in hybrid petrol model, the A7 50 TFSIe, with a combined output of 299PS and an electric driving range when fully charged of up to 40 miles. At the top of the range sit two bespoke sporting models. The S7 quattro uses Audi's 3.0-litre six cylinder TDI diesel engine in a 350PS state of tune. And the top RS 7 Sportback performance model has a 4.0-litre TFSI twin turbo V8 with 630PS, the result being 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, 124mph in 12 seconds and a top speed of 174mph. As you'd expect in this segment, all A7 Sportback models are exclusively equipped with automatic transmission. That'll be a seven-speed S tronic gearbox, unless you've opted for the S7 or the RS 7 (in which case the transmission will be an 8-speed tiptronic set-up to handle the extra torque). In conjunction with the tiptronic transmission, the quattro configuration is based on the familiar self-locking centre differential format, while the S tronic transmission works with more efficient 'ultra' technology, which is capable of engaging the rear axle instantly whenever needed but decouples it during cruising to maximise efficiency. On all models, the driver can select various driving profiles via the Audi drive select system - with 'efficiency, 'comfort', 'dynamic' options, plus 'auto' if you can't make up your mind and 'individual' if you want to set your own throttle, steering and gearshift parameters.

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