2017 Audi A7 Competition Quattro

[GUCCI™]

If you want to haul people and a reasonable amount of stuff in a smooth, quiet, lovely mid- to large coupe-shaped sedan/hatch, the Audi A7 is difficult to top.

I do mean lovely. Audi’s A7 lineup could get by on looks alone -- it’s arguably Audi’s best-looking car. Add in the well-built, comfortable and roomy cabin, the smooth forced-induction six and the near-perfect ride/handling mix and well, what’s not to like?

No, it’s not as exhilarating to drive as a 450-hp S7, but I thought this car was plenty quick and responsive enough. It doesn’t have quite the S7’s right-now character, but it’s dang close. More subtle is perhaps the best way to put it. Midrange acceleration, say, on the freeway, is impressive, with this 3.0-liter pulling in a refined, under-the-radar way.

The tester’s adaptive suspension delivers a smooth ride along with capable, confidence-building handling. Ride quality is terrific thanks largely to the solid structure. I’ve been tooling around in comfort mode but tried the other modes. They definitely stiffen things up. I like comfort mode best -- it’s not too soft. 

Overall, a lovely driver -- nimble, fast, flat in corners and rock solid. You really gotta nitpick to find much wrong with this car. Off the top of my head, I don’t think of anything annoying me. It’s just an outstanding German luxury car.

--Wes Raynal, editor

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The A7 obviously didn’t invent the fastback, but its shapely, eminently practical too-sleek-to-call-it-a-hatchback design gave the format fresh life, at least in the North American market. Everybody’s got a fastback sedan now. Even Hyundai.

The looks still hold up, even after over half a decade. This thing isn’t quite the rocket ship our long-term S7 was, but the 3.0-liter V6 is more than adequate. And hey! The Competition trim, new for 2017, adds a whole 7 hp. It also adds about 100 pounds to the base A7, so acceleration is identical (a stated 5.2 seconds for both).

Whether in Competition guise or not, the A7 is worth considering over its hotter stablemates, especially if you’re going to spend your time in it creeping along in traffic. The eight-speed automatic here lacks the occasional stumbling low-speed uncertainty of the S7’s seven-speed dual clutch (interestingly, you’ll find this automatic in the RS7).

Whichever way you go, you’re going to end up spending quite a bit of money on the deal -- in its base form (called, confusingly enough, the A7 Premium Plus) you’re going to pay a minimum of $68,800. And it blows up from there. It’s a shame you have to pay so much to get what Wes rightly calls an outstanding German luxury car, but it is what it is.

--Graham Kozak, associate editor

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