2019 Audi A7 - Luxury Car Of The Year

When it comes to luxury cars we think they need to excel in three particular areas. They should be elegant, effortless to drive and feel reassuringly expensive. It’s a combination of these qualities that means the Audi A7 has been named Luxury Car Of 2019 by the World Car Awards. So, what was it about the Audi A7 that made 86 jurors from 24 different countries vote for it? Well, in this review we’re going to help explain.

There’s no denying that the A7 is an elegant car. It’s a four-door coupe and a low-slung sister car to the Audi A6 and its designers were so keen to keep it sleek and stylish that they even moved the position of the fuel filler cap! Whilst you get a subtle spoiler that pops up when you hit speed you’ll particularly like the show that the LED headlights put on when you open it. It’s a car that we would describe as “dashing” and while dashing is not a word we hear often enough when describing a car it really does sum up the style of the A7 perfectly.

Moving on to the “reassuringly expensive” part, this is exactly what you get once you sit inside the A7. Like the majority of Audi interiors, the layout in here is simple, elegant and everything is just really well laid out. This car is jam packed with all of the same tech you’ll find on its big sister the Audi A8. However, the thing that hits you most when you sit inside is just how luxurious it all feels. The quality of every material used in here is excellent. You get dashes of beautiful steel, leather and intricate stitching dotted everywhere. Audi have decided to get rid of the central rotary dial, like the ones you find in BMW models in the A7. In fact, there’s not even a keypad like the ones you see in Mercedes Benz models. Instead, it’s all now just touchscreens. What you get is two screens along with the Virtual Cockpit screen which sits in front of you. The display on all of these screens are absolutely fantastic. The bottom screen is mainly used for things like climate control and heated seats while the top screen is where you’ll find all of the major functions. It uses what is known as Haptic Touch which basically means that you feel a little vibration whenever you select a certain function. For the most part all of the systems work really well. Unfortunately, the positioning of the two screens do make them a bit fiddly to use while you’re on the move but this is where Audi’s Virtual Cockpit comes in. When it was first seen in the Audi TT it was an absolute game changer and we still think the same today. It’s just a fantastic instrument that’s easy to use mainly because everything is operated right in front of you on the steering wheel. The great thing about all of this tech is that it’s standard right across the entire range.

Practicality isn’t the order of the day when it comes to the A7.For example, the door-bins are a bit on the small side but you do get a good sized glove box. Though the console in the armrest isn’t that deep it does house wireless charging if your phone supports it along with a couple of USB points. The car we’re looking at for this article is the S Line model and gives you comfortable sporty seats with plenty of adjustment. Overall, it’s very hard to find any fault with the interior. It’s simply a really nice place to be which is exactly what you want when you buy a car like this. If we had to be ultra-picky then we’d say it’s a bit strange to have a manual adjustment on the steering wheel for this type of luxurious car.

As lovely as the A7’s roofline is it’s going to have a significant impact if you’re tall and sitting in the back. Even if you’re around 5ft 5inches you still won’t have stacks of headroom. Also, while you can easily fit three adults across the back the middle passenger will find themselves slightly raised and therefore decreasing the headroom even further. Apart from the headroom it’s very comfortable and luxurious at the back but another thing that you may find annoying is the windows. Hit the down button and you’ll find that they only go down half way which could leave some passengers feeling a little claustrophobic.

The A7 isn’t just a very good looking car but its shape allows for a very practical boot. The hatchback style tailgate opening reveals a really decent sized load space. You can easily fit a couple of sets of golf clubs in here which if this is on the top of your wish list is going to be very handy. It has a really wide load area and although there’s a little load lip from which you’ll have to carry things over there’s a scuff plate neatly positioned so that you don’t damage any of the paintwork. If you fold the rear seats down you get even bigger space, space big enough to fit a bike in!

Moving on to engines, the range offers a 335 brake horse power (bhp) turbocharged 6-cylinder petrol and 4-cylinder option for the very first time. There’s also a plug-in hybrid with a couple of diesels. There’s a rather punchy 2.0 litre TDI and a 3.0 litre turbocharged 50 TDI which uses some clever mild hybrid tech that lets you coast along at times in silence and transition smoothly into hybrid mode. It’s really quite an impressive system but its slightly let down by the gearbox. The car we’re driving (3.0 litre turbocharged 50 TDI) is paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and it’s a bit hesitant at times when you’re accelerating. So, if you find a gap in the traffic that you want to dart into then you may find that it takes a little too long to change up. The 7-speed dual-clutch automatic system that you get with the petrol engine is a much nicer gearbox in our opinion and it makes for an even more relaxed drive. Importantly, all of the engines provide you with plenty of power and plenty of torque right throughout the range.

You’re going to have to make a few decisions about suspensions and tyres when you’re speccing your A7. The model we’re driving is fitted with the optional air suspension though there’s a less expensive adaptive suspension. However, we think it’s money well spent opting for the air suspension because it really does make this car feel extremely comfortable and one that’s not fazed by bumps and lumps in the road. This car also has the standard 20 inch tyres that come on the top-spec S Line trim and we would probably stick with these. Ok, the larger 20 inch wheels do look fantastic but if you don’t like bumps and lumps in the road then you may end up regretting them. The steering is also something we really like in this car due to that fact it’s so light and agile. However, if you’re looking for something that’s a little weightier, sportier or more engaging then you might not like it as much as in other cars. Saying this, we think this setup really does suit the relaxed nature of the A7.

The Audi A7 is a big car but it doesn’t feel like it when you’re driving it. If you go for the option of all-wheel steering, which turns the rear wheels in a subtly different direction to the front wheels, then it makes this car much more manoeuvrable. With the A7 you get Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system fitted as standard which gives you even more grip and confidence going into corners in bad conditions. Our only criticism of the ride is when you’re driving around down at lower speeds. Here the A7 is a little bit too noisy and lacks a little refinement which you’d expect in a car like this but overall, this is an effortless car to drive.

So what do we think of the Audi A7? Well, we think it’s well deserving of its World Car Awards win. It’s a car that’s elegant, effortless to drive and feels reassuringly expensive. Make your own mind up by taking a look at some of our used Audi A7 cars for sale on DesperateSeller.co.uk.