Sure there’s horsepower, 0–60 mph times, braking figures and all that
other good stuff, but what most of you readers don’t know is that there
is an internal testing criterion for long-term vehicles at
Road & Track that I consider much more significant. Something in which our Audi A7 scored an 8 out of a possible 8.
There’s a dry-erase board on the wall outside the offices of our road
test team. Measuring 4 x 6 feet, it’s about average size, but what it
holds is worth every nanogram of wipeable marker ink: It’s a list of all
the short- and long-term vehicles in our test fleet. On a normal
workday, the protocol for key distribution is seniority based. For
weekends, there’s a special request slot where anyone can sign up for a
car. And that’s where our long-term 2012 Audi A7 earned a perfect 8. For
its first two months, or eight straight weekends, the Audi A7 was
consistently booked.
And why wouldn’t it be? With its direct-injected supercharged 3.0-liter
V-6 producing 310 bhp, the A7 has more than enough thrust for
commuting—acceleration is silky smooth and torque is linear. There’s
never been a moment it felt deficient on power...except for this one
time I staged up next to a 997 Porsche 911 Turbo on a freeway onramp,
but that’s a whole other story. Still, the all-wheel-drive A7 is no
slouch, hitting 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and clocking a 13.2-sec. quarter
mile. And consider this: Back in the mid-1990s, a Ferrari F355
Berlinetta ran to 60 mph in 4.9 sec. and to the quarter mile in 13.3
sec. Not only is the F355 slower than the A7, it doesn’t have four
doors, it can’t seat four comfortably, and nor does it have a motorized
hatch.
The hatch is what turns an already great car into a fantastic
one—particularly if you’ve recently closed escrow on a condo in Downtown
Los Angeles. Open the rear gate and 24.5 cu. ft. of storage space
greets you, begging to be filled. I have to recant a statement I made in
our May road test about the A7
not being able to hold tall boxes from Ikea; fold the 60/40 split rear
seats and it does, in spades. I’ve made a handful of trips picking up
loads of Swedish furniture and the A7’s been able to handle everything
my credit limit’s allowed. Six-foot-tall room divider, dining tables,
benches, shelves, you name it, it fits. And the Audi
packs it in with style. The envious glares from fathers loading Ikea
boxes into their minivans alone are worth the price of admission.
As handsome as the A7 is on the outside, it also excels on the inside.
The modern head- and taillight designs and broad, clean body lines
painted in Moonlight Blue Metallic complement the comfortable and
well-thought-out cabin that’s wrapped in Nougat Brown leather. A
highlight is the appearance of the wood trim whose grain shows through.
Not overly processed, it looks great. Not so hot are the plastic paddle
shifters included in the Sport Package that feel, well, plasticky. If we
could change one thing, however, it would be to add a fifth center seat
in the rear. Even if it were small and cramped, it would have come in
handy on a few outings. But those are the only knocks against the
interior of the A7. The rest of it—the large fold-out 6.5-in. display,
center cluster with LCD monitor and the MMI—is all well-appointed,
functional and easy to use.
Having lived with the A7 for several months now, the power, utility and
design comprise a package that is superbly livable and entertaining to
drive. There is never a moment I haven’t enjoyed driving the A7. And
apparently, neither has the rest of the staff. To date, the A7 is still
the go-to car on weekends, often booked for long stretches of time.
Which is great for racking up miles on the odometer, but bad if you have
any spontaneous ideas about going to Ikea.
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