Introduction

The 2020 Audi A7 strikes an excellent balance between luxury, performance, practicality, and style. On the outside it's elegant; on the inside, it's a technological masterpiece. After a facelift last year to its shapely fastback body, including sharper creases and LED lighting, it's unchanged for 2020 except for some adjustments in options. 

There is just one engine, a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 making 335 horsepower, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with standard Quattro all-wheel drive. Acceleration is brisk. 

The ride is supple, on an air suspension using adaptive dampers to beautifully swallow the bumps. Handling is confident and willing. Available rear-wheel steering and an active rear differential make the car sharper. 

A high-tech 48-volt electrical system in the 2020 A7 powers accessories when the engine shuts down at stop lights. 

The EPA rates the A7 at 22 mpg city, 29 highway, 24 combined, on premium fuel. 

The IIHS calls the A7 a Top Safety Pick. Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and parking sensors. Options include rear side airbags, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and a warning if a door is opened while there's a car coming. Even higher-tech safety options include two dozen sensors that handle everything from self-parking to long-range radar to a surround-view camera system. 

Lineup

The A7 comes in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trims. At $69,995, the Premium comes with LED headlights, heated front seats, leather upholstery, three USB ports, two 8.6-inch touchscreens with Audi's infotainment software plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Advanced safety features round out its standard features. 

The Premium Plus adds a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a larger 10.1-inch infotainment screen, and Bang & Olufsen audio. Options not offered on the Premium model include a driver-assistance package with adaptive cruise control and active lane control, and massaging seats. 

The Prestige costs around $77,500 and adds 20-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display, four-zone climate control, HD Matrix lights, and more. 

The warranty is good for 4 years or 50,000 miles, and includes the first service and four years of roadside service. 

Walkaround

The styling of the coupe-like A7 was revised last year, and it got longer and gained some character lines, which do help define the profile. Larger air ducts in the front bumper aid cooling. 

Its fastback shape gives it some versatility, and makes the A7 stand out from the A6 sedan, not to mention almost every other sedan in the world. 

At the end of the slope lies a spoiler that rises at 75 mph to begin its aerodynamic work. Wide LED taillamps span the width of the rear end, and they put on a fun light show when the car is locked or unlocked. 

Interior

The interior is orderly, especially given the amount of information it offers. On the base Premium, two screens take over the center stack and console, to handle climate, audio, and infotainment functions; and on other models a third screen presents a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that can double as a razzle-dazzle display for infotainment. It's intuitive enough, though it can seem overwhelming at first. 

The instrumentation stands in not-so-stark display to the cabin's warm hues of soft leather, quality materials, and beautiful open-pore wood trim. The ambient lighting adds much to that warmth.
The comfortable front seats offer good support and a wide range of adjustment, as well as cooling and massage. The rear seats are also supportive and have good leg room, but restricted head room thanks to the roofline. By the same token, the cargo space is good; with the rear seats folded there's 49 cubic feet, as much as some SUVs. The trunk alone can hold 18.9 cubic feet, which is about as big as a sedan trunk gets-way more than the A6. 

Driving Impression

The turbocharged V-6 engine emits a soft happy roar when it's being asked to vault the car forward. The 7-speed's paddle shifters fire quick gear changes. The thick steering wheel feels racy. 

An optional all-wheel-steering system turns the rear wheels as much as 2.5 degrees and varies the steering ratio up front to reduce the turning radius by as much as 3.6 feet, which hugely assists parking in tight spaces. At higher speeds, the rear wheels can steer as much as 5 degrees in the opposite direction as the front wheels. 

The steering is well-weighted, however its feel is limited at best, so it lacks any sports-car fun. Still, with the car's sticky tires, it handles with confidence, stable and flat. Another option worth selecting is the sport differential that provides torque-vectoring on the rear axle to deliver more power to the outside rear wheel. 

The A7's brakes are excellent, with no fade when we used them hard on our winding-road drives. 

The air suspension with adaptive dampers swallows up ruts. Even the optional 21-inch wheels with wide tires don't disturb the cabin over sharp bumps. 

Standard all-wheel drive includes a rear-biased 40/60 torque split, though 80 percent of the power can go forward in slippery situations. All-season tires will be needed in winter. 

Summary

The A7 is a special car. The engine, gearbox and all-wheel drive combine well, and the looks are divine. With the expensive options and tricks–rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring–the high-speed handling is worthy. 

 

-by Sam Moses with driving impressions by The Car Connection.