The 2018 Audi A7 is offered in two trim levels and comes in a well-equipped state right out of the dealership. The car is available in a single powertrain and transmission option. The price for the base Premium Plus trim starts at $69,700 and offers a plethora of standard features such as quad-zone automatic climate control, Audi Pre-Sense safety system, premium leather upholstery, 8-way power-adjustable front seats with memory settings and lumbar adjustments for the driver’s seat, automatic rain-sensing wipers, Audi Connect, sunroof, and 19-inch wheels. The top-end Prestige trim gets a few additional extras such as ventilated front seats and passenger lumbar adjustments, power-closing function for all four doors, a head-up display, and a corner-view parking camera.

Which trim should you buy?

Being offered in two well-rounded trim levels, we would recommend the base Premium Plus trims along with the Driver Assistance Package and the Cold Weather Package.

The 2018 Audi A7 engine is a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 motor that received a power increase of 7 horsepower for the new MY. With that, the present power output stands at 340 horsepower and a torque output of 325 lb-ft. The refinement levels of the motor are excellent and it is barely audible at constant cruising speeds. The motor is mated to a brilliant 8-speed automatic Tiptronic transmission. Power is delivered to all the wheels by default via the exceptional Quattro system that offers exceptional grip and traction on almost every tarmac condition. The car can accelerate from 0-60mph within 5.2 seconds that is decent for the segment. 

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 is the most powerful option here and also quite pricey too. It delivers a breathtaking 402 horsepower along with 443 lb-ft of torque. The result is an overwhelming 4.9-second time for 0-60mph sprint and a 13.7-second time for the standing quarter-mile sprint. It has a slightly higher top speed of 159 mph as compared to the 155 mph top speed of the rivals. The BMW 640i gets a 3.0-liter turbocharged I6 motor, a classy BMW touch, and delivers 335 horsepower along with 332 lb-ft of torque. Albeit the mediocre power and torque figures on paper, its performance levels are at par with the A7. The Porsche Panamera is the least powerful option here with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 under its hood. Owing to the sporty setup of the car, it manages to stay at par with the more powerful opponents here on the list.

How well does the Audi A7 handle?

Ride and handling are two of the strengths of the Audi A7 and it nails the handling part almost perfectly. Throw the car around the corners and it absolutely hugs the tarmac tightly while the Quattro system does its magic under the car. Switching to the sportiest setting of the car, the response from the motor increases and the steering wheel weighs up nicely along with the suspension system getting firmer, to offer the best possible handling characteristics from the car. The ride quality is pliant and the car soaks up tarmac undulations and small speed breakers quite easily.

Braking performance

Being a luxury car that is also a wee bit focused on performance, the 2018 Audi A7 gets some impressive braking hardware underneath. The ventilated 14-inch front rotors and the 13-inch rear rotors do an excellent job of keeping this powerhouse of a car under control and the braking distance is equally impressive at 109 ft., matching up with some of the sportscars out there.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 impresses yet again. It has the biggest front brake rotors at 14.2 inches yet the smallest rear brake rotors of 12.6 inches. Together, they halt the car to a dead stop from 60mph within 104 ft, the shortest distance covered in comparison to the rivals here. The BMW 640i has the smallest front brake rotors here yet its impressive stopping distance of 106 ft might take you by surprise. The Porsche Panamera disappoints slightly with its rather long 113 ft pf stopping distance.

Big and luxurious German sedans were not really fuel-efficient yet the modern scenarios have changed completely. The 2018 Audi A7 returns some commendable mpg ratings, 20mpg within the cities, 29mpg out on the highways, and 23mpg of combined mileage. With a gas tank of 19.8 gallons, it offers some impressive driving range numbers such as 396 miles of city driving and 574 miles of highway driving range.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 might be the least efficient option here but considering its excellent performance and power levels, its mpg figures are quite justified. Moreover, it also offers some commendable driving range numbers too courtesy of its sizable 21.1-gallon gasoline tank. The BMW 640i Takes the middle ground here with its decent EPA ratings but might disappoint slightly with its rather small gasoline storage and driving range numbers. The Porsche Panamera is the truly impressive one here with its huge gas tank, killer driving range numbers, and praiseworthy EPA ratings as well.

The 2018 Audi A7 interior is a rather nice place to be in. There is no dearth of luxuries inside the car and it comes with premium leather upholstery as standard. Apart from that, the huge screens dominating the dashboard make the car stand out from the crowd. A lot of physical buttons have been eliminated and integrated within the secondary touchscreen interface placed below the primary infotainment screen and the driver’s information display is also fully digital and has the capability to display full-screen information as well such as navigation maps. The front seats come with standard 8-way power adjustments along with 4-way lumbar support for the driver’s seat along with memory settings as well. The headroom at the front is decent while the rear seat headroom is bound to feel tight for taller passengers owing to the rakish roofline. The impressive bit is the hatch-style tailgate that offers incredible practicality as opposed to the regular layouts of the segment rivals.

The interior of the Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 looks rather outdated and busy with the bevy of buttons when compared to the ultra-modern cabin of the A7. It offers almost similar headroom and legroom for the front passengers as compared to the A7 yet lacks in terms of rear headroom much like the latter. Also, it gets a rather small boot of 15.3 cu-ft only. The BMW 640i interior also looks and feels dated when pitched against the A7’s cabin and its button-heavy dashboard might act as a big turn-ff. Nonetheless, it impresses with its huge 31 cu-ft of boot space. The Porsche Panamera is surprisingly more spacious than all the rivals here and offers a plethora of customization options too, an interesting aspect you’d miss on the rest of the offerings here.

Some standout interior features are:

• Four-zone automatic climate control
• Eight-way power-adjustable front seats
• Four-way driver’s seat lumbar support with memory settings
• Leather upholstery
• Power-adjustable steering wheel

What’s there to keep you entertained?

Audi has packed the 2018 A7’s infotainment system to the brim with techs that triumph over a majority of the rivals in the segment. By default, the A7 comes with two huge infotainment display screens running Audi’s MMI interface. The upper display is a 10.1-inch unit that displays the multimedia contents along with some controls while the lower screen is slightly smaller at 8.6-inch and shows the necessary controls for the climate control, seats, interior features, and audio controls as well. On the features front, the system offers three-dimensional maps, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa integration, and a premium Bang & Olufsen 3D audio system with a total of 16 speakers.

Some infotainment features are:

• Audi virtual cockpit plus 
• Head-up display with navigation information
• 10.1" upper and 8.6" lower MMI touch response system with dual center displays
• Voice Control System
• Amazon Alexa integration
• Audi smartphone interface with wireless Apple Carplay and wired Google Android Auto
• Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System with 16 speakers and a 15-channel amplifier
• SiriusXM with a 90-day trial subscription
• Bluetooth wireless technology with audio streaming for compatible devices

The 2018 Audi A7 is equally impressive on the outside as it is on the inside. The front fascia of the car looks absolutely fabulous owing to the lowered stance, wide grille, and the aggressive adaptive LED headlamp units along with the LED DRL units as well. With all the styling bits combined, the A7’s front fascia looks quite aggressive and its rakish roofline at the rear gives it a fastback-style appeal from the side. The standard 19-inch wheels carry a unique design and give the car a strong presence. At the rear, the car gets a pair of LED taillamp units along with the big power-operated hatch-style liftgate.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 wears a slightly old exterior design when compared to the A7 yet, it has a charm of its own. The rakish roofline of the car looks as coll as the A7’s one and its unique taillamp design also gives the car enough character from the rear-end as well. The BMW 640i has a near-perfect GT design despite getting a similar hatch-style liftgate yet, the rear end design of the car might look like an afterthought to some, especially when pitching it against the A7. The Porsche Panamera takes the trophy here with its sublime design and exterior appeal yet, its lower than average height and roofline might pose a problem to tall adults while getting in and out from the vehicle.

Some standout exterior features are:

• Adaptive and automatic LED headlamps
• 19-inch wheels
• Auto-dimming and power-folding ORVMs
• Power-operated liftgate
• Automatic rain-sensing wipers

eing a premium German luxury car, the 2018 Audi A7 comes with a plethora of standard safety techs. Despite not getting crash-tested by both the IIHS and the NHTSA, the A7 ensures 360-degree protection of the occupants from a majority of scenarios. Moreover, the car comes equipped with Audi Pre-sense basic system that includes a forward-collision warning system. Apart from that, the car gets a blind-spot monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and automatic emergency braking among other features.

Some important safety features of the A7 are:

• Audi Pre Sense
• Forward Collision Warning with automatic emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Tire-pressure monitoring system
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) in rear seats
• Safety belt reminder for driver and front passenger

Audi A7 vs Mercedes-Benz CLS 550

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 is a much stronger opponent of the Audi A7 yet it pales in front of the latter in terms of sheer road presence and design. Moreover, the CLS 550 is way inferior to the A7 in terms of interior design and standard car techs as well. But in terms of practicality, the A7 wins against the CLS 550.

Audi A7 vs BMW 640i

The BMW 640i is a strong opponent of the Audi A7 and is an absolute match to the latter in terms of performance too. On the inside, the 640i might be less equipped in terms of in-car techs and design yet, it offers a generous amount of space along with an overwhelming amount of boot space as per the segment.

Audi A7 vs Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera got owned by the Audi A7 in a majority of points here with the former being in its basic form. Despite that, its performance and practicality such as exceptionally long driving range numbers and a generous amount of headroom for both the driver and the passengers dispute having a low roofline speak for themselves.

The 2018 Audi A7 is an almost perfect car in the segment with its fresh design, high-tech interior, excellent comfort levels, and sticky road manners. The performance aspect of the car is quite strong when put against its segment rivals and its plethora of standard features along with its impressive safety techs also makes it a better alternative to its immediate competitors as well.