quattroholic.com: July 2010

Today Audi has introduced the all-new Audi A7 Sportback. As it's model designation implies, the new A7 fits squarely between the A6 and A8, offering a full-size luxury sportback to compete with the likes of Porsche's Panamera, Maserati's Quattroporte, the BMW 5 Series GT and Mercedes CLS. At first glance, the Kardashian-esque rear-end is the A7's most notable design cue; which for us, will take a little getting used to. Overall though (even considering our obvious bias) we feel the A7 is far more appealing than it's Panamera cousin and Bavarian GT counterpart. Full Details and photo gallery after the jump.

Design and body
- Elegant coupe design with four doors and a large, wide-opening luggage compartment hatch that opens and closes electrically (standard)
- 4.97 meters (16.31 ft) long and has a wheelbase of 2.91 meters (9.55 ft). 1.91 meters (6.27 ft) wide, 1.42 meters (4.66 ft) tall. Sleak design offers a 0.28 cD.
- Variable luggage compartment with up to 1,390 liters (49.09 cu ft) of capacity
- LED headlights optional; bi-xenon headlights and LED tail lights standard
- Lightweight body, large percentage of aluminum and high-strength steels. Entire car in the base version weighs just 1,695 kilograms (3,737 lb

Interior and controls
- Elegant, modern lines, a craftsman’s level of workmanship, elegant colors and materials, novel layered wood inserts
- Start-stop button standard
- Front seats optionally with ventilation and massage function
- MMI radio operating system standard; head-up display available as an option
- Optional MMI navigation plus system with touchpad and large 8-inch display, Internet services from Google, Audi music interface and Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System
- Optional ambient lighting package with LED technology in the roof module, in the center console ringed with lights and the illuminated door sill trims
- Advanced safety and assistance systems such as Audi pre sense, adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, Audi active lane assist, night vision assistant, speed limit display and park assist system
- Highly efficient, fuel-saving climate control system

Engines
- Four V6 engines – two powerful and highly efficient gasoline and TDI units each with power ranging from 150 kW (204 hp) to 220 kW (300 hp)
- 3.0 TFSI produces 220 kW (300 hp) between 5,250 and 6,500 rpm, and delivers 440 Nm (324.53 lb-ft) of torque between 2,900 and 4,500 rpm. 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds.
- 3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp) and multitronic (front-wheel drive) with just 139 g CO2/km (223.70 g/mile) and an average fuel consumption of 5.3 liters per 100 km (44.38 US mpg) are groundbreaking figures
- All engines with thermal management, start-stop system and energy recovery

Drivetrain
- Front-wheel drive with multitronic; quattro all-wheel drive combined with seven-speed S tronic
- quattro with crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring
- quattro with sport differential for the active distribution of power at the rear axle available as an option

Chassis
- Sophisticated chassis construction, aluminum control arms
- Newly developed, high-efficiency electromechanical power steering
- Audi drive select assistance system comes standard
- Optionally available adaptive air suspension with controlled damping
- 18-inch to 20-inch wheels, powerful brakes

Price and availability
- The A7 Sportback will be rolling into dealerships in the fall at a base price of €51,600 (no U.S. details at this time).

Photo Gallery:

Press Release:

Ingolstadt, 2010-07-26
Aesthetic and athletic – the Audi A7 Sportback

Emotion-packed design, sporty character and innovative technology: Audi is targeting a new market segment with the A7 Sportback. The large five-door model with the dynamically accentuated rear end brings together the best of three worlds: the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.

The A7 Sportback is pure high-tech. Its body is very lightweight thanks to numerous aluminum components. The elegant interior shows a craftsman’s level of workmanship. The four V6 engines combine refined power with groundbreaking efficiency. The 3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp) and multitronic has CO2 emissions of just 139 grams per kilometer (223.70 g/mile). The sporty chassis comes with new solutions, such as electromechanical power steering. When it comes to assistance and infotainment systems, the luxury-class coupe exhibits all of the innovative power expected of Audi.

The five-door coupe from Audi combines supreme, long-distance comfort with a sporty character. The interior noise level is very low even at fast highway speeds, with the V6 engines providing refined acoustic feedback as their power unfolds.

The excellent vibrational comfort likewise contributes to the atmosphere of cultured tranquility on board. This is the result of painstakingly tuning all components, systematic hydraulic damping in the axle and drivetrain bearings and the extremely stiff body. The body is comprised primarily of aluminum and high-tech steels, making it extremely lightweight and safe. The large rear hatch opens wide to reveal a large, extremely usable luggage compartment that is very easy to load. Its 535-liter (18.89 cu ft) capacity swells to a volume of 1,390 liters (49.09 cu ft) with the rear seat backrests folded down.

With the A7 Sportback, which will be rolling into dealerships in the fall at a base price of €51,600, Audi is taking up a new design line representing elegance on a grand scale. The five-door coupe is 4.97 meters (16.31 ft) long and 1.91 meters (6.27 ft) wide, but only 1.42 meters (4.66 ft) high. Its long hood, the short front overhang, the long wheelbase, the sportily flowing C-pillars and the sharply dropping rear create a dynamic overall impression. The five-door coupe is an aesthetic athlete with a wide, powerful road stance.

Optional LED headlights reinforce the unmistakable expression of the A7 Sportback and provide all light functions with light-emitting diodes while minimizing energy consumption. Bi-xenon headlights and LED tail lights come standard. The innovative all-weather light function has also been integrated into the headlights, replacing the classic fog lights.

The sinewy sportiness of the exterior carries over into the interior of the A7 Sportback, where Audi again demonstrates its leading role in automotive design. The salient element is the “wrap-around,” a horizontal line that encircles the driver and front-seat passenger in the interior to provide a feeling of safety and security. The wave-shaped application strip with its integrative dynamics is the salient element of the dashboard.

The utmost care has been devoted to every last detail in the interior. Workmanship is at a craftsman’s level. Optional climate-control and massage functions are available for the front seats covered in high-grade Audi leathers. The optional ambient lighting fills the entire interior with atmosphere.

Like Audi’s A8 flagship, the A7 Sportback also combines a new level of technical intelligence with logical, intuitive ergonomics and self-explanatory operation. The advanced MMI operating system with central menu button and reduced number of buttons comes standard, while one of the options is a new head-up display that projects the most important information on the windshield. The MMI touch system combines a hard drive navigation system with the convenience of touchpad input.

The driver can use the touchpad to perform numerous functions, such as using his or her finger to write the letters of the destination or the digits of the telephone number.

The online services work together with Google to connect the five-door Audi coupe to the Internet via the Bluetooth car phone. A UMTS module delivers images and information from Google Earth to the monitor and combines them with the navigation route. A WLAN hotspot is used to connect mobile devices. Further to the Bose sound system, the top-of-the-line option is the Advanced Sound System from Bang & Olufsen featuring 1,300 watts of power and 15 speakers.

The top navigation system works closely together with the many optional driver assistance and safety systems in the A7 Sportback. It forwards the route data to the control units for the headlights, the automatic transmission and the adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, enabling these systems to recognize complex scenarios. In many cases, the Audi pre sense safety system can reduce the severity of accidents and their consequences. The new Audi active lane assist helps the driver to keep the A7 Sportback firmly on course, and the new park assist system relieves the driver of the chore of steering when parallel parking.

Audi will initially offer the A7 Sportback with a choice of four powerful and cultivated V6 engines: two gasoline and two TDI units. Their power output ranges from 150 kW (204 hp) to 220 kW (300 hp), and their efficiency sets impressive new standards in the vehicle class. The new 3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp) and multitronic consumes on average just 5.3 liters of fuel per 100 km (44.38 US mpg), corresponding to CO2 emissions of just 139 g per km (223.70 g/mile). All engines use Audi’s innovative thermal management system, a recuperation system and a start-stop system.

The standard automatic transmissions also play a role in the high efficiency of the Audi A7 Sportback. Audi offers two different transmissions depending on the engines: The continuous multitronic sends the power to the front wheels, while the sporty seven-speed S tronic works together with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The latest evolutionary stage of quattro features a crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring.

The drive system is particularly flexible and dynamic. The optional sport differential actively distributes the power between the rear wheels.

The chassis also combines sporty precision with luxurious comfort. The Audi A7 Sportback rolls on large wheels measuring from 18 to 20 inches in diameter. The chassis features aluminum control arms and a newly developed power steering system with an electromechanical drive for high efficiency. The Audi drive select dynamics system is standard and can be supplemented by the optional adaptive air suspension with controlled damping.
The equipment and data specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.

Source: Audi AG

Last weekend we attended Waterfest 16. Held at Englishtown Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, Waterfest is the largest VW/Audi car show and motorsport event in North America and the second largest of its kind in the world. Although 2010 was Waterfest's 16th year, this was quattroholic.com's first time attending the event. Aside from blistering hot temperatures and a little sun burn, we had an awesome time shared with some great Audi enthusiasts and the cars they love.

Though Volkswagen may be the show's primary marque, there is still an equally strong Audi representation. Two of our favorite cars were the one-and-only "American" Audi TT RS brought up from Audi HQ by Fourtitude and a red Heffner Twin Turbo R8 displayed at APR's booth. Perhaps more important though, are the many personal rides displaying each owner's unique twist on some of Ingolstadt's finest creations.

In addition to the judged and non-judged show cars in attendance, Waterfest features just about every VW/Audi tuner and aftermarket supplier known throughout North America. Companies such as APR, AWE, STaSiS, Unitronic and more use this event to showcase their latest products and services and even the opportunity for on-site mods such as APR's drive-thru ECU tuning tents.

The weekend's activities also offer plenty of opportunities for owners to compete with one another. Whether it be on the drag strip, autocross track, dyno, or a burnout competition, Waterfest is every VW/Audi fan's ultimate playground.

Considering Waterfest is a visual experience, it's now time for a little Audi eye-candy. We wanted to give a big hat-tip to quattroholic.com's photo-guru, Matt Richards for a truly remarkable job shooting the event.