Details of Cars

Audi A7 Sportback: the A6 in a fastback body

AUDI Luxury Cars

Audi A7 Sportback at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show
Audi A7 Sportback at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Audi A7 is a five-door fastback with a sloping roofline and four frameless doors, built by Audi since 2010. It is the coupé-like version of the Audi A6 and shares its platform and drivetrain with the C7 A6 saloon. Two generations have been made, and a long-wheelbase A7L is built in China.

Audi A7 at a glance

Audi A7 key facts
Production 2010–2025, two generations
First shown 26 July 2010, Munich
Base Volkswagen Group MLB, shared with the A6 C7
Early engines 2.8 FSI 204 PS, 3.0 TFSI 300 PS, 3.0 TDI 245 PS
S7 4.0 V8 biturbo, 420 PS, 0–100 km/h in 4.7 s
RS 7 made since 2013
Second generation presented October 2017, on sale February 2018
A7L China only, since September 2021
Doors four, frameless
Drive quattro four-wheel drive available

History of the Audi A7

First generation (2010–2017)

First-generation Audi A7 (4G8) in China
First-generation Audi A7 (4G8) in China. Photo by Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The A7 is in essence a four-door fastback version of the C7 Audi A6 on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, and it was released before the more conventional A6 saloon. Both cars share the core structure, drivetrain, chassis, dashboard and interior, while the A7 has its own exterior panels and an aluminium front body structure. It was unveiled at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich on 26 July 2010 and went on sale in autumn 2010. Early models were the 2.8 FSI with 204 PS and multitronic, the 3.0 TFSI quattro with 300 PS and the 3.0 TDI quattro with 245 PS, the two V6 cars using a seven-speed S tronic; a 3.0 TDI of 204 PS with multitronic followed. For 2011 the A7 received the FlexRay databus and driver assistance systems from the A8, a head-up display, active lane assist and full LED headlamps. A sport version, the S7, arrived in 2012 with a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 of 420 PS and 550 Nm, reaching 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds; the RS 7 followed in 2013, and in 2012 the UK range gained a 3.0 BiTDI quattro of 313 PS.

Second generation (2017–2025)

The C8 generation was presented in October 2017 and went on sale in February 2018. From September 2021 SAIC-Volkswagen has built the A7L, a four-door three-box saloon with a longer wheelbase, for the Chinese market only. The model was produced from 2010 to 2025.

Design and features

  • Fastback body: a sloping roofline, a steeply raked rear window and an integrated boot lid form the Sportback shape, with four frameless doors.
  • Shared with the A6: the A7 uses the Volkswagen Group MLB platform and the C7 A6’s structure, drivetrain and interior.
  • Aluminium front structure: much of the front body is aluminium, which the A6 saloon does not use.
  • Driver assistance: the 2011 model year brought the FlexRay databus, head-up display, active lane assist and full LED headlamps.
  • Long version: the A7L for China is a three-box saloon with a longer wheelbase.

Audi A7 versions

  • A7 2.8 FSI: 204 PS with multitronic.
  • A7 3.0 TFSI quattro: 300 PS with seven-speed S tronic.
  • A7 3.0 TDI quattro: 245 PS, and a 204 PS version with multitronic.
  • A7 3.0 BiTDI quattro: 313 PS, added in 2012.
  • S7: 4.0-litre biturbo V8 of 420 PS and 550 Nm.
  • RS 7: the high-performance version, made since 2013.
  • A7L: long-wheelbase saloon for China, since 2021.

The A7 is the fastback version of the Audi A6, and it shares its driver assistance technology with the Audi A8. More models are in our Audi collection.

Video: Audi A7 Sportback

Video by Motorvision Deutschland on YouTube.

Sources

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