Dynamics at their most beautiful: the exterior design
The exterior design of the A7 Sportback is an expression of the new design language that Audi introduced with the Audi prologue studies. With large surfaces, sharp edges and taut, athletic lines, the A7 signals dynamics and progressiveness from every perspective.
Up front, the wide and low Singleframe grille, the boldly contoured air inlets and the flat front end convey at a glance the sportiness of the Gran Turismo. The model for Malaysia featuring the HD Matrix headlights as standard. With the premium lighting, the light signature takes up the subject of digitalization: 12 adjacent lighting segments separated by narrow intervening spaces evoke associations with the binary digits 0 and 1.
The Audi A7 Sportback is an athletic sculpture with a long engine hood, long wheelbase and short overhangs. Pronounced contours emphasize the wheels, which measure up to 21 inches in diameter (20” for Malaysia), and reference Audi’s quattro genes. These genes determine the proportions of the vehicle’s body. The silhouette is defined by the dynamic roofline, which drops sharply toward the rear. Four figures delineate the sporty character of the large coupe: It is 4,969 millimeters long, has a wheelbase of 2,926 millimeters and is 1,908 millimeters wide, but stands only 1,422 millimeters high.
As with the previous model, the rear end is tapered like that of a yacht. The long luggage compartment lid terminates in a pronounced, curved lip from which an integrated spoiler extends automatically at 120 km/h (74.6 mph). A flat light strip – a design feature common to all of Audi’s top models – joins the rear lights, whose tail lights are made up of 13 vertical segments. When the doors are unlocked and again when they are locked, fast-moving light animations play in the rear lights and in the headlights, highlighting the big coupe’s dynamics while standing still. The progressive exterior design of the new Audi A7 Sportback is largely devoid of chrome. The paint range offers a choice of 15 colors, eight of which are new. The car in Malaysia features the sporty S line exterior package as standard. This further hones the look, with modifications to the radiator grille and the front air inlets, the sills and the front and rear diffusers. They are trimmed in gloss black and more strongly sculpted.
Show car design comes to production: the interior
The interior fuses design and technology in a unique way. The interior of the new Audi A7 Sportback dazzles with its futuristic lounge atmosphere. Its reduced, clean design language is based in a one-of-a-kind balance of tension and coolness. The horizontal lines and sleek instrument panel provide for a feeling of airy spaciousness. The center console is oriented toward the driver, underscoring the Gran Turismo’s sporty character.
Four key values characterize the interior concept: progressiveness, sportiness, intuitiveness and sophistication. All colors, upholstery materials and inlays underscore the new aesthetic, with the
particularly sophisticated Valcona leather, also standard for Malaysia, being especially attractive. The contour ambient lighting package traces the contours and subtly highlights the space.
The 10.1-inch upper display in combination with MMI navigation plus is tilted toward the driver. With its black panel optics and framed in a graphite gray aluminum clasp, it almost disappears into the dashboard when switched off. The body supporting the clasp is itself a geometric sculpture. The display’s user interface appears as soon as the car is opened. In keeping with the interior design, the look is reduced and succinct. All screen content can be quickly registered.
Control at your fingertips: MMI touch response control system and online voice control
The new Audi A7 features the digitalization strategy first seen in Malaysia in the Audi Q8. The interior architecture melds seamlessly with Audi’s new MMI touch response operating concept. It replaces the rotary pushbutton and the conventional buttons and controls of the previous model with two large, high-resolution touch displays.
The driver controls the infotainment system from the upper display. Mounted on the asymmetric console of the center tunnel, the 8.6-inch lower display provides access to the climate control system, comfort functions and text input. Drivers can rest their wrist on the automatic transmission’s wide selector lever knob.
The new head-up display that projects important information onto the windshield is standard for Malaysia. Also included is the MMI navigation plus which works in partnership with the Audi virtual cockpit with a 12.3-inch display.
The MMI touch response operating concept features haptic and acoustic feedback and is as intuitive to use as a smartphone. Users hear and feel a click as confirmation when their finger triggers a function. With its logical and flat menu structure, the system allows fast access to the various vehicle functions, and it can also be personalized thanks to configurable and movable favorites buttons.
Voice control in the new A7 Sportback makes operation even more convenient. With MMI navigation plus, the natural speech dialogue system processes questions and commands in two ways – with information stored onboard and at the same time with detailed knowledge from the cloud.
Fully connected for more convenience and safety: infotainment and connect features
With its comprehensive connectivity, the Audi A7 is perfectly equipped for long-distance touring. It offers customers more convenience, safety and customization options. The Gran Turismo features the same infotainment and connectivity range as the Audi Q8 presented in Malaysia earlier. Up to seven drivers can store their preferred settings in individual user profiles. As many as 400 parameters can be personalized.
For Malaysia, the new A7 Sportback comes standard with the MMI navigation plus. In terms of sound systems, the car is equipped with the Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound.
Handling and long-distance comfort: the chassis
The new A7 further extends its synthesis of sportiness and comfort. The dynamic-all-wheel steering and the new electronic chassis program (ECP) – the central controller for the chassis –make it even more agile, nimble and comfortable. The A7 is thus the perfect Gran Turismo: dynamic and agile on twisty country roads, yet comfortable on long highway stretches.
Many aspects of the front and rear axles have been developed from scratch. The standard progressive steering, whose generally sporty ratio becomes even more direct the further the steering wheel is turned, features a new concept for intensive road feedback. Mounted behind large wheels with improved rolling comfort are aluminum fixed-caliper brakes with discs up to 400 millimeters in diameter. Suspension with damper control allows the driver to alter the driving character of the car through the Audi Drive Select system.
The top chassis-related innovation is dynamic-all-wheel steering. It combines direct, sporty steering response with unshakable stability, resolving the conflict of aims between agility and comfort. The steering ratio varies as a function of speed between 9.5:1 and 16.5:1 by means of active steering interventions at the front and rear axle. At the front axle, strain wave gearing is used to superimpose these in response to the driver’s steering input. At the rear axle, a spindle drive turns the wheels by as much as 5 degrees. At low speed, they steer counter to the front wheels to further increase the agility of the big coupe when parking or driving in urban traffic, for example. This reduces the turning circle at full lock by 1.1 meters. At 60 km/h and above, the rear axle steers in the same direction to increase straight-line stability and facilitate lane changes.
Broad-based electrification: mild hybrid system for greater comfort and efficiency
In Malaysia, the A7 Sportback come standard with a new 3.0 TFSI engine that features a mild hybrid system (MHEV) for greater comfort and efficiency. It uses a 48-volt primary electrical system. A belt alternator starter (BAS) works together with a lithium-ion battery and achieves a recuperation performance of up to 12 kW when braking. At speeds between 55 and 160 km/h, the four-door coupe can coast in freewheeling mode with the engine deactivated and then restarted comfortably via the BAS.
The start-stop function has been significantly expanded and now activates at 22 km/h. In real-world driving, the MHEV technology reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.7 liters per 100 kilometers.
The sonorously understated V6 turbo produces 250 kW and 500 Nm. The four-door coupe sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h. The 3.0 TFSI is paired with a seven-speed S tronic. Its quattro drivetrain uses the efficient ultra technology that activates rear-wheel drive as needed.
The body concept: Coupé, Sedan and Avant in one
The A7 Sportback combines the best of all worlds and is a dynamic all-around talent for business and recreation. It offers the design of a Coupé, the spaciousness of a Sedan and the variability of an Avant. The interior concept of the A7 Sportback impresses with more space and more comfortable seating – and that despite having a dynamic roofline. Compared with the previous model, interior length has increased 21 millimeters, resulting in more rear knee room. Rear passengers also enjoy more head room. The loading width has also increased compared with the previous model and now measures 1,050 millimeters.
The body, which features steel and aluminum composite construction with large components such as add-on parts made of aluminum, is a key factor in the improved handling and greater comfort. The four-door coupe scores top marks with respect to body stiffness, aeroacoustics and aerodynamics. The Gran Turismo spoils its passengers with improved acoustic comfort and – thanks to sophisticated aerodynamics – minimal wind noise.
Despite the markedly dynamic lines, the luggage compartment has a base capacity of 535 liters. This increases to 1,390 liters with the rear seats folded down. The luggage compartment has been optimized so that two golf bags now fit horizontally, in addition to the space-saving spare tire. The sensor-controlled rear hatch opens and closes automatically in response to a foot motion.
The new Audi A7 Sportback rolls off the assembly line at the Neckarsulm site. The recommended retail price for the car in Malaysia is RM 609,900.
Additional information: The Audi A7 Sportback is “2019 World Luxury Car”
The car is the second Audi to take home the award after the Audi A8 won it last year. The awards were presented at the New York International Auto Show in April.
The World Car Jury, consisting of 86 members from 24 countries, voted to distinguish the Audi A7 Sportback as the best new luxury car on the world market. This is the 10th victory for Audi in one of the World Car categories.
“It’s a great honour for Audi to win the ‘World Luxury Car’ award twice in a row,” says Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, Member of the Board of Management of Audi AG Technical Development. “We are very proud of this award because it shows Audi’s ability to develop leading premium cars in various segments.”
Audi victories in the World Car Awards
| 2005 | Audi A6 | World Car of the Year |
| 2007 | Audi RS 4
Audi TT |
World Performance Car
World Car Design of the Year |
| 2008 | Audi R8
Audi R8 |
World Performance Car
World Car Design of the Year |
| 2010 | Audi R8 V10 | World Performance Car |
| 2014 | Audi A3 | World Car of the Year |
| 2016 | Audi R8 | World Performance Car |
| 2018 | Audi A8 | World Luxury Car |
| 2019 | Audi A7 Sportback | World Luxury Car |
