2012 Audi A7 is the Most Distinctive Models on the Market

The all-new 2012 Audi A7 is one of the most distinctive models on the market—and if you want to know why, simply popping the trunk release would be a good place to start. What you get for the car is—instead of a small trunk lid, which it could be—a long hatch, opening up a long, grocery-friendly cargo floor under a graceful, curved roofline and long back window—much like that of a grand-touring sports car.

The new Audi hatchback is based on the redesigned A6 sedan, and offers welcome versatility and lots of style. The new Audi A7 MSRP is pricier than the A6, though, and seats only four passengers. In style, the Audi A7 2012 follows the form of the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, with a four-door sedan like passenger compartment and a hatchback cargo area.

However, Audi managed to keep the car looks tame enough not to inspire the same sort of negative reaction stirred up by the Panamera, while the A7′s fastback design does not look bulky or awkward. The new Audi A7 longer wheelbase sports the typical Audi fascia, but it’s lower and wider, evoking the sleek A5 coupe rather than the redesigned A6 sedan upon which it is based.

The car roof line is radically sloped, and in that sense it follows the trend set by other so-called “four-door coupes” such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS. But for the new Audi A7, Audi keeps the slope going almost to the rear bumper, creating a silhouette similar to that of the Porsche Panamera.

Audi is known for producing some of the finest car interiors in the world, consistently setting benchmarks for design and quality, and the 2012 Audi A7 interior carries that torch also improves upon the way the driver interacts with the car’s myriad electronics devices. The Audi A7 2012 styling is unusual for sure, but it quickly grew on us once we saw it in person.

The Audi A7 2012 is available in three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. As the automaker’s first larger coupe since the departure of the Audi 100 Coupé S in the 1970s, the 2012 Audi A7 is one svelte piece of machinery. Every 2012 Audi A7 comes standard with all-wheel drive, an eight-speed automatic transmission and a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that produces 310 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

In the new Audi A7 reviews testing, the 2012 Audi A7 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds — very quick for a large all-wheel-drive sedan. Estimated 2012 Audi A7 fuel economy is quite good as well, with 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.

Pricing 2012 Audi A7

The base price of the new Audi A7 3.0 TFSI is $59,250, that’s a nudge more than the base price of the BMW 535i xDrive Gran Turismo ($58,800) but significantly less than the entry-level all-wheel-drive Porsche Panamera 4 ($78,900), and the new Audi A7 2012 comes standard with all-wheel drive. The car configured with Moonlight Blue Metallic paint over black leather upholstery is cost $475 more.

Major options included the 2012 Audi A7 Prestige package ($6,330), which adds the S-line exterior, navigation, Audi Connect, four-zone climate control, Bose audio upgrade, adaptive headlights, smart key, parking sensors and more.

Audi Side Assist ($500) and destination ($875) brought our bottom line to $67,430.That 2012 Audi A7 price aligns well with a nicely equipped BMW 5 Series GT, but we all know that nobody is touching a Porsche Panamera for less than $85,000.