After a long wait, Audi finally slid the covers off the all-new A7 Sportback during a special event at the art museum "Pinakothek der Moderne" in Munich today. Following a similar formula with the smaller A5 Sportback, Audi crafted a sleek five-door model to target the new Mercedes-Benz CLS and BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo.
The German carmaker claims the production version of last year's Sportback Concept 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." In reality, the A7 Sportback is a shaper looking version of the next A6 with a lower roofline, a more practical rear hatch and seating for four.
The car's exterior and interior design has remained largely untouched over the 2009 Detroit show car with most changes concerning practical details such as the larger head- and tail lamps and the shape and size of the exterior mirrors, along with the less fancy trim inside. And oh, it also gets a neat retractable rear spoiler similar to the one found on the Porsche Panamera.
The five-door coupe, which is positioned between the A6 and A8, 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. The rear hatch reveals a luggage compartment with a capacity of 535-liters (18.89 cu ft) that can swell to a volume of 1,390 liters (49.09 cu ft) with the split rear seat backrests folded down.
Under the sheetmetal, the A7 Sportback rides on a modified architecture of the next A6, which is due in both sedan and Avant (Audi talk for Station Wagon) forms in 2011.
Audi will initially offer the A7 Sportback with a choice of two gasoline and two turbo diesel V6 engines, all featuring direct injection, an energy recuperation system and stop & start technology.
The petrol range comprises of the 2.8 FSI and 3.0 TFSI models, both of which are paired with a dual clutch S-Tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive.
The naturally-aspirated 2.8-liter unit produces 204HP and 280 Nm (206.52 lb-ft) of torque at 5,250 rpm propelling the A7 from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 235 km/h (146mph). It consumes 8.0lt / 100 km (29.4 US mpg) on average, which corresponds to 187g/km of CO2 (300.95 g/mile).
The supercharged 3.0-liter V6 unit delivers 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. The standard sprint takes 5.6 seconds, and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph), while fuel consumption is 8.2 lt/100km (28.7 US mpg), corresponding to 190 g/km of CO2 (305.8 g/mile).
In the diesel front, Audi offers two versions of the 3.0-liter V6 TDI. The more powerful variant produces 245HP between 4,000 and 4,500 rpm and 500Nm (368.78 lb-ft) of torque between 1,400 and 3,250 rpm, and comes with the S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive as standard.
The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 6.5 seconds and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph), while average fuel consumption is rated at 6.0lt/100km (39.2 US mpg) with CO2 emissions of 158 g/km (254.3 g/mile).
The basic version of the 3.0-liter TDI churns out 204HP between 3,750 and 4,500 rpm and will be available only with front-wheel drive and a multitronic automatic transmission. With this engine, the A7 Sportback accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 234 km/h (145 mph), while consuming 5.3 liters of diesel per 100 km (44.4 US mpg) with CO2 emissions of 139g/km (223.70 g/mile).
Though Audi didn't say it officially, expect to see performance-oriented S7 and RS7 variants, as well as a hybrid model being added to the lineup within the next year or so.
In Europe, the new A7 Sportback will roll into dealerships this fall, with prices in Germany starting at €51,600 (equal to US$66,720 at today's exchange rates). No word yet on U.S. availability and pricing.
