Dano in Texas

New guy here. I was looking at the 2014 order form for the S7 and apparently the spare tire has been removed as standard equipment. Anyone know about the A7 spare availability? I prefer to have a spare and that's what I liked about the 2012 Audi's we looked at and test drove.

Plutolawyer

I just picked up my A7 a few weeks ago (its a 2013) and it has the mini spare. I asked the dealer and he said that he believes all future A7s will continue to have the mini spare. Maybe to save weight the S7 has the "fix a flat" spare tire.

Dano in Texas

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. We were at the Audi dealer yesterday and I asked the question about the 2014s but the sales guy didn't know. We test drove 2013 3.0 A6 and A7. Our emotional side says buy the A7. Our practical side says buy the A6 and pocket the $10K. I told my wife, when she was behind the wheel she probably couldn't tell the difference. We will look at a CPO A7 Monday.

Plutolawyer

Go with the A7, you will not be disappointed!!! Although either is a real winner. I just spent the day on Saturday at the Audi Driving Experience and got to drive the: TTS, S4, S5, RS5, S6, S7, S8 and an R8. My conclusion is that each has an amazing quality each its own. Aside from the obvious R8, my favorites were the S8 and the RS5. The S7 was also amazing but I love my A7 so I didn't spend much time comparing the two. Bottom line, any choice you make will be a great one

BMR2AUDI

Spare tires are kind of going out of style and practicality. I had run-flats on my 06 BMW 325xi and replaced them with non-run flat tires for a fraction of the cost. I am not worried about a flat because through my insurance company, USAA, I pay $1/month for roadside assistance. So, it may cost me a little time if I ever have an issue, but in all honestly, a spare just isn't necessary anymore.

Dano in Texas

No spare means I sit waiting on someone else to rescue me. If I have to be somewhere on time, throwing on the spare in 10 minutes and getting there is important to me. On a long trip, being able to continue my journey into the next town and get the tire repaired saves time. In our Saab wagon I carry a full size spare so I can continue at highway speeds to the next repair facility. The space save tire in the A7 is limited to 80KPH like most spares but at least I can be moving.
The CPO A7 sold before we could test drive it but we are contemplating ordering a 2014 A7, 3.0TFSI. Not really interested in the diesel.

jhebert

Was on a vacation in my MB and got a flat. Thanks goodness i had aspare it wasnt a full tire but least something I could get back to a dealership and buy a new tire. With run flats your still stuck , I cut the tire so I dont know how well a run flat would do with a slice tire. So I will always want a spare.

2cheap

I'm going to buy an A7 in the coming months (will probably wait for diesel) and it will be my first Audi after owning 9 BMWs over the years. I currently own a Supercharged Range Rover Sport and don't like the 2014 redesign.

Frankly, two seemingly insignificant things forced me to leave BMW: the awful run-flat tires (and resulting loss of any type of spare) and the inability to check the oil level with a dipstick. For most people, these two things may seem silly, but after owning several BMWs with run-flats, I can tell you they haven't gotten much better even though they're on their third or fourth generation.

Getting stuck and waiting for a flatbed when you have an undrivable run-flat is just slightly worse than forcing to cough up serious money at a dealer to replace the tire when you know full well that a patch on a standard tire would have sufficed.

Dano in Texas

Looking at the 2014 order form that DocRoy posted, it looks like both the A& and S7 come with a spare. The RS7 does not.

snagitseven

Especially if you have a blowout in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday night in the dead of winter, a gazillion miles from anyone who can either fix the flat or replace the tire. You had better bring a tent and sleeping bag or a spare strapped to the roof.