briboynyc

Now that I've had my car for a week I figured I would give everyone my thoughts. The car is a GREAT driving machine. Before purchasing the car I also considered the Infiniti M Series (M37 and M35h) and Porsche Panamera. I did like the Infiniti, but actually liked the M37 over the M35h, but I quickly ruled it out as not being quite right. Next up was the Panamera. What a beautiful car; both inside and out. Prior to test driving the car the salesman said I needed to "trust the car". I asked what he meant by that and he said to drive it and I will understand. One thing with this car is you sit low and is very difficult to see where the front and back of the car ends. This is what he meant by trust. He said rely on the parking sensors and cameras and once you get comfortable with that it will be easier. I really liked the start/stop technology of the car. Smooth acceleration and sporty ride. I also ruled the Panamera out because the base model is over $15k more than the A7, but if I factored in the AWD to a Panamera the price point is significantly higher. Also the customization of the Panamera made me nuts because everything is an option rather than "packages". Overall the A7 offered more for less.
Now onto the A7. Great car. It drives so effortlessly. Under normal acceleration the shift points are imperceptible and the RPMs typically were in the 1000 range. When you punch the car it really moves with little hesitation. And the gadgets...it has everything and this is something the panamera didn't have. The connectivity is a cool option and is where all car manufactures will need to go in order to be competitive. I tested out the MMI to watch a DVD and it worked perfectly. I copied over 20gig of podcasts (songs) and along with 6 cd's I have TONS of music to listen to. The bose sound system is great and much better than my previous IS350 Convertible. The prestige package is great, especially for the customizable climate controls for all passengers.
So while I love the car there are a few gripes I have. The gas mileage is NOWHERE near what the car is rated for. In the city I get 15mpg and on the highway just under 23mpg. The lower mileage wouldn't have altered my decision to buy the car, but it's annoying that it's so much different than advertised. Let me also emphasize I was driving like a nun...no hard accelerations, coasting towards a traffic light, etc.
Another thing that bothered me was the MMI controls. When you use the turn **** it does in the opposite direction from what you would expect. From what I hear it's not unique to the A7. If you're used to turning a horizontal dial to the right for "down" in a menu layout, and to the left for "up," it'll drive you crazy, as you'll constantly be back-tracking or looping from the top to the bottom of lists by accident. It would be nice if there was an option to change how the **** controls work; sorta like playing a video game that gives you an option to reconfigure the controls on the joystick.

derfA8L

As the engine breaks in a bit, you'll probably get better MPG values. As for the MMI control ****, yeah it's an Audi thing: I've read that Audi engineers equate turning the contol to the left as dimininshing a value or moving down, while movement to the right increases a value aka going higher. Drives me nuts also. Good idea about giving you the option to reverse the default **** direction.

JerryS4

I test-drove several A7s for numerous hours over two weeks and now have my specific Prestige on order for July delivery. I agree with you that the A7 is "easy to drive" and is quick in an "everyday fun-car" sort of way. Coupled with the great looks, connectivity and practicality, it is a great combo to own. I think this is one of those special cars. Compared to the BMW and MB, it just feels fun to drive and amazing to look at. Both of the others feel a bit disconnected from the road to me.
The Bose system does sound great and considering it is $6K less than the B&O, it sounds fantastic! Just wish they gave us the option for the rear sport differential.

maxthedog

I have had an A7 - Premium Plus now for two weeks - I agree with some of your opinions, but not all. My thoughts

Pros -
- Love the engine and transmission. More powerful than I expected, and very smooth shifts. Lots of fun to drive
- MMI and electronics are great, but I had one glitch already. They had to fix my homelink - garage door setup would not work. Audi dealer was very concerned about making me happy and took care of it right away. required some software changes.
- Love the NAV system graphics (without Google earth).
- Voice activated system works much better than in other cars I have had. I will actually use it. The finger "writing" pad is also cool.
- I am getting pretty good gas mileage - over 20 in mixed city/hwy. 28ish on highway.
- Love the side assist mirror. Nice gadget for only $250.
- Like the hatchback design - I find it very big and more friendly to use than a trunk

Cons -
- I have 20" sport package - while fun to drive, I find the ride a bit too harsh and a lot of road noise from tires. Beginning to wonder if I should have gone for the 19" instead. Don't know if that would make a difference. I don't think it is the sport suspension that bothers me, just the tires may be a little too low profile for this car. But the 20" do look great.
- Agree that the **** on the MMI is backward logic. I keep turning it the wrong way.
- Not loving the basic sound system - okay, but not great. Just seems a little flat to me.
- Not sure I like the retractable wing. Looks kind of funny when its up in my opinion. Does it really serve a functional purpose, or just a neat gadget?
- I find the Sirius menus a little weak. Other than making presets, there doesn't seem to be a way to browse by category - you must scroll through the entire list of stations to browse.
- I find the Audi connect a little pointless. Don't really find a need to have Google earth on my NAV for $30/month. And who needs a wi-fi hotspot in their car if they have a smart phone.
- Plastic console between back seats is very cheap looking for a car of this caliber. Clearly a last minute change (test cars i saw had a leather space that was probably removed to prevent it from being used as a seat in a pinch.) I bet they upgrade the console to something with leather trim in the next few months. They should offer to replace it in early versions of the car.
- Not a huge fan of the cupholders - they are too small and tight. They are also too close to the armrest to hold two decent size cups (not big gulps - just regular size). I know not to expect great cup holders in German cars, but these are hard to use - they seem like they will crush my cups and create a mess.

Overall I am very happy - Just my two cents

briboynyc

I do agree with some of the points from maxthedog. The Side Assist is a cool option to have. At first I was looking for the driver assistance package or innovation, but I decided while those were cool features the only one I wanted was the blind spot side assist. Don't get me wrong the HUD is really cool but it detracts from the clean lines on the driver dash/console. For $500 it's a bargain and a nice feature.

I have the 20" sport tires as well. I would have opted for the 19" and saved the money, but the car the dealer had came with the package so I just bit the bullet and got it.

I specifically got the Prestige package because I wanted an upgraded sound system (Bose) without having to get the B&O sound system. I also wanted the keyless entry which is only available on the Prestige package.

It would be nice if the rear center console had a leather console that would give it a nice clean look. While it's nice to have the "storage" it just detracts from the look.

Just minor gripes but it is what it is. Overall its still an amazing car and gets lots of looks. When I was filling up my car a porchse owner came up to me to give praise on the car.

jperryrocks

One thing about the Bose in the A7. After listening to my ipod, I was underwhelmed a bit.

Seems like the clarity and definition of the B&0 in my avant sounded better. I was initially not that impressed with the B&0 after having Bose in my last A6. Maybe they're was a break-in time and my B&0 seems to sound better and better over time. I guess I'm just getting use to it more.

If I did an A7, I'd do Prestige with the side assist well and skip the innovation as well.

I'm sure I'd get used to the Bose in the A7 again, though.

Stevial

I know on the bose sound system, There is an option in settings while listening to your ipad to turn up the input volume of the ipad media source, cant remember exactly where it, but look for it, its there, i know it for sure, but only with Ipad or iphone, i don't know about any other media sources

JerryS4

Max: Curious what you drove prior to the A7 with the 20" wheels? I am a bit concerned that the 20s might be harsh but when I drove the A7, it seemed just fine to me with these large wheels. Compared to my old 2006 A6 (which was brittle on rough roads), the A7 seems more supple and about the same as my A5 Sport on 19". I always drive the A5 in cushy mode as I find it sporty enough for curves and it has great handling.
I had noticed that the A6 suspension got much better with the 2009 makeover and the A7 is like that now. In 2009 and after, the A6 3.0T really kicked BMW, MB, Infinity, etc. in the butt and won global praise for power and handling. The A7 continues that heritage so I am hopeful that the 20" wheels will be similar.
I just had to have the 20" wheels on the A7...one of the best looking designs anywhere on the market. I also plan to get some nice 19" wheels and snows for the colder months.
Like Billy Crystal used to say on TV as Fernando: "It is better to look good than feel good."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygs-4GfqPcM

voyageur

Coming from an Acura TL which has thin side walls on 17 inches, I've tried 20 inch wheels on A7 on two drives now and included them in my order.
I feel they are fine in "Comfort" and agree all comments they are worthy of purchase.
Maybe we'll organize a group by for 19 inch winter tires in October.

jperryrocks

I'd get the 20's and leave off the sport package.

There's no difference in the seats and the standard suspension already sits low and looks/feels great to me.

I could car less about the paddle shifters behind the wheel and hardly ever use them.