HWM Singapore – August 2019

AUGUST 2019 | HWM

8.5/10

TESTED&RATED

SINGAPORE

The sloping roof is sensuous but it

does impinge on usable boot space.

seats down.

Don’t be fooled by the A7

Sportback’s dynamic looks

and powerful engine, the

A7 Sportback is more at

home being a long distance

cruiser than a bare-knuckle

sports sedan. Straight line

performance is actually

impressive thanks to the

immensely capable 3.0-liter

turbocharged V6. The brakes

are mighty and the car

is assuredly stable when

negotiating high-speed

corners. It’s just that even in

the car’s sportiest setting, the

throttle response isn’t sharp

enough. Furthermore, the A7

Sportback’s steering requires

some guesswork because of

dynamic all-wheel steering.

Dynamic all-wheel

steering requires a bit of

explanation. What’s good

is that the rear wheel turns

as you steer. It turns in the

opposite direction at low

speeds to decrease turning

radius and turns in the same

direction at high speeds

to improve stability. This is

all advantageous as the A7

Sportback has a remarkably

small turning radius for a

car of its size and is

surprisingly maneuverable

in tight spaces.

What’s not good is that

the steering ratio changes

based on vehicle speed. At

low speeds, such as when

you are navigating tight

spaces, the ratio is high

and the wheel turns more

with the steering wheel.

The end result is that you

need not turn the steering

wheel as much at low

speeds. At high speeds, the

opposite happens and off ers

greater control on vehicle

placement. This all sounds

 ne on paper but in the real

world what really happens

is that you are never quite

sure how much steering is

needed when you come to

a corner. That being said,

dynamic all-wheel steering

doesn’t come standard on

the A7 Sportback and I

would recommend thinking

twice before checking the

options box.

The new A7 Sportback is

a handsome and immensely

capable cruiser. However,

it carries a high price and is

currently only available in a

single engine con guration.

It may be less expensive than

its comparably-equipped

German rivals but it carries

a hefty premium over a

similarly spec’ed A6, which

one may argue is just as

quick, just as comfortable,

and perhaps even slightly

more practical. But the siren

call of the A7 Sportback is

hard to shake off , so maybe

this is the one time you

should listen to your heart

over your mind. You only

live once right?

ATA GLANCE

ENGINE

3.0-liter

turbochargedV6

POWER

340hp/ 500nm

oftorque

FUELCONSUMPTION:

7.3L/100km

PRICE

$380,500

the sloping roo ine. Also
remarkable is the boot
space. It’s a sizable boot even
if that sloping roo ine does
mean you sacri ce vertical
space. If you require even
more space, you can
more than double luggage
capacity by folding the rear

CONCLUSION

Handsome and powerful, the

A7 Sportback is perfect for the

style-conscious executive.

get around.
Rear passengers are
not neglected. The seats
at the back are cushy and
rear legroom is excellent.
Furthermore, passengers
in the back get their own
climate control. However, the
transmission tunnel is sizable
which makes seating three
in the back uncomfortable
for the middle passenger.
On the  ip side, headroom
in the back is good despite

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