Second-generation Audi A7 (C8)

Since the start of the new decade, Audi presented the world their equivalent to Mercedes' CLS, known as the A7 Sportback. Of course, this is Audi's foray to the almost non-existent four-door coupe genre and by the looks of it, it's not half bad to look at but judging by its rear view, it's like a bad case of "finish or not finished, pass your papers" as well as the way it behaves while driving. It's like getting suffocated by two fat ladies squeezing you like a sandwich in a subway. Knowing this, Audi made a second-generation of their eccentric offering and I'm here to have a probe on it.

2018 Audi A7 Sportback

2018 Audi A7 Sportback

Here is the new A7 in question and at first glance, you can think of it as an Audi A8 with a rear of the Tesla Model X and it's better looking than the previous A7, which is good because they used the prologue-inspired design language first introduced at the Audi A8 and while most luxury cars had forgone the Russian doll effect, the new A7 almost looks like it but because the rear view is different than today's A8, it's easy to distinguish between the two cars.

2018 Audi A7 Sportback

The interior has a different story as well because it looks like it came from the latest A8, meaning there's a hint of Russian doll effect on it, and because most of the stuff at the dashboard are touch panel rather than buttons, speedo boys are running scared over this kind of layout because in today's high-tech cars, their sat-navs and radios are now irreplaceable. Sorry, speedo boys, you can't replace their fancy gizmos with that kind of layout. Although the dashboard can easily intimidate speedo boys because of its high-tech stuff, there's so much to toy around with it such as smartphone connectivity that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the available Bang & Olufsen

Advanced Sound System, wi-fi hotspot, and much more. Of course, being a luxury car, the rear seats really matters and despite the roofline, the "out of a limo" feeling remains and you can really tell when you hit their sweet spot. Also, the boot space isn't bad for fastback standards which is good for trips to the country club on weekends.

2018 Audi A7 Sportback

Like I said before, the previous A7 has a driving feeling of two fat ladies squeezing you like a sandwich in a subway but in the new model, it's starting to feel more dramatic and somewhat enjoyable to drive courtesy of its new chassis and new body which is more rigid and lighter than the previous model and by the feel of it, it feels like you're not getting sandwiched by two fat ladies. Instead, you'd be sandwiched by two good-looking men and while the dynamics are improved by a pinch, it still has a hint of mildness when you handle it. Being all-wheel drive, you can't escape its grip of this thing but for an all-rounder, it's not half bad.

By launch, the new A7 is powered by a choice of two 3.0L engines, in petrol and diesel guise but because Germany is starting to dispel diesel-powered cars due to recent developments of you-know-what, let's only focus on the 3.0L TFSi engine for the time being. Armed with the 7-speed S tronic and the new mild-hybrid system with a 48-volt primary electrical system and a belt alternator starter generating up to 12 kilowatts of recuperation power, it produces 340PS of power output, 500Nm of torque, a 0-100kph time of 5.3 seconds, electronically limited top speed of 250kph, and an NEFZ-verified combined fuel consumption of 6.9l/100km, which is irrelevant right now as the world's slowly adapting to the new and more WTLC standards to make it more relevant but in the meantime, the fuel consumption figures will be nothing more to you for the time being.

Like the new Audi A8 we saw last year, the new A7 comes with a wide array of high-tech driver assistance features that can be either surprising or annoyed at the same time such as adaptive cruise assist, the new crossing assist, and Audi pre sense safety systems, with 39 driver assistance systems either standard or optional and with all of the driver assistance systems standard, the new A7 is armed with 24 sensors. This car is all eyes on the road and while it promises to be a more relaxing drive for everyone, its autonomy can be downright scary, even for speedo boys.

The new A7 is priced at 66,300 Euros (around $82,000/Php 4,300,000) plus additional costs which sounds like a lot but it's less pricey than the Mercedes CLS, making this luxury hatchback a bargain of the year. So, what's good about the new A7? Well, the exterior looks nicer than before, the interior looks more high-tech, and it's surprisingly comfortable. What's not is the handling that is not as exciting as I thought it would be and the driver aids that can scare the speedo boys out. While there is no excitement in store for this one, the new A7 still works well as a luxury saloon with that "out on a limo" feeling for the occupants and Audi really knows what they're doing right now.

Available colors: Brillantschwarz, Ibisweiß Firmamentblau Metallic, Florettsilber Metallic, Gletscherweiss Metallic, Karatbeige Metallic, Mythosschwarz Metallic, Sohobraun Metallic, Taifungrau Metallic, Tangorot Metallic, Tritonblau Metallic, Vesubgrau Metallic, and Daytonagrau Perleffekt.

Photo: Audi AG