Eric's Autos: 2025 Audi A7

The Audi A7 is an interesting critter in that it's about the same size as a midsize BMW 5 Series sedan and other midsize luxury sedans but costs about $20,000 more to start than they do.

But you do get something more for the money -- as well as something you cannot get in sedans like the BMW 5 and Mercedes E.

What It Is

The Audi A7 is a midsize luxury sedan that's also a hatchback sedan -- Audi calls it a Sportback -- which is one of the ways it's not like the BMW 5 and Mercedes E, which both have trunks and so have less in there as well.

Also unlike every other midsize luxury-brand sedan currently on the market, the A7 still comes standard with a six-cylinder engine. These have become optional in the others, which all come standard with four-cylinder engines now.

But there's a price to be paid for the standard six, the sleek looks and the additional interior space.

The A7 starts at $72,000 -- for the Premium trim -- which comes with a panorama sunroof, leather seats, three-zone climate control and a dual-flatscreen instrument cluster, plus a standard turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and all-wheel drive.

There are two other trims available: The $77,700 Premium Plus -- which comes standard with a fancy Bang & Olufsen premium audio system, among other upgrades -- and the top-of-the-line Prestige, which comes standard with soft-close doors, a heads-up display and massaging seats.

It stickers for $82,450.

What's New For 2025

Additional equipment has been added to the various options packages available with each trim. For instance, the Convenience Package that's optional with the base Premium trim now includes selectable color ambient interior lighting. The mid-trim Premium Plus now comes standard with the Executive Package that used to be optional, and the top-of-the-line Premium now comes standard with the previously extra-cost massaging seats.

What's Good

-- Much more practical than midsize luxury sedans such as the Mercedes E350 and sedans due to hatchback layout and 24.9 cubic feet of total cargo-carrying space.

-- Sleeker-looking shape than other same-sized midsize luxury-brand sedans.

-- Standard V6.

What's Not So Good

-- Much more expensive than other same-sized luxury-brand sedans such as the Mercedes E350 and the BMW 5 Series.

-- V6 is not especially powerful -- for the price.

-- Almost every feature is controlled through a big touch screen that you have to look at in order to be sure you're touching the right control.

Under the Hood

The A7's standard 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 -- which makes 335 horsepower -- is somewhat anomalous in that it's about the same size and has the same number of cylinders that used to be standard in same-sized (midsize) luxury sedans like the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes Benz E350 -- but you're paying $15,000-$20,000 more than a current-year four-cylinder-powered BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E350 costs.

In the recent but rapidly receding (in memory, especially) past, when you ponied up more than $70,000 for a car, the expectation was that the least you'd get was a V8.

But at least you're getting more than a four.

The A7's V6 is supplemented by a "mild hybrid" system that is there to turn off the V6 as often as practical, chiefly to allow Audi to offer the V6 at all. Because when the gas engine is off, it isn't "emitting" any of the dread gas CO2, which has been transformed by etymological jujitsu into a "pollutant," even though it has absolutely nothing to do with pollution. Nonetheless, the car companies must reduce the "emissions" of this nonpolluting gas, and there are only two ways to do that. One way is to reduce the size of the engine (viz., the proliferation of fours in lieu of sixes), and the other is to turn off the engine.

That's the purpose of the "mild hybrid" system.

It isn't to propel the vehicle. And it isn't to "save gas." The A7's 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway is nearly identical to the 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway posted by a 2015 Mercedes E350 with a V6 and without the "mild hybrid" addendum.

A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and AWD are standard equipment.

On the Road

There is one benefit -- to the driver -- of the A7's "mild hybrid" addendum. Throttle response -- which is electric car-immediate because of the instant torque assist of the electric side of the A7's tandem drivetrain (this is a good way to think of hybrid drivetrains -- plural -- because that's exactly what they are).

The A7 is also much quicker than a four-cylinder-powered BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E. Despite weighing 4,343 pounds -- about 300 pounds more than a current BMW 5 or Mercedes E -- it still gets to 60 mph in just under five seconds.

The A7s "mild hybrid" system uses a much more powerful 48-volt electric system and a high-torque belt-driven starter to almost immediately (and seamlessly) restart the engine. You hear -- and feel -- next to nothing, which matters a lot when you're paying $72,000-plus not to hear (or feel) that kind of thing.

At the Curb

Arguably, the A7's chief sell isn't so much what's under the hood but rather what you can see. It is a striking car from any angle. Not that same-sized midsize sedans like the BMW 5 and the Mercedes E aren't attractively styled. But there is a difference between that and ... striking.

And that's a big part of what you'd be paying $72,000 to get.

The hatchback -- Sportback -- styling has the effect of making the A7 look much lower than it actually is. In fact, it's actually only 1.9 inches lower to the ground than the Mercedes E350 sedan.

The tapering roofline also makes the A7 seem longer than it is.

A BMW 5 -- 199.2 inches long -- is almost a full-sized sedan by current reckoning. The A7 -- solidly in the mid-sized camp at 195.6 inches long -- conveys a more elegant line to the eye.

The Rest

One of the other very appealing things about the A7 -- especially relative to the much more expensive A8 -- is that you can get massaging seats. This is a feature that -- as recently as just three or four years ago -- was generally restricted to top-of-the-line models like the A8 and its analogs, including the Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7 Series.

The Bottom Line

It costs more than other same-sized sedans, but you do get more in exchange for what you're paying -- both under the hood and in the cargo (and looks) area.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.