Used 2018 Audi A7 Premium Plus for sale 

The Audi A7 comes in two trims, the premium plus and the prestige. Both are powered by the same engine and the feature list is almost the same except the prestige gets a head-up display, power door closers, and corner view camera system. The premium plus is priced at $69,700 and the prestige at $72,400 which makes it the most value for money option among the competition.

The 2018 Audi A7 is equipped with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine that produces 340-hp along with 325 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission that is electronically controlled to select the appropriate gearing. The transmission is quick and smooth to react with the change in speed. The power from the engine is transferred to all four wheels as standard through the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. 

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 which is one of the competitors comes with a bigger and more powerful 4.7 liter V8 bi-turbo mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. The Merc produces 402 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque which is way more than our vehicle in focus i.e. the A7 but it all comes at an extra cost of $5450.

The BMW 640i xDrive Gran Tourismo and the Porsche Panamera are both almost identical when it comes to power and torque figures. Although, the BMW costs similar to the Audi, the Panamera costs a whopping $15,300 more than the A7. If we look at the value for money among all these vehicles, the A7 clearly comes out as a winner.

ACCELERATION

The 2018 Audi A7 is a fast car but it lacks just a tad bit among the competition. The A7 is slightly slower than the Mercedes and BMW, but it is faster than the Porsche from 0-60 mph. The Audi A7 accelerated from 0-60 mph in just 5.7 seconds which is decent in this segment. The quarter-mile time is also not very impressive as the A7 is the slowest in the lot and manages a good time of 14.8 seconds at 100.9 mph to cover the quarter-mile distance.

The emissions are also less than the Mercedes but still at par with the BMW but higher than the and Porsche. Despite not being faster or greener than its competition, the A7 still proves to be a good value car. The Mercedes-Benz CLS tops out at 159-mph while all the other vehicles including the Audi A7 have a top speed of 155-mph.

The 2018 Porsche Panamera with a similar engine setup as the Audi A7 proves to be the slowest among the competition in the 0-60 mph acceleration. But the Panamera does get quicker in the second half and completes the quarter-mile distance 0.8-sec quicker than the Audi A7. The Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 is the fastest in the comparison with a 0-60 mph acceleration in just 4.9-sec which is followed by the BMW 640i at 5.1-sec.

BRAKING

Being a sports sedan the Audi A7can quickly reach three digits on the speedometer. Thus the braking performance seems to be quite crucial for the cars in this segment. The Audi A7 comes with 14.0 inches diameter front brakes and 13.0 inches rear brakes which are fairly large and are clearly bigger than some of the competitors. The 2018 Audi A7 manages to decelerate from 60-mph to a standstill in a distance of109 ft. This is better than the Porsche but slightly worse than the German counterparts.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS proves to be the best in braking performance as it comes to a standstill from 60-mph in just 104-ft. This is followed by the BMW 640i which stops at 106-ft. Even though the BMW is heavier than the Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera, it outperforms both of these vehicles in this segment. 

Fuel economy is where the 2018 Audi A7 performs better than most of its competitors. The A7 provides a fuel economy of 20-mpg in the city which then improves to 29-mpg on the highway. Thus we get a combined mileage of 23-mpg from the Audi A7. The smaller engine on the A7 proves to be conservation and efficient than compared to the others. 

The Porsche Panamera provides a slightly better combined-mileage of 24-mpg than the Audi A7. The Mercedes with its bigger engine proves to be thirsty and thus provides the least combined mileage of 21-mpg. This is followed by the BMW 640i has a mileage of 22-mpg. Even though the A7 and Panamera have somewhat similar mileage, the bigger fuel tank on the Panamera provides a maximum range of 664-mile as compared to the 574-miles on the Audi A7 with a 19.8-gallon of the fuel tank.  

The 2018 Audi A7 is a luxury sport sedan that has a well-designed interior that is pleasing to the eyes. The interior is cladded with premium materials that provide a high-quality feeling inside the cabin.

The cabin is spacious and can easily accommodate up to four people. The car is quite spacious with its 105.8 cubic feet of passenger volume. The interiors are loaded with all the latest technology which is very much expected from a car in this segment. 

The comfort features for the passengers include leather seats, eight-way adjustable power front seats with four-way power-adjustable driver lumbar support, heated front seats, driver seat memory, and split-folding rear seats. It also has four-zone automatic climate control for the comfort of every passenger. The natural wood inlays, sunroof, and ambient interior LED lights also give the Audi a comfortable and luxurious touch. However, the headroom on the BMW and Porsche is slightly better than the A7 and Mercedes. The BMW is the winner here as it has more space inside due to its overall bigger footprint. The Audi is still not very far behind.

How intuitive is the infotainment system in the 2018 Audi A7?

The 2018 Audi A7 is equipped with the most intuitive infotainment that we see on any other vehicle in this segment. The 8.0-inch touchscreen is integrated into the luxurious dashboard that raises electronically with the touch of a button. The infotainment system includes all the standard features like Bluetooth connectivity, Voice recognition, MMI navigation, SiriusXM all access service, USB ports, radio system, and many more.

But along with that the Audi A7 carriers its quirks and features to enhance the overall experience inside the cabin. The infotainment system integrated Google Earth and Traffic along with Google Street View that displays life-like streets in detail. Along with that, the infotainment system comes with a Bose surround system with 14 speakers, that provides high-quality crisp sound for the best in-cabin entertainment experience. 

How much cargo can the 2018 Audi A7 hold?

The 2018 Audi A7 is not the longest vehicle among the rivals, nut manages to provide a massive cargo capacity of 24.5 cubic feet which is quite impressive. The cargo space in Audi A7 is better than the Mercedes and Porsche but BMW is the best if you need a huge trunk for your journeys with 31 cubic feet capacity.

The Porsche can also be useful because its trunk can be expanded by folding the rear seats, increasing the storage space to an enormous 47.3 cubic feet. BMW is the best if you want a large trunk and accommodate up to 5 people at the same time.

The Audi A7 is a large vehicle but is equally beautiful with its long hood, sweeping roofline, and well carved and elegant Audi looks. The dimensions of the Audi are not radically different from the competition but the BMW is about 5 inches higher which will give it a better headroom.

However, the ground clearance is the least at just 4.4 inches which can definitely make you look out for any potholes.

The Audi is designed as a masterpiece and will definitely make you fall in love with its looks. The car comes with LED headlamps and tail lamps, a beautiful roofline making it look almost like a coupe with a simple yet elegant design. The BMW 640i is the heaviest among the competitors measuring 4409-pounds due to its bigger size as compared to the other vehicles. The Audi A7 crosses the 4,000-pounds make and is slightly heavier than the  Mercedes. The Porsche Panamera is comparatively lighter than all the other vehicles at almost 4,000-pounds. 

The Audi A7 comes loaded with safety features that are essential for a car of this capability. The A7 has not been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS yet, but the vehicle supports a high strength chassis with crumple zones to absorb the impact forces in case of an accident. Being a luxury car brand, Audi has always paid special attention to the safety of its passengers and hence has integrated all the latest safety features in the 2018 Audi A7. The safety feature list is long including airbags for knees and head, tire pressure monitoring system, electromechanical parking brake, and so on. The list of all the safety features include the following-

• Driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags, front thorax side airbags, knee airbags and Sideguard head curtain airbags
• Front passenger occupant detection for airbags
• Power central locking system with safety unlock feature if airbags deploy
• Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and brake assist
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with secondary collision brake assist and traction control (ASR)
• Anti-theft alarm system with immobilizer
• Tire-pressure monitoring system
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) in rear seats
• Electromechanical parking brake
• Safety belt reminder for driver and front passenger

2017 AUDI A7 VS MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 550

The CLS 550 is among the leading cars in this segment which can also be attributed to its German pedigree. The Mercedes is the best car in the lot in terms of Performance but is a bit expensive than others.

It also underperforms wonders when it comes to other aspects like spaciousness, fuel economy, and cargo volume. The Mercedes is a beautiful car to look at, thanks to its elegant curvy lines and swooping roofline just like the Audi A7. It is very difficult to decide which one looks better and that choice can be left to the individual.

2017 AUDI A7 VS BMW 640i xDrive GRAN TOURISMO

BMW is undoubtedly one of the best GT cars in the market and is also the most identical to the Audi A7. The performance, fuel economy, and dimensions are almost similar to the Audi except for a few anomalies.

It also proves better in terms of cabin space because of its high stance and expansive exteriors. The cargo space in the BMW is also far better than the whole competition which makes it the ideal Grand Tourer. Moreover, at a price almost similar to the Audi, the BMW has an upper hand.

2017 AUDI A7 VS PORSCHE PANAMERA

The Porsche is another great car in the segment but it feels quite overpriced as compared to the competition. It is not the fastest nor the most spacious car in the lot. The only positive is the fuel economy and the expandable trunk space. Otherwise, the car is either at par or a little under the competitors.

One can go for the Porsche because of the brand value attached to it but at about $15,000 more than the Audi and $10,000 than the Mercedes, the Porsche is just the same car with a heavier price tag. But in the end, it all depends on individual preferences which can make you go for it.

The Audi A7 supports a striking design at both the interior and exterior. The car is well-equipped with all the technology which makes it on par with the competition. Every aspect of the Audi from design to performance is well thought of. Except for being a little down on performance when compared to its tough competitors like the Mercedes CLS 550, it is very difficult to find any flaws in the Audi A7. The A7 is perfect from luxury to performance and from design to capability. What makes the Audi a potential threat to the other cars in the segment is the price tag. The Audi A7 costs less than the Mercedes and the BMW and way less than the Porsche but has similar capabilities. So, except if you are a true fan of the Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes, the best choice would be the Audi A7.