Simply Abu Dhabi XXXI

driving the A7 along the coastal cliff tops of Cape Town in South Africa showed up its taught chassis that’s now assisted with four- wheel steering. At slow speed, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front to reduce its turning circle so that it now has a smaller turning radius than the A4, while at speed they move in unison for smoother lane changing. The large 21-inch rims fitted to our test car ensured there was plenty of rubber on the ground and you could feel the rear-wheel steering at work on the tight 180-degree bends which wrap their way around some of the mountains in the area. Our car, badged as a TFSI 55, was fitted with the twin-turbocharged, three-litre v6 petrol engine that pumps out 340 bhp and 500 Nm of torque. While the A7 range has a wider spread of engines, this will be the only unit offered in the United States as well as across the Middle East. Weighing in at 1,830kg, it’s lighter than its four-door coupé competitors and running through a seven-speed S-tronic automatic transmission, is good enough to get it from zero to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and on to a governed top speed of 250km/h. For those after something more sporty, hang around a bit longer and as sure as night follows day, Audi will release the S7- and RS7-badged alternatives later, which will more than likely follow in the footsteps of the RS5 by ditching the v8 for the new generation of twin-turbo v6s that offer more power while burning less fuel. The A7 was linear smooth with its power, being assisted by the 48-volt electric mild hybrid system backed by a lithium-ion battery. The electric motor is there to help the petrol engine, shutting down to save fuel when coasting between 55km/h and 160km/h and it re-starts the petrol engine as soon as you put your foot on the gas. Likewise, when crawling over speed humps or pulling out of intersections you can hear a faint electric whine from underneath as it dials in mountains of torque to get the car rolling in a smooth and seamless fashion. The interior has also had a major overhaul with two large screens comprising a 10.1- inch unit up top and an 8.3-inch screen directly below which has dramatically cut the number of hard-wired dials and buttons to give a de-cluttered, clean environment when everything’s switched off.