A few months ago, SAIC Audi's first mass production car, the A7L, unveiled its mystery, which was previously only listed on the 55TFSI model, and at that time we thought it only launched a 3.0T displacement in order to form a user split layer with the imported A7. However, now this idea seems to be inaccurate, because the 45TFSI model equipped with a 2.0T engine is also officially listed, and the price of less than 500,000 yuan is quite a bit of A7 and A6L, so let's take a look at how the new car performs.
The model photographed this time is the A7L 45 TFSI quattro S-line long-range flow crystal set with a guide price of 499,700 yuan. In addition, there is also an A7L 45TFSI quattro S-line obsi with a guidance price of 507,700 yuan. The functional configuration of the two models is the same, the main difference is that the body trim parts of the flow crystal suit are made of chrome materials, such as the front grille, the front bumper side air vent, the rear bumper trim strip, the window trim, the front and rear logos and the rear nameplate, while the obsidian suit adds the above parts plus the exterior mirror shell, roof and interior roof.
Static part, the A7L 45TFSI model is the same as the 55TFSI model, and the S Line exterior kit is standard throughout the series. The A7L's exclusive dot matrix design front grille is more novel and refined than Audi's usual horizontal multi-banner or honeycomb design. Although there are also decorative covers for lidar and millimeter-wave radar in the grille, the functions of intelligent driving assistance need to be installed as an option.
A7L 45TFSI models are equipped with high-definition matrix LED headlights with dynamic turn signals as standard, and the light cavity is composed of 32 LEDs in the lighting module, which can achieve full illumination under different road conditions by opening or closing part of the LED module, while also avoiding light interference to other vehicles.
Coming to the side, the A7L sedan shape is not much to judge, and everyone's view is different whether it is good or not. The body size of the new car is consistent with the 5TFSI, and the length of the imported A7 is increased by 100mm, and the wheelbase is increased by 98mm. Unlike the 55TFSI model, the adaptive air suspension is not available on the 45TFSI model, but this configuration can be achieved by users who need it through optional installation.
The 45TFSI models come standard with 19-inch rims and are modeled in the Goodyear Eagle F1 series with dimensions of 245/45 R19. Similarly, the A7L also offers 20 or 21 inch rims that can be optionally mounted. In addition, the front brake caliper has also been changed from a 6-piston caliper of the 55TFSI model to a 4-piston caliper, and as for the actual braking performance, we will pass professional tests in the later stage.
Due to the sedan design, the A7L rear will naturally not have the hatch tailgate and electric tail of the imported A7, but only the through-line OLED taillights will be retained. The trunk lid opening method 45TFSI models are manually adopted throughout the series. The "45TFSI" and "quattro" on the rear nameplate prove that the car is equipped with a high-power 2.0T engine and a quattro four-wheel drive system.
In the interior part, the 45TFSI model is not much different from the 55TFSI at a glance, and the material and texture maintain the same high standard as the high-end model. The whole series comes standard with an enhanced virtual cockpit consisting of three large screens, namely a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch central touch screen and an 8.6-inch air-conditioning panel.
The LCD instrument has a clear display and can switch multiple display modes. The central control touch screen built-in the third generation of MIB system, the biggest feature of this generation of system is that the main interface adopts a card-style UI interface and increases the expansion of third-party applications. The air conditioner is equipped with four-zone automatic air conditioning as standard, the front LCD panel can operate the temperature and air volume control of each partition separately, and the rear row also has a somewhat independent control panel.
In terms of spatial performance, the experiencer with a height of 183cm sits in the front row with three fingers in the head space. Coming to the back row, the experiencer's leg space is one punch and three fingers, and the head space is two fingers. It can be said that after the extension of the A7L, in addition to the obvious improvement in the leg space in the rear row, the other has not been much improved.
Overall, the A7L's storage space is not abundant. There is no other place for mobile phones to be placed except for the cup holder, and the depth of the central handrail box is too shallow to place drawer tissues.
The A7L 45TFSI model is equipped with a high-power version of the 2.0T engine with a maximum horsepower of 165 kW and a peak torque of 370 N·m, and is also equipped with a 12V light mixing system. Matching the engine are a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and a quattro all-wheel drive system.
In terms of suspension, the A7L 45TFSI model uses multi-link independent suspension at the front and rear, and in addition to not being equipped with adaptive air suspension, DAWS dynamic all-wheel steering technology does not appear on the 45TFSI model, but is replaced by a progressive steering system.
The throttle response of the initial stage of this high-power version of the 2.0T engine is very sensitive, and the sensitivity is even beyond the 3.0T model I test drove before, so in the initial acceleration stage, it will give the driver a very powerful feeling. The mid-to-rear acceleration is naturally not as good as the 3.0T model, but it is more than enough for the A7L, which weighs about 1.9 tons.
12V light mix system, its biggest feeling is that the engine start/stop process is shorter, the stop time is earlier and longer. The jitter suppressed when the system works well, and its presence is low during everyday driving.
The A7L offers five driving modes: energy efficient, comfortable, automatic, dynamic and personalized. In the actual driving experience, in addition to the gearbox response between the different modes, the other differences are not obvious, even if you adjust to the dynamic mode, its power output will not give you the feeling of excessive explosion.
In daily driving, the gearbox will try to control the engine speed within 2000prm, thereby improving fuel consumption performance. But when starting slowly, the gearbox actively upshifts will bring some subtle movement to the interior. However, once the large throttle accelerates, the advantage of dual clutch is manifested, and the gearbox can clearly understand the driver's intentions, even down several gears, and better cooperate with the engine output. After completing the acceleration, the gearbox will rise back to a higher cruising gear, continuing to think about how to better control fuel consumption.
Audi's 7-speed S tronic dual clutch has a very satisfactory place, in manual mode, even in the 3rd or 2nd gear situation of manual downshifting, as long as the connecting gear speed does not exceed 5000 rpm, the gearbox will quickly and simply lower the gear. Unlike many other models, the gearbox either ignores the operation, or the speedometer shows that it has been downshifted, but the gearbox is still hesitating, resulting in "false downshift".
The brake foot feel is Audi's consistent adjustment level, and it does not feel different from the caliper equipped with the 55TFSI model. The braking force distribution is very even, the pedals are almost virtually empty, and the heavy pedaling feel can bring strong driving confidence.
In terms of steering, the progressive steering system of the 45TFSI model establishes a more direct and realistic steering feel than the four-wheel steering of the 55TFSI. Perhaps because it has only a little more than 2 turns on the steering wheel, the dynamic response is also more flexible.
The overall performance of the bottom surplus still has a good sense of sport, retains a certain amount of road feedback and provides good support, so that the communication between the vehicle and the driver is stronger, which is different from the air suspension of the 55TFSI model. The design of the air suspension is more comfortable tuning, so it is slightly lacking in terms of road sense and support. For users who like the driving experience, it is better to have ordinary steel coil springs.
Editor's comments: Compared with the price of 55TFSI models of 59.97-777,700 yuan, the price of 45TFSI models of 45.97-51.97 million yuan is closer to consumers, presumably in the future, 45TFSI models will definitely become the main sales of A7L. Although its configuration is not as desperate as 55TFSI, but the mainstream practical configuration is not less, and even after removing some configurations, the user experience is better, combined with its price of less than 500,000 yuan, as long as it can accept its tail shape, perhaps A7L is a choice worth considering.