SAIC Audi unveiled the Audi A7L at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, which caused a lot of debate and different views at the time. Today, the A7L is on sale, and we have also conducted a test drive for the first time.
I don't know when it began, when describing a model with "China special" or "China exclusive", there are always some ridiculous negative meanings. This may be the result of the long-term negative impact of some products that have not been successful in the Chinese market. However, we should look at the problem from a development perspective. In fact, all models sold in China have localized processes, and more and more models sold only in China are more in line with the needs of Chinese cars, and the Audi A7L is one of them.
When the A7L first entered people's sight, many people did not accept its "L" shape, which is understandable, because the A7 Sportback sporty and elegant slipback style has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Coupled with the fact that the A7L is only developed and produced in China, the hat of "China Special Supply" is buckled. However, the problem can not only look at the surface, in fact, many other countries of the Audi branch are asking whether this car can be exported overseas, it can be seen that the A7L model has an international market. After the actual test drive, we believe that the A7L should not be simply understood as a simple extension, "L" should represent "Limousine", a new offshoot of the A7 series, just like the A5 has coupé and Sportback, the same car series, but with different functions.
The A7L is SAIC Audi's first luxury flagship model, positioned in the C+ performance executive car, and is also audi's highest domestic luxury flagship model. The body size of the A7L is exactly between the A6L and the A8L, after our test drive, it feels that the practicality and comfort of this car has been quite improved compared to the A7, the sedan shape improves the rear space, with a long wheelbase of 3026mm, with just the right length and harmonious proportions, to ensure a spacious interior space, especially the legs and head, it is quite comfortable to ride.
Although the A7L is defined as an executive-class sedan, it retains the young and sporty design language of the A7 model, such as the frameless doors on the coupe model, which is the most obvious difference from other executive models. We believe that the combination of sports + administration attributes, especially in areas with limited car purchase indicators, is very suitable for China's contemporary young and middle-aged elite consumer groups, and self-driving has fun, home space, and business has face, all of which can be taken into account.
The A7L is available in two power unit configurations, the 55TFSI with a 3.0T V6 turbocharged engine and the 45TFSI with a 2.0T in-line 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. The EA839 engine for the 55TFSI model was jointly developed for Audi and Porsche. With a maximum output of 250 kW (340 Ps) and a maximum torque of 500 N·m, it accelerates 5.6 seconds from 100 km/h in combination with a 7-speed S-tronic wet dual-clutch transmission. At the same time, the A7L 55 TFSI series is equipped with the same 48V mild mix system as the imported A8, which can provide up to 12kW of energy recovery when braking, which is used to accelerate and improve fuel economy, as well as reduce the turbo lag in the starting stage, activate the engine start and stop when the speed is 22 km / h, and turn off the engine idle and coast earlier. The combination of this powertrain has been very mature, in the process of urban road test drive, the power output and the smoothness of the gear shift of the 55TFSI model are very good, the power reserve is also very sufficient, and the overall driving feeling is very relaxed and calm.
The 45TFSI model is equipped with a high-power version of the EA888 engine, with a maximum output of 180 kW (245 Ps) and a maximum torque of 370 N·m, which is also matched by a 7-speed S-tronic wet dual-clutch transmission. Although there is a gap in power with the 55TFSI, in the test drive of the venue Kinkana, the A7L 45TFSI showed quite good handling, the front of the car is light, the steering is accurate, in the continuous snake-shaped pile and S corner, the body response is very fast, and there is no excessive understeering, completely breaking our inherent impression of the executive class sedan, this sense of sport is even a bit like the A5 Sportback.
The A7L 55TFSI model has a rich chassis configuration, and the entire series is equipped with active air suspension, DAWS dynamic all-wheel steering system and intelligent quattro four-wheel drive as standard. A7L's active air suspension can adjust the body height and suspension soft and hard, down can reduce the body by 10mm, up to the top can raise the body by 20mm, each air spring can be individually adaptive adjustment of the internal air pressure, according to the speed, driving mode and road conditions automatically adjust the height and damping of the soft and hard, in order to achieve the most stable balance posture. Switching between comfortable and dynamic driving modes, the changes in the characteristics of the suspension system are quite noticeable.
In addition, we consider the DAWS dynamic all-wheel steering system to be a very useful feature. In the low-speed environment of 5-60km/h, the rear wheel and the front wheel steering are opposite, and the maximum steering angle of the rear wheel is 5° left and right, which greatly reduces the difficulty of operation such as right angle bending and U-turn; in the high-speed environment of more than 60km/h, the rear wheel is the same as the front wheel steering, which greatly increases the stability and comfort of the lane change experience. Equipped with an all-wheel steering system, the new Audi A7L 55TFSI has a minimum turning diameter of only 11.8 meters, which is close to the handling state of an A-class car, and the parking and storage is also flexible, which greatly improves the driving convenience of the vehicle. Another point to be made is that the DAWS dynamic all-wheel steering system is optional for the more expensive imported A7 55TFSI models.
As an executive-class sedan, the A7L also has a number of configurations that are on par with the A8L. For example, the rear entertainment system can be optional, which includes two 10.1-inch Full HD displays located behind the front seat headrests, which have wifi and Bluetooth functions to achieve mirroring and wireless mirroring of Android and Apple systems; and a touch display on the center armrest of the rear, which controls seat heating, massage and ventilation functions, as well as mood lights and air conditioning systems.
If you have test-driven different Audi models, you will obviously feel that the chassis tuning of the A7L has obvious sporty characteristics, and it is also the comfort mode of the air suspension model, which is significantly different from the A8L, the A7L suspension is more resilient, and the feedback on the road surface is clearer. From the perspective of product positioning, Audi has a very clear division of product attributes at different levels, and A7L's integration attributes of "performance" + "administration" for young and middle-aged consumer groups are quite good. The A7L 45TFSI has a total of 5 models, priced from 459,700 to 519,700 yuan. The A7L 55TFSI has a total of 6 models, with a price range of 599,700-777,700 yuan.