A7 engine choices...

[BahnStormer77]

I've crossed the 2.8FSI of the list entirely (availability and performance reasons) and I'm DEFINITELY only after a quattro, 5 seater, with MMItouch, most likely S-Line, but after that, I'm slightly lost...

Fun option: I'm really hoping for a 3.0TFSI to become available in my budget (£35k-ish), I don't do a lot of mileage, so an engine that will remap to over 400bhp seems like a great idea once the car is a bit older and if I get bored of it...

Fun/sensible/unobtainable: the BiTDI seems like an absolute beast, but the only 2nd hand ones I've seen are the very nearly new (pre-reg'd) ones are around £45k-£55k, so most likely going to end up with a 245bhp 3.0 TDI.... but then I'm not sure how long I'll wait on this before they come down to my preferred £35k-ish budget.

Likely: The 245bhp 3.0 TDI seems like a good alternative and there's plenty of them about, but I while I'm looking through all the specs, I was wondering what people have thought about the 204PS 3.0 TDI as that opens my options up a bit more in terms of availability and specs.

The closest I've driven thus far is a 3.0T A6 Avant, but I'm due to test drive a 204PS A7 quattro in a week or two, as soon as the ice and snow clears, but not sure what to expect - should I even bother?

This A7 is mostly a sensible family cruiser for schlepping back and forth between Brighton and Coventry every few weeks to replace the A4 as the back seat isn't big enough for an adult and 2 child seats in the A4, but I would like something that still puts a smile on my face when I'm out on my own. When I do drive, I often do 100-200 miles in a day, but <9k a year, so I'm not really worried about fuel economy.

 

[BahnStormer77]

I know the A7 forum is a quiet place, but I was expecting SOME people around who could share their experiences....

I think I've more or less settled on waiting for the 3.0T for now, but I will be test-driving the 204PS TDI (quattro) and 245PS TDI, just to put my mind at rest...

 

[BahnStormer77]

I have noticed that the 3.0T(supercharged) and the 204PS 3.0TDI are DSG, but the 3.0TDI 245PS and BiTDI are "tiptronioc" (regular slush-box)... what are people's experiences of these? A7 or otherwise?

 

[BahnStormer77]

After I drove a bundle of A6's and A7's... all the engines except for 245PS DSG in the A6.... the A7 did feel a bit nicer through the corners, but then I fell for the 3.0TFSI engine and wasn't willing to wait for that to come along in an A7 S-Line at my budget, so I went for the A6... 4 weeks later and loving it

 

[Tuddie]

Get some pics up if you already havent mate.

 

[BahnStormer77]

Yep, I'd posted some already. I need some night shots because those LED headlights look mean!

After 4 great years in my A4 V6 TDI quattro Sport, I'm heading off to pastures bigger and newer: 2 young sprogs means I need three proper seats across the back and with and a growing collection of things that need to be hauled around I was pushed in the direction of the A6 Avant and A7.... and I found a pretty peachy A6 Avant last week with lots of nice toys - I pick it up on Friday



I'll be putting my car up in the classifieds soon (PM me if interested in parts / all), but I'll be back on here fairly regularly as the A6 C7 forum is VERY quiet and the B6's have such a great following

laters!
Chris

 

[PilotAudi]

I went for an A7 245 quattro Black Edition.... loving it lots.

 

[martinhutton]

I went for an A7 245 quattro Black Edition.... loving it lots.

I'm thinking about the A7 but I have heard the suspension is a bit wollowy. What do you think?

 

[PilotAudi]

I'm thinking about the A7 but I have heard the suspension is a bit wollowy. What do you think?

Great car for long fast journies. Felt really planted on the Motorway and no wallow! We had BE version with 21in wheels which were sometimes a little noisy.

Loved it but way too big in town.

Sad to sell really but change of work circumstances made it a sensible decision. Looking forward to an S3 SB in 19 days time !

 

[BahnStormer77]

A6 is the same as the A7 in terms of most of the key physical attributes, mostly just styling differences - it is definitely a bit big in town, especially getting out of the car in cramped car parks with small kids.... but then I needed the space because of the kids and mine is spec'd with self-park, so it has 360deg sensors for any tight manoeuvring.

I test drove A6's (C6 and C7) and A7's in all the engine variants... although the C7 and A7 felt tighter, there was no discernible wallow in any of them, but then I was only looking at S-Lines. Test cars were on a mix of mostly 18's and 19's, but I think the BiTDI was on 20's.

I looked at the A4 Avant / A5 Sportback, but they were just way too small for a double buggy / bikes, etc.... so I didn't even test drive them, although the S5 Sportback was REALLY tempting! I was definitely after the larger models, leaving only two key choices for me body shape and engine:

For the body shape, the A7 was the emotional choice: sleek shape, frameless doors, etc... but the Avant was the sensible option*: cheaper, more boot height and much lower insurance...

For the engines, the 3.0T was preferred (I do VERY low mileage), but the 245PS TDI was going to be the likely sensible compromise just to keep insurance costs down more than anything else, when my insurance came in with even the 204PS A7 being 3x the insurance cost of the 3.0TFSI A6 Avant, it swung the balance for me... the insurance is so much cheaper on the A6 that I can quite literally fuel my car for the entire year on the £800 savings of choosing a 3.0TFSI A6 Avant over any of the A7 quattros.... the A7's were still VERY new when I was getting those quotes, so I'm hoping that in a few years time (once I'm no longer humping large buggies around all the time) I can trade for the A7 and there will be a bit more of an insurance history for that model. If I'm doing any sort of mileage then it'll be a BiTDI, but failing that it'll be a 3.0 TFSI or S7, if I can afford it

*edit: if you REALLY want to try to sell the A7 to yourself / the other half as the sensible choice over the A6 Avant, it does come with a lot more as standard and because of the angled tailgate, the loading area is larger (albeit higher) - so better for mountain bikes, etc...

 

[woollyjoe]

I think you made right decision. The A7 is actually enough bigger than the A6 to make it a real pain. Biggest problem I have with A6 is curbing the alloys. The A7 was just too big, and the led headlights were the clincher for me. I saw an A7 following me on motorway and thought it was an old A5. Nice colour