Audi A7 Sportback or BMW 6 Series GranCoupé?

[advantage20]

Hi everyone,
Just curious to see how this poll will turn out here :)

[khj677turbo]

never seen the bmw before, but one of the members at my golf club has the a-7 s-line and it is one damn good looking car. Those pictures dont do it just if you ask me.

[EinSchnellAudi]

I couldn't bring myself to stare at that disgusting BMW interior everyday. BMW needs to figure out their interiors, they are absolutely horrid IMO. 7 all day long, that interior is artwork.

[audinewguy]

ive said it b4 and ill say it again. the a7 is one of the sexiest cars ive ever seen.

[AofC_RR]

Well considering the 6 series grancoupe is going to 7 series money I have to say A7. And that thing really does look like a 7 series and a 6 series had a baby.

[advantage20]

I couldn't bring myself to stare at that disgusting BMW interior everyday. BMW needs to figure out their interiors, they are absolutely horrid IMO. 7 all day long, that interior is artwork.

I agree that this Individual orange/maroon isn't the sexiest color, the interior would look splendid in a white/dark brown interior combination. I also agree that usually Audi has the edge over BMW in interior design and quality. But first off, this all-leather interior is outstandingly designed and no doubt flawlessly finished, and secondly, to say that generally speaking BMW interiors are 'absolutely horrid' while they are definitely in the top 3 quality wise, usually well designed ergonomically and overall probably better than 95% of the world production...well your statement is not very credible.

[mannyjfk]

Horrible interior in the BMW. Is just difficult to look at it. Color scheme just dont match and makes it look really busy, so is the rear of the same car.

[RArroyo]

A7 for sure! Really hoping they bring the A5 sportsback to the states, more in my price range.

[EinSchnellAudi]

I agree that this Individual orange/maroon isn't the sexiest color, the interior would look splendid in a white/dark brown interior combination. I also agree that usually Audi has the edge over BMW in interior design and quality. But first off, this all-leather interior is outstandingly designed and no doubt flawlessly finished, and secondly, to say that generally speaking BMW interiors are 'absolutely horrid' while they are definitely in the top 3 quality wise, usually well designed ergonomically and overall probably better than 95% of the world production...well your statement is not very credible.

1) Credibility? You asked for opinion, credibility does not apply to opinions. If I said the A7 hits 60mph in 2.0s then yes, that would not be credible. Opinion is exactly that, my personal tastes. Your tastes will obviously be different then mine, you asked what people thought and I answered. This goes beyond my affinity for Audi design, If you asked would I rather have an R8 or Porsche 911 GT2, I would say Porsche any day of the week.

2) I did not attack BMW's quality of their workmanship, and I am a fan of leather interiors personally. It is the overall aesthetic of the interior that I do not like. I understand BMW's cockpit feel to their cars, geared toward having everything within reach of the driver. While they do pull this off very well, and is very ergonomic for the driver, if your going to spend this much on the car, wouldn't you want your passengers to be able to enjoy the car too? Instead of just saying that their cup holder is over there, now sit down, shut up and enjoy.

3) You say that BMW's interiors are withing the top 3, and are better than 95% of other cars on the road. Where do these numbers come from? Are they your opinion? If they are your personal opinion, then do not say that my credibility is shattered if my opinion differs than yours. Who can definitively say that this interior is better than that? Since they have leather on the dash, then clearly must mean that it is obviously better than Audi or Mercedes.

Just to clarify, this is all my opinion. Seeing as you have a BMW as an avatar and joined today, I do not believe that anyone on AZ will be able to sway your opinion.

BTW, nice job on finding very similar pictures for all angles on both cars. That was a very organized way of juxtaposing the two cars. And yes, the black and white does look better color wise, but the orientation of the car just doesn't work for me. Oh and nice 330d

[hungdaddy]

if you posted this on a bmw forum you might get more people voting for the bmw, but what do you expect from an audi forum? ....by the way...A7 FTW!!!!!just go out and drive one. There's a reason why it's #1 on Car and Driver and other publications.

[ADV.1 Tony]

A7 no doubt. I'm really not a big fan of the new 6 series. The A7 looks gorgeous and even better in person. When I see the new 6 series in person I can't find myself to like it. I barely even want to look. But when I see an A7 it's nearly impossible to stop staring.

[GSS5]

Trying to be completely objective, at least from the pictures, I think that the 6 Series is simply better than the A7 in nearly every aspect. The interior design is amazing and makes the A7 interior look bare in comparison. I love how all the lines come together without making any awkward shapes or contours, and the fact that almost every surface is covered in leather, aluminum or suede with minimal use of hard black plastics is a big plus. The huge navigation screen incorporated into the dashboard is also much more pleasing to look at than the pop-up screen on the A7, which I am not a huge fan of. It's pretty easy to tell that the cockpit of the BMW was designed primarily with the driver in mind, more so than the Audi.

From the outside, the A7 doesn't look nearly as sleek as the 6 Series, and the hatchback does nothing for it in terms of aesthetics. The A7 is not a bad looking car otherwise, but the 6 is, for the lack of a better adjective, much sexier. If both cars were priced within $5K of each other, without a doubt I would choose the BMW.

[advantage20]

1) Credibility? You asked for opinion, credibility does not apply to opinions. If I said the A7 hits 60mph in 2.0s then yes, that would not be credible. Opinion is exactly that, my personal tastes. Your tastes will obviously be different then mine, you asked what people thought and I answered. This goes beyond my affinity for Audi design, If you asked would I rather have an R8 or Porsche 911 GT2, I would say Porsche any day of the week.

2) I did not attack BMW's quality of their workmanship, and I am a fan of leather interiors personally. It is the overall aesthetic of the interior that I do not like. I understand BMW's cockpit feel to their cars, geared toward having everything within reach of the driver. While they do pull this off very well, and is very ergonomic for the driver, if your going to spend this much on the car, wouldn't you want your passengers to be able to enjoy the car too? Instead of just saying that their cup holder is over there, now sit down, shut up and enjoy.

3) You say that BMW's interiors are withing the top 3, and are better than 95% of other cars on the road. Where do these numbers come from? Are they your opinion? If they are your personal opinion, then do not say that my credibility is shattered if my opinion differs than yours. Who can definitively say that this interior is better than that? Since they have leather on the dash, then clearly must mean that it is obviously better than Audi or Mercedes.

Just to clarify, this is all my opinion. Seeing as you have a BMW as an avatar and joined today, I do not believe that anyone on AZ will be able to sway your opinion.

BTW, nice job on finding very similar pictures for all angles on both cars. That was a very organized way of juxtaposing the two cars. And yes, the black and white does look better color wise, but the orientation of the car just doesn't work for me. Oh and nice 330d

I think that a forum isn't very interesting if people are just giving blank opinions ("I hate this", "I like this and I don't care if you don't"...), it doesn't really give any feedback to the readers community. It's far more interesting when people give their subjective opinion then back it up with reasons to why they have such or such preference, regardless of whether their opinion is mainstream or dissident.

Of course nobody is obliged to have my approach of forum interaction and find an interest in trying to back up opinions and convince others. But as far as your message was concerned, I found quite a big discrepancy between your very strong statement ("BMW's interiors are horrid") and a total lack of back up. And if your statement "credibility does not apply to opinions" is true all in all, it does not hold as strongly on a board where, by definition, people are discussing and confronting different viewpoints. A purely emotional reaction is free to exist but it is weaker than an argument. So when I mentioned credibility, I implied that, on a forum, it is natural to try and throw in at least some arguments to your opinions. Well obviously I'm probably awaiting too much from others and I understand that we just don't see forum discussions the same way.

Since you didn't specify in which sense you found BMW's interiors "horrid", I interpreted it as a global statement (i.e. design-wise and quality-wise). Now that you have specified that you didn't refer to BMW's craftsmanship but only to their interior design, which is partly subjective (although driving position, ergonomics and design clarity can be objectively judged), I maybe understand your point, and indeed, a driver-oriented dashboard isn't necessarily "better" than an evenly oriented dashboard, but to be fair, a few angles of orientation does privilege the driver but does not in anyway impede the passenger to reach any control, and the GPS screen always remains centered. But I still don't see why all BMW interiors would be horrible.

To answer your question, when I said that BMW's interiors are better than 95% of the world production, of course there is some personal opinion in there but I think that it can be quantifiable. We all know that the 3 German premium brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes) are considered worldwide as benchmarks of automotive achievement (engineering-wise, quality-wise...). You also know that in recent years BMW and Audi are going head to head as 'best enemies', each trying to copy the other and reach the other's expertise in their own field: Audi has almost made up its deficit in engine quality (performance, efficiency...) and BMW has almost made up its deficit to Audi in interior design and quality. The best examples are the recent 5 and 6 Series which are almost unanimously praised for their interior quality (design and finish). I think that it isn't hard to say that Audi, BMW and Merc (and Lexus probably, but although their interiors might be well built, they are incredibly cold) are well above the other brands when you are talking generally about the "best" interiors, so I think that my imaginary number of 95% is not too unrealistic (and I didn't say 100% either). I also said that I gave kudos to Audi for their generally better interiors than BMW's, but on this specific model (6 Series) in Individual all-leather finish, I consider that BMW is clearly a least at Audi's level (personal opinion design-wise, but build quality and material quality are objectively quantifiable, and so are the ergonomical qualities of the interior).

I actually like both the A7's and the 6 Series' interiors. I was surprised when I discovered the interior of the A7 Sportback Concept and even more surprised when I saw it implemented in the stock A6 and A7, because Audi has so much used us to rectangular shapes and now they threw in some nice curves. I like the overall precision, everything seems to be clear-cut, with no "soft" edges and no flimsy looking gaps between pieces. This interior clearly emanates care and build quality (at least visually). I like less the outdated T-shaped gear shifter and the more visible buttons all around. The 6 Series has a more conventional dash with rectangular vents but the whole dash flows in curves towards the center console around the driver (these flowing lines are emphasized by the visible stitches on the leather). The center console keeps running back until it touches the rear seats, like on more upmarket pullmans. Overall you get an impression of lightness, a clear and serene interior with few buttons (maybe they are not that few but they are discreet). Forget the orange color and you get a cleanly designed, well-built and functional interior.

if you posted this on a bmw forum you might get more people voting for the bmw, but wha
t do you expect from an audi forum? ....by the way...A7 FTW!!!!!just go out and drive one. There's a reason why it's #1 on Car and Driver and other publications.

I didn't expect the BMW to win the poll on an Audi forum. I just noticed that often on single brand-oriented forums a lot of posts are just giving superficial reactions ("Great!", "BMW FTW!!!", "This is shit"...) which, alone, have a limited interest (other than that of emulating the fanboys' collective ego). But again, every post is free as long as it doesn't break the board's rules. By the way my picture comparison didn't intend to prove anything but rather to try and create some debate in the end, not a series of one-way emotional reactions, the picture poll was just a way to start off. Although I'm a BMW amateur, I'm not a taliban as we say in France, Audi is actually one of my favorite brands and I would love to own some of their models. Oh and if Audi had offered official pictures of the A7 in Exclusive Line, I would gladly have confronted them to this BMW Individual interior, but unfortunately Audi hasn't, and BMW has only released this Individual interior. But I guess the orange color will balance somewhat the comparison

[insane.nick]

nice your pics are awsome ..................Nice to see these pics . :)

[Nollywood]

I didn't think the BMW would get a fair go on an Audi forum, and I was right.

My personal opinion? Both cars are well crafted. But, in terms of interior design, I would go for the BMW. Forget the color combination, you could specify whatever you wanted, within reason. I don't like the centre console of the Audi. It's separate from the main fascia, which means it doesn't flow as well as the same on the Beemer. A centre console separate from the main fascia will become a source of annoying creaks later on, where you'll see frustrated owners stuffing bits of foam or leather in an attempt to combat the squeaking, as the car flexes.

The Beemer has the centre console integrated with the fascia, which is how it should be. It flows better than the two-piece item in the Audi, especially if you look at the profile of the consoles in both cars. A one-piece console and fascia will undoubtedly be much more rigid, give better bracing. A separate centre console needs to be really good, otherwise (as in the case of the Audi) it looks clumsy and too much of an add-on.

[EinSchnellAudi]

I think that a forum isn't very interesting if people are just giving blank opinions ("I hate this", "I like this and I don't care if you don't"...), it doesn't really give any feedback to the readers community. It's far more interesting when people give their subjective opinion then back it up with reasons to why they have such or such preference, regardless of whether their opinion is mainstream or dissident.

I can agree with this, I should have clarified more and give more reasons as to why.

Of course nobody is obliged to have my approach of forum interaction and find an interest in trying to back up opinions and convince others. But as far as your message was concerned, I found quite a big discrepancy between your very strong statement ("BMW's interiors are horrid") and a total lack of back up. And if your statement "credibility does not apply to opinions" is true all in all, it does not hold as strongly on a board where, by definition, people are discussing and confronting different viewpoints. A purely emotional reaction is free to exist but it is weaker than an argument. So when I mentioned credibility, I implied that, on a forum, it is natural to try and throw in at least some arguments to your opinions. Well obviously I'm probably awaiting too much from others and I understand that we just don't see forum discussions the same way.

Since you didn't specify in which sense you found BMW's interiors "horrid", I interpreted it as a global statement (i.e. design-wise and quality-wise). Now that you have specified that you didn't refer to BMW's craftsmanship but only to their interior design, which is partly subjective (although driving position, ergonomics and design clarity can be objectively judged), I maybe understand your point, and indeed, a driver-oriented dashboard isn't necessarily "better" than an evenly oriented dashboard, but to be fair, a few angles of orientation does privilege the driver but does not in anyway impede the passenger to reach any control, and the GPS screen always remains centered. But I still don't see why all BMW interiors would be horrible.

Glad to see that you understand what I said about the craftsmanship not being the issue here. While you are correct that the few degrees will not prevent any passenger from being able to reach any particular control, button, screen and what have you, It does create a sense of isolation from the driver when things aren't facing you, or in this case evenly dispersed. I also get a sense of being closed in when I have the center console facing me more, I would prefer to have the car feel spacious instead of a fighter jet cockpit. I understand that the passenger is not the person who needs to be able to have access to any particular function, I see the car in its entirety for being for the comfort of all passengers as well. When I go to check out a car, the first seat I get into the back seat, see what it has to offer those who will be riding with me. Is it comfortable to them? Then the passenger seat follows, are they able to reach what they need if/when they need it? Drivers seat will always be the seat I sit in the most, so of course I will have to enjoy it as well which is why that is the last seat I sit into. If the car is comfortable enough for my passengers and I enjoy the drivers seat, then it is a car that I could see myself driving/purchasing.


As for all BMW interiors. . . Have I sat in every possible BMW model out there? No. But I have been in enough over multiple body styles to get the same general feeling about them. I personally do not like the overall aesthetic of the interior. While it is high quality in its own right, it just doesn't "click" for me. On the other hand I will say that BMW can make one hell of a motor and earns my respect as a performance machine that most of the time beats Audi motors. It's the interior is what kills me, since I will see more of the interior than any other part of the car it has to be something that is visually appealing to myself.

To answer your question, when I said that BMW's interiors are better than 95% of the world production, of course there is some personal opinion in there but I think that it can be quantifiable. We all know that the 3 German premium brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes) are considered worldwide as benchmarks of automotive achievement (engineering-wise, quality-wise...). You also know that in recent years BMW and Audi are going head to head as 'best enemies', each trying to copy the other and reach the other's expertise in their own field: Audi has almost made up its deficit in engine quality (performance, efficiency...) and BMW has almost made up its deficit to Audi in interior design and quality. The best examples are the recent 5 and 6 Series which are almost unanimously praised for their interior quality (design and finish). I think that it isn't hard to say that Audi, BMW and Merc (and Lexus probably, but although their interiors might be well built, they are incredibly cold) are well above the other brands when you are talking generally about the "best" interiors, so I think that my imaginary number of 95% is not too unrealistic (and I didn't say 100% either). I also said that I gave kudos to Audi for their generally better interiors than BMW's, but on this specific model (6 Series) in Individual all-leather finish, I consider that BMW is clearly a least at Audi's level (personal opinion design-wise, but build quality and material quality are objectively quantifiable, and so are the ergonomical qualities of the interior).

I actually like both the A7's and the 6 Series' interiors. I was surprised when I discovered the interior of the A7 Sportback Concept and even more surprised when I saw it implemented in the series A6 and A7, because Audi has so much used us to rectangular shapes and now they threw in some nice curves. I like the overall precision, everything seems to be clear-cut, with no "soft" edges and no useless gaps. This interior clearly emanates care and build quality (at least visually). I like less the outdated T-shaped gear shifter and the more visible buttons all around. The 6 Series has a more conventional dash with rectangular vents but the whole dash flows in curves towards the center console around the driver (these flowing lines are emphasized by the visible stitches on the leather). The center console keeps running back until it touches the rear seats, like on more upmarket pullmans. Overall you get an impression of lightness, a clear and serene interior with few buttons (maybe they are not that few but they are discreet). Forget the orange color and you get a cleanly designed, well-built and functional interior.

Yes, BMW/Merc/Audi are all very high quality vehicles and I agree that they are benchmarks for the auto industry. BMW is on the same level as Audi as far as quality and finish yes, but the visual appearance just isn'y my style. I find them "horrid" while others find them the creme de la creme of interiors.


Things I do not like about the A7:
The gap that you can see between the bottom of the console and the shift gate area.
The pop up screen & speakers
The color matched speaker covers just in front of the window switch

Things I do not like the 6 series:
Trim interior ( lack of wood trim)
The reflectors on the rear bumper
Steering wheel ( I do not like the feel of 3 Spoke) even though it has the same functionality of the Audi MFSW

Things I like about the A7:
Wood trim
Rear end
Headlights
Shift gate set up

Things I like about the 6 Series:
Leather interior
Fog grill / light
Silver speaker covers



Side note: I am glad to see how this discussion is turning out. Most of the time people are just looking for the simple answers. It is refreshing to hold a conversation. The deep blue on your 330d is mesmerizing.

[advantage20]

As far as the pop-up nav screen on the A7 is concerned, I personally don't find it a problem in itself, I like the concept of having 2 different dashboard aspects: a discreet mode when the car is "OFF" and a normal mode when the car is "ON". Like in the Z4 for instance:




I mostly regret the fact that BMW is leaving its smoothly integrated nav screens (see 5 Series below)...



...in favor of a screen which is neither smoothly integrated, nor foldaway, but just standing there a little awkwardly on the top (see 6 series above or new 3 Series below)



But this is obviously a global trend: nav screens trying to monkey the "trendy" iPads and other tablets. A blatant example of this trend on the new B-Class:





As for the pop-up sound system from B&0 you see in the A7, the same is mounted in the 6 GranCoupé:



I don't know its purpose so I won't comment on it.



Now as far as the exterior design is concerned and mainly the profile (since that is what mostly defines a coupé) I must say that I'm disappointed by what BMW has done with this 4 door 6 Series. In 2007 the brand created a magnificent concept-car, the CS Concept, that was the cornerstone of the brand's present design and that is filled with gimmicks that we can now see on stock models, including this 6 Series GranCoupé (just like the Z9 Concept back in 1999 was a cornerstone for the previous design era). This concept actually gave a hint to the fact that one day BMW would introduce a 4 door coupé in reply to Mercedes-Benz. I'm trying not to be biased but I find it drop-dead gorgeous, combining to perfection sedan (4 doors) and cooupé silhouette. If it had come out with this profile, it would have been a clear contender to the Aston Martin Rapide as the most beautiful 4 door in the world (I'm not considering the A7 since it a "5 door" hatchback).




Now that the 6 GranCoupé has been officially unveiled, it is obvious that it's meant to be the stock embodiment of the 2007 CS Concept. Well I have a double disappointment.
* First, the 6 GranCoupé is just an elongated 4 door version of the 6 Coupé. Same design, same front fascia, same rear fascia, only specific details being the bumper vents which get an aluminum frame. And although the 6 is overall a beautiful car (apart from the front fascia a little too bland), this 4 door coupé lacks the exclusivity of an A7 or a CLS which are distinct models on their own.
* But most and foremost, I feel that BMW have botched their job in the profile design, which doesn't look as sleek as a 4 door coupé should be, mainly because the roofline is too short and hunched. Here is how it could have been stretched to match the perfect CS Concept silhouette:




Maybe there was some technical issue... But actually I suspect they simply wanted to use the 2 door coupé's entire rear end, including the trunk lid, for economy reasons, even if this trunk lid is a bit too long for the 4 door coupé... It this is true, it would be a crime design-wise, but maybe they caculated that in the end (no pun intended) it still looked good enough to sell.




I hope they won't make the same mistake on the next generation...


_______________________

PS: thanks, that dark blue (actually almost black unless sunrays are directly hitting it) is just as stunning in real life

[Raslam77]

Reviving a dead thread... It seems the folks at C&D have put their 2 cents in as well. Almost $40K more than the A7 (Which is only a Premium Plus BTW)--And it still gets bested. Although the AC Schnitzer GC looks much sexier, and probably perfroms on par w/ the A/S7, but who knows how much that thing will cost!

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

[GSS5]

saw my first 6 gc on the road today and it is absolutely beautiful. no question i would take it over the a7 any day. and it comes with a manual transmission. what gets better than that.

[Raslam77]

saw my first 6 gc on the road today and it is absolutely beautiful. no question i would take it over the a7 any day. and it comes with a manual transmission. what gets better than that.

Is that a matter of fact, or opinion.... Because the numbers tell a different story--regardless of the fact that it's a manual. Granted, It's a better looking car in person than what's presented in the pics, but it doesn't hold a candle to the A7 IMO. And that price tag???? I'd be in the market for a Quattroporte GTS, CLS63, etc....

[yamanote]

6GC given the choice between these two. More fun to drive than the A7 imo.

The CLS's accelerator felt strange- the power was either on or off. Quite odd, can't say I noticed that in the previous gen CLS I tested a few years ago.
Can't say much about the QP (probably a lot of fun to drive?), all I know is that my friend's '11 QP GT S has been in the shop quite a few times.

[GSS5]

Is that a matter of fact, or opinion.... Because the numbers tell a different story--regardless of the fact that it's a manual. Granted, It's a better looking car in person than what's presented in the pics, but it doesn't hold a candle to the A7 IMO. And that price tag???? I'd be in the market for a Quattroporte GTS, CLS63, etc....

the 6 gc has a base price of $76k. options are options. the quattroporte and cls 63 have base prices of at least $20k more. completely different price range. manual means a lot to me. much more involving and fun to drive than an automatic. design is subjective, i prefer the 6 gc, inside and out by far. the a7 is a good looking car by most standards but imo, the 6 gc has a more sophisticated design.

[Nomadam]

both are fancy cars, but i would pick A7 for its rare to see one on the road.

[L0U]

a7 by a landslide.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

[pandi]

I have a 2011 535i and went to BMW today to have a look at the grand coupe. Granted it is a nice looking vehicle, I prefer the A7 which I drove 2 weeks ago. Price-wise, I don't know why the BMW costs 92k!

[apvkt]

I have bought a 3d car mat from here <a href='www.vicky.in/shopping'>car accessories</a> for my A7 but they are now telling that only black colour is available. I need a grey coloured mat .could you suggest any place where i can get grey colour mat

[apvkt]

I have bought a 3d car mat from here www.vicky.in/shopping for my A7 but they are now telling that only black colour is available. I need a grey coloured mat .could you suggest any place where i can get grey colour mat

[shepsan]

Advantage20, you have done an excellent photographic comparison of these two fine models. I could own either one and know that I had an outstanding automobile.

I have owned two BMW and four Audi automobiles. I consider each make to produce outstanding products. That said, of the models you have presented, the BMW easily satisfies my needs for a car with power and performance. The A7 however, surpasses my desire for overall verve and elegance in addition to its mechanical superiority.

The interior layout of the A7 oozes luxury. The cockpit controls are well placed, dials easy to read and appear to be designed for immediate focus and/or hand control. On the other hand, similar aspects of the BMW seem pedestrian by comparison and the design and color scheme of its appointments appear to me to be garish. Simply put, I find the interior ambiance of the A7 to be inspired and that of the BMW to be unimaginative and disappointing.

[Schoolbus4]

I think the A7 is an ugly car, hands down i will take a 6 series GC over the A7 but if money is the issue i rather drive a BMW 550i than the A7, now between an S6 and 550i, S6 is the winner