Why the A7? I wanted something that was elegant but not over the top, comfortable yet sporty and I also thought I would feel at home with the Audi MMI.
Interior- A7 by a landslide
Turns out the MMI was very different to the S4's MMI and there was quite a steep learning curve, but I also have to admit that the A7's MMI is YEARs ahead of the S4! The interior in general blows the S4's interior out of the water, but then again I think the S4's interior is seriously lacking compared to the rest of Audi's line-up (the dash of S4 looks so rubbery to me and the steering wheel is mehh). I know a lot of ppl rave about the S4 so I guess some ppl like it, I personally don't. The A7 feels and looks like a much more expensive car than the S4 even though they are similar priced (granted yes if you were to compare base A4 v base A7 the A7 is almost twice as much). I'd still have to give the edge to the 650i because it had the most immaculate leather with white stitching on the dashboard, but the A7 is IMPRESSIVE and the wood grain was a nice touch.The pop-out LCD screen in the A7 (similar to the 650i) was beautiful and loaded with Google Earth/Search/Wikipedia, rolling-wi-fi, and a handwriting interface. It was the perfect car to cruise around the parking lot that is LA and the ability to use voice to search for landmarks is something noticeably absent from most NAVs. The A7's base stereo system was also MUCH MUCH better than the premium B&O system on my S4 especially b/c it came with a subwoofer which meant I was actually turning DOWN the bass rather than the subpar MAX setting on the S4 >:O. I read that the A7's B&O option is nearly $6k. GTFO with that, the base version is no slouch, and I srsly am not impressed by B&O or really any German 'premium' audio system for that matter (at least in terms of bass output).
Styling- A7 has more presence
Read the quote from Motortrend below. It pretty much sums up EXACTLY how I feel. And I definitely got a lot of compliments and stares from bystanders in Los Angeles. You could drive this car to Malibu or Rodeo drive and not feel insignificant. If the A7 had an 'S7' badge on the back, I'd be VERY tempted to switch. Another plus for the A7 is the hatchback lift gate enables a ridiculous amount of trunk space, so it's very practical.
"Today the A7 is the latest in a short line of swoopy, high-profit-margin, tech-swaddled, severely styled, curved-roof sedans built off existing vehicle architecture. This new Audi is prettier than all of them, including the new blunt-force-look Mercedes-Benz CLS. Maybe more to the point, here in Los Angeles where Continental GTs make folks yawn, the A7 actually had people on the street pointing at it. And they hadn't had the pleasure of sitting inside and running their hands over that open pore wood while their favorite sounds bled from the high-dollar Bang and Olufsen. Just like my new iPad, no one actually needs an Audi A7. But after two weeks using it, I'm not sure how I ever went without."
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz1nhkdYpmP
Performance/Handling - S4 without a doubt
To my surprise, the A7 in a straight line felt surprisingly quick for only having ~310hp and weighing two tons. Definitely has plenty of torque and tip-in throttle works great with the 8 speed automagic. Something must be wrong with my S4 b/c I feel like there is a noticeable delay from the time I go WOT and when the car actually starts to jettison off (I always though S/C were suppose to be instantaneous). The S4 makes a lot of initial noise and fury, but I think the DSG is searching for the right gear before it fully initiates the kickdown. It's fairly annoying (if I switch to manual mode, I don't have the same problem), but I found the A7 was much quicker to kick down gears and then scoot off to triple digits in a hurry. The S4 does feel much quicker off the line however and the A7's tranny was also a lot less smooth on the decel. I think both the S4 and the A7 have fairly abysmal braking/brake feel in general which I attribute to their heft. The 650i with it's twin turbo 400hp V8 does feel and sound ferocious and the convertible experience of course only adds to the thrill, so I'm not sure it's a fair comparison. Perhaps when the S7 comes out than would be a better match.
But the A7 is definitely more of a GT cruiser as it has noticeable body roll and taking turns felt like a fairly detached experience even with the ADS in "Dynamic" mode. Actually dynamic mode in the A7 really didn't feel all that different than Comfort mode and the steering was really slushy in both. The S4 is night and day and the grip seems almost limitless which inspires you to go through turns at speeds that your mind register's as not possible. The A7 on the other hand had me backing off the throttle rather than feeding in the throttle. If you don't care about the twisties, the A7 is more than capable though. I also remember the BMW 650i being a fairly impressive handling machine, but I also remember the ride being fairly harsh (in typical BMW fashion).
For me, the A7 was a magnificent experience and the perfect car for LA traffic where all out speed/handling would be more of a pipe dream than an actuality. Since I live in the Northwest though, I think I'm more than happy with my S4 b/c I enjoy pulling Gs around those carousel exit ramps in the rain every chance I get :)
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Originally Posted by troposphere
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