C8 Audi A7 Sportback launched in Malaysia – RM610k

The latest C8 Audi A7 Sportback made its first appearance in Malaysia in June, and the sleek five-door fastback has officially gone on sale. As previously intimated, the car arrives in a single 3.0 TFSI quattro guise, priced at RM609,900 on-the-road without insurance.

Power comes from a 3.0 litre turbocharged petrol V6 that produces 340 hp at 5,200 to 6,400 rpm and 500 Nm of torque from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm, paired to a 48-volt mild hybrid system that allows the engine to shut itself off while coasting at speeds of between 55 and 160 km/h, as well as when coming to a stop at speeds under 22 km/h. Audi claims a reduction in fuel consumption of as much as 0.7 litres per 100 km.

Paired to a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and quattro all-wheel drive, the powertrain will get the A7 from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. Combined fuel consumption is rated at 7.3 litres per 100 km.

Despite moving to an evolution of the MLB platform, the new A7 is almost exactly the same size as before. Measuring 4,969 mm long, 1,908 mm wide and 1,422 mm tall, it is just three millimetres narrower and two millimetres lower, while its 2,969 mm wheelbase has actually shrunk by some 12 mm.

Bringing the A7 in line with other new Audi models is Ingolstadt’s latest design language, consisting on trapezoidal headlights HD Matrix LED headlights with segmented daytime running lights and a slimmer, flatter “singleframe” grille. The prominent front and rear haunches are meant to highlight the car’s quattro system, while the low-slung roofline that slopes gracefully towards the rear remains an A7 hallmark.

Around the back, there are full-width tail lights that are a signature of Audi’s larger models, and they carry over the DRL’s segmented graphics. As before, the active rear spoiler is hidden within the rear deck, extending upwards at speeds over 120 km/h.

Malaysian-market models get a panoramic sunroof and the S line exterior package, consisting of more aggressive front and rear bumper designs and deeper side sills. They also roll on 20-inch Audi Sport twin-spoke alloy wheels in titanium grey, with a machined finish for that in-vogue two-tone look.

Inside, the A7 borrows plenty from the D5 A8 – the clean, minimalist dashboard features a full-width air vent design, plus plenty of gloss black trim and a pair of touchscreens connected to the latest MMI navigation plus system. The upper 10.1 display with haptic feedback is for the usual infotainment functions, such as radio, media, telephony and navigation.

Meanwhile the lower 8.6-inch screen controls the air-conditioning and other vehicular settings, and it also has handwriting recognition for inputting addresses into the navigation system. There’s also a 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit instrument cluster and a head-up display. Visually, the interior is dressed in Valcona leather upholstery and Aluminium Fragment decorative trim.

Standard equipment includes keyless entry, push-button start, soft-close doors, auto lights and wipers, power-adjustable front seats and steering wheel with driver’s side memory and lumbar controls, cruise control, four-zone climate control, adaptive dampers, dynamic all-wheel steering, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premium sound system and a powered tailgate.

As for safety, the A7 comes with pre safe front (autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection) and rear (a rear-end collision mitigation system), along with lane departure warning and a lane change assistant (blind spot monitoring). The latter incorporates a rear cross traffic alert and an exit warning that alerts if an occupant is about to open a door into traffic. You also get a 360-degree camera system.

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