In A Class of its Own

Audi’s A7 is arguably the most successful execution of the theory: a really striking, elegant, powerful-looking car that asks for little compromise in return for its ability to turn heads. It’s long and low; you get down into it the way you enter a sports car, and all four doors have frameless glazing to emphasize that coupe feel. But at the rear there’s a practical hatchback giving easy access to the capacious boot, and your rear-seat guests will only finds their heads brushing the headlining if they’re over six feet tall. You sit noticeably lower too, but the ride isn’t sports-car firm, the chassis providing a fine balance between precision and comfort, not something Audi has always got right in the past. And the cabin is pure Audi: stylish, constructed with an obsessive-compulsive attention to detail, quality and material choice, and with an element of theatre in the way the satellite navigation screen motors out of the dashboard.

For Hong Kong, there’s a choice of two engines. The 2.8-litre six-cylinder with 204hp comes with Audi’s excellent S-tronic twin-clutch gearbox giving either seamless auto changes or full, instant manual control. Or there’s a 300hp 3.0-litre which rockets to 100km/h in just 5.6 seconds, yet still produces excellent fuel economy figures with its advanced combination of turbocharging and direct fuel injection. Both come with Audi’s legendary Quattro four-wheel drive system giving sure-footed grip in poor conditions – ideal for tropical downpours – yet optimized to produce the same handling as a rear-wheel drive car.