Audi trims A7 diesel price
BY RON HAMMERTON | 10th Jan 2013
The price has been cut to $135,750 (plus on-road costs) with the introduction of the 2013 model that also gets more torque, a new eight-speed automatic transmission and – along with other A7 and smaller A5 coupe models – five seats instead of the previous four.
However, the A7 TDI is still $31,650 dearer than BMW’s rival rear-drive 530d Gran Turismo, which was given a whopping $42,000 price haircut in May last year, bringing it down to $102,500 before the price was raised to $104,100 in December.
The Audi A7 changes follow hard on the heels of price cuts and various tweaks announced for the related Audi A6 this week.
Like the A6, the A7 gets engine performance improvements, with the turbocharged, direct-injected 3.0-litre TFSI petrol A7 gaining 8kW for a new peak power of 228kW, while the 3.0 TDI turbo diesel model gets an additional 80Nm of torque (580Nm).
As well, the diesel A7 gains an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the petrol version apparently sticks with the S tronic seven speeder.
From next month, the A7 diesel line-up will be extended with the arrival of the more powerful A7 3.0 TDI Biturbo that belts out 230kW of power and 650Nm of torque – 50kW and 70Nm more than the standard model.
Audi says the move from four seats to a more convenient five was made possible because the engineering resources were committed to homologating this format for Australian Design Rules (ADRs).
The same change applies to the A5 range, where it is also now standard equipment at no extra cost.
Along with the back-seat change, six-cylinder A5 Sportbacks gain a driver’s seat memory function and mirrors equipped with heating, memory, auto dimming, folding and dipping for reverse, at no extra cost.
| Audi A7 Sportback pricing* | |
| 3.0 TDI | $135,700 |
| 3.0 TFSI | $143,800 |
