Audi Rocket

Are you worried about your popularity? The surefire way to overcome your anxieties and become the most popular person in town overnight is to own an Audi A7.

Last weekend, the A7 was parked in my driveway. I had so many drop-ins I barely had time for lunch. And while it always sounds more professional to point out the imperfections of a test vehicle, I could not stop praising the car’s luscious design, its supercharged, explosive acceleration enabled by 310hp and 325 lb-ft. of torque, its smooth, precise handling, which caused me to develop a bad case of lane-changeitis.

Sign up at the A7 booth for fun to drive-- more than just fun, really––sensational. One friend is probably at his dealership now turning in his '03 Allroad. He has wisely started a savings account to help pay for the tickets he anticipates receiving once he is no longer earthbound.

The A7 I drove, the 2012 3.0 TFSI (Turbo Fuel Stratified Injection) Quattro Auto Tiptronic, TFSI allows fuel to be directly injected into the combustions chamber making it much more fuel efficient. My car had special Dakota Gray metallic paint, an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and a $6,000 prestige package that included Audi navigation, Audi connect, front and rear parking sensors with a review camera, advanced key, 4-zone automatic climate control, front seat ventilation, Bose surround sound audio, HD radio, blind spot detection and more. The back seat was configured for two people and had an armrest with a tray for keys, cell phones, etc. With upgraded 20” wheels the package came to $68,630 including destination charge. As one friend said, “I could live in it.”

When I got home, the trunk would not open so I pulled down the pass-through in the back and then folded down the rear seats and got my stuff out of the trunk through the interior of the car. See no car is perfect and electronics have a way of being finicky. Audi is diagnosing that problem to see what went wrong.
Gas mileage is 18 MPG city and 28 MPG highway with a combined 22 MPG.