Audi A7 Sportback review

The A7, particularly in four-wheel-drive guise, is an easy car in which to make unruffled progress. Though the torque distribution is slightly rear-biased, it's impossible to provoke the A7 into any sort of tail-wagging antics: you'll only find a near-inexhaustible supply of grip, just the merest hint of body roll through even the quickest corners and, at the very limit, gentle understeer. 

Avoid the biggest alloys and refrain from clicking the adaptive dampers into the knobbliest mode, and the A7 doesn't ride too badly. We'd guess it won't tackle smashed-up UK tarmac with the fluency of the Jag XF, but it's less brittle than most sporting Audis. However, it isn't a whole lot of fun. It doesn't give much back to the driver: the steering, though sharp, feels artificial, the chassis erring on the side of inert caution.  

Its last facelift revitalised the engine line-up. There’s more power and better economy across the board, but the big news is the addition of a super-frugal, front-wheel drive Ultra model. It makes do with a 218bhp version of the familiar 3.0-litre TDI engine, this time mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Just how many mpg are we talking? More than 60. And it’s not slow, either. 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and the top speed is 149mph. Our choice remains the superb 3.0 BiTDI.

At the top of the range, the supremely powerful RS7 returns. Good, but we’d go for the identical-in-all-but-looks RS6 Avant instead. All the power, more practical, less money. It’s a no-brainer.