Audi A7

There has been a lot of progression in the cockpit, and that is most visible in the A7 cabin. Audi showcases its technology leadership in this segment more clearly than most rivals. The A7 has a fully digital dashboard with three screens: a 10.1-inch touchscreen for entertainment, an 8.6-inch screen for climate and comfort controls, and a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit Plus for the instruments, which the Mercedes CLS only partially matches and the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe does not. The physical button count on the A7 dashboard is minimal; climate controls, seat heating, and drive mode selection all operate through the lower touchscreen.

The A7 dashboard is either the most elegantly resolved dashboard in the segment or the one that requires the most adaptation, depending on the buyer. The honest observation is that the lower screen’s glass surface attracts fingerprints at a rate every A7 owner notices within the first week. Leather seats, ambient lighting with 30 colors, and a panoramic sunroof further enhance the cabin experience.

Front Seat

The A7 driver’s seat is a well-positioned, supportive sports seat that places the driver low in the fastback body, commanding without feeling cramped. The relationship between the seating height, the Virtual Cockpit’s position, and the wide A-pillar creates a driving environment that rewards time in the car. The low seating position is the one element buyers transitioning from an upright SUV usually need a week to get used to. Features like heated front seats, ventilated front seats, electrically adjustable front seats, and a driver memory function are offered.

Rear Seat

The A7’s rear seat is a strong point, especially for a fastback body type. The 2,914 mm wheelbase gives rear legroom that two adults can use comfortably on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai daily commute. Headroom is where the fastback roofline’s compromise is felt; passengers above 185 cm will notice the roof proximity at the outer rear seats, though the center of the rear roofline clears most adults adequately. Features like rear-seat heating and ISOFIX are included. Overall, the rear seat is a proper four-seat executive car interior, not just a rear seating area, though it is narrower than the Mercedes CLS in the middle position, and nobody will want to use it comfortably for long journeys.

AC Vents

The A7 manages its cabin climate with fully zone-independent control, which makes sense in an executive sportback at this price.

• Three-zone automatic climate control lets the driver, front passenger, and rear occupants manage temperatures independently.
• Rear AC vents provide dedicated airflow to the second row from the back of the center console.
• Air quality control is standard through the cabin air-management system.

Storage Options

The A7’s cabin storage is organized and sufficient for daily business and travel use.

• Wide center console with deep covered storage and dual front cup holders
• Door bottle holders
• Rear seat map pockets
• Center console armrest with storage
• Overhead sunglasses storage
• Sizable glovebox

Charging Options

• Wireless charging 
• USB-C charging ports front and rear 
• USB charger
• Accessory power outlet 

Boot Space

The boot offers 535 liters of space with the rear seats in use and 1,390 liters when the rear 40/60 seats are folded down using the power tailgate. The 535-liter Sportback boot is a practical advantage over every traditional sedan competitor in the segment.

The A7 comes with Audi’s full active safety suite, but buyers should note the standard-versus-variant split before choosing.

• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go 
• Lane Keep Assist and Lane Change Warning
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Blind Spot Warning
• Pre-Sense Front automatic emergency braking
• The Pre-Sense Side and Rear features are standard on Quattro variants, but their availability on the entry FWD model is not confirmed; buyers who regularly use E11 lane changes should verify that detail. 
•  A 360-degree camera is available from upper Quattro variants.
• Parking sensors front and rear
• ABS with EBD
• Vehicle Stability Control
• Traction Control
• TPMS
• Driver and passenger airbags with side and curtain airbags;
• ISOFIX
• Engine immobiliser 

The A7 Sportback front features Audi’s wide octagonal Singleframe grille, flanked by Matrix LED headlamps with the sequential indicator graphic that segment buyers now associate with Audi’s technology signature. The headlamps are wider and more horizontal than the previous generation’s, giving the front a confident, composed expression without the drama of the Mercedes AMG or BMW M treatment. Automatic headlamps are standard throughout. Overall, the front of the A7 sends the right message for its buyer profile: this is a precision instrument, not a performance car wearing a suit.

Side

The side profile is largely defined by the fastback roofline that drops from the B-pillar to the tailgate in one uninterrupted line, and by the body shape that gives the Sportback its reason for existing over the A6 sedan. The muscular rear wheel arch flares and the single character line through the upper door sections give the A7’s 1,911 mm width a planted stance that competing four-door coupe body styles occasionally overcomplicate. Power-folding and heated exterior mirrors are standard. Overall, the side view highlights elegance without the visual noise of larger exterior features.

Alloy Wheels

The 18-inch alloy wheels are standard on entry variants. The 19-inch alloys are standard on the 40 FSI Quattro and above, and 20-inch wheels are available as an upgrade. The 19-inch setup on a 255/40 R19 tire is the A7’s daily UAE balance, with the right tire profile for Sharjah residential roads and speed-humped business district approaches, while still maintaining the visual proportion that the A7’s 4,974 mm body requires.

Rear

At the rear is a power tailgate that opens to the full Sportback hatch width, which is a practical advantage over every traditional sedan-body competitor in the segment. The active rear spoiler extends automatically at speed. The quad exhaust tips flanking the rear diffuser element confirm the performance identity without visual excess. The power tailgate also makes the A7’s 535-liter boot more usable than the traditional sedan boot access of the Mercedes CLS or BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe. You also get reverse lights and rear fog lamps as standard.

Colours

• Manhattan Grey Metallic
• Mythos Black Metallic
• Glacier White Metallic
• Navarra Blue Metallic
• Floret Silver Metallic
• District Green Metallic
• Daytona Grey Pearl Effect

City Performance

The A7 Sportback in Dubai and Abu Dhabi city use is one of the more rewarding executive-segment driving experiences, not because it is especially engaging, but because it is composed, quiet, and effortless to drive.

• The 2.0L TFSI’s turbo torque in stop-and-go conditions on Sheikh Zayed Road and the Business Bay approach handles city traffic without the low-rev hesitation that naturally aspirated alternatives can produce at light throttle.
• The Quattro AWD traction management is seamless in city conditions; the A7 puts power down without issue at signal departures and roundabout exits. 
• At 1,911 mm wide and 4,974 mm long, the A7 requires spatial awareness in DIFC parking and Abu Dhabi’s older community basement facilities, but front and rear parking sensors manage that well, and the 360-degree camera on upper variants is the tool most city-heavy buyers will use consistently. 
• The Virtual Cockpit and MMI triple-screen layout create a genuinely modern cabin feel, and the navigation integration is accurate and regularly updated.

Highway Performance

The A7 Sportback earns its executive reputation most convincingly on the UAE highway, where the combination of Quattro stability, cabin refinement, and long-distance comfort makes the E11 feel like the route the car was designed for.

• At high speeds, even at three digits on the E11, the 55 TFSI V6 operates at around 1,800 rpm; its 333 hp and 500 Nm make overtaking easier with a composed response. 
• The key thing buyers who have only owned FWD sedans notice immediately is the Quattro AWD’s planted stability at speed, and that is not something they want to give up. 
• The 2.0L TFSI variants are quite suitable for UAE highway driving, but the power reserve is more limited. The 252 hp is enough for legal-speed cruising, but the 55 TFSI’s V6 at full throttle is the on-the-highway experience most A7 buyers specifically want.
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go also helps on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai to Sharjah weekly motorway routine.
• Wind noise is well managed, and the fastback body shape is calmer at speed than more upright designs in the same segment.

Ride and Handling

The A7 Sportback’s ride is the executive segment’s most balanced daily strength for UAE road conditions.

• On smooth Dubai and Abu Dhabi arterial roads and the E11, the adaptive air suspension on upper Quattro variants offers a composed, well-damped ride that the fixed-suspension entry variant approaches but does not fully match. That difference is especially noticeable over expansion joints on the E311 and on speed-humped Jumeirah community approaches. 
• On Sharjah’s older residential roads and Deira speed humps, the A7 handles larger impacts with the body control expected from a premium executive sportback. It does not deliver Rolls-Royce levels of ride isolation, but it is far more composed than the BMW 8 Gran Coupe’s sport-biased setup over the same surfaces.
• Quattro AWD cornering stability on the Abu Dhabi Corniche curves and the Al Ain Road sweepers is the A7’s dynamic benchmark against every FWD-based competitor in the segment.
• The steering is direct and well-weighted, more responsive than the Lexus ES 350 and less sporty than the BMW 5 Series, which is exactly where it should be for the A7’s executive buyer profile.

A7 40 TFSI

At the entry level, you get the FWD variant at a more accessible price point. The features include leather seats, a panoramic roof, a leather steering wheel, the MMI triple-screen setup, and the full Sportback design. What you miss here is the Quattro AWD confidence that really defines the car.

A7 40 FSI Quattro

This is the variant that gets you into Quattro, with AWD traction management over the FWD entry. The Quattro dynamic confidence is the key differentiator for daily UAE highway use.

A7 45 TFSI Quattro

This variant offers the same 252 hp output as the 40 FSI Quattro, along with the updated TFSI direct injection setup and additional comfort features.

A7 55 TFSI Quattro

The highlight is the V6, with 333 hp, 500 Nm, and a 5.3-second 0 to 100 km/h time. This is the A7 that most clearly matches the executive sportback character with the right powertrain character.

Zigwheels Recommendation

All four choices serve different buyers; the FWD entry is the budget entry, while the 40 and 45 FSI Quattro bring AWD at 252 hp. The 55 TFSI Quattro delivers the V6 that completes the A7’s identity. For UAE buyers who use the E11 regularly and want the full executive sportback experience, the 55 TFSI Quattro is our recommendation. The A7 was designed around the V6 and Quattro combination, and that is where the car feels most complete.

The A7 is certainly an opulent German executive sportback that occupies the premium executive sedan segment in the UAE with a few unique strengths that most direct rivals don’t match. While the Mercedes CLS is more elegant and focused on rear-seat comfort, it costs more, and its boot is less practical. In contrast, the BMW 8 Gran Coupe offers a more dynamic driving experience but sacrifices some daily balance. The Porsche Panamera is more performance-led and significantly pricier.

Therefore, the A7’s real strength lies in its combination of segment-leading Virtual Cockpit technology, Quattro AWD that is rarely matched, a spacious 535-liter Sportback boot that competitors often overlook, and a fastback design that has remained timeless since 2018. 

The A7 Sportback is ideal for UAE executives, entrepreneurs, and design-focused buyers who want a car that feels premium at the DIFC valet, covers the Abu Dhabi to Dubai commute with composed authority, and does not need a second car for practical duties. In that sense, the A7 Sportback remains the most complete answer the four-door luxury coupe segment offers at this price.

Other Premium Executive Sportbacks to Consider Instead of the Audi A7