2019 Audi A7 vs 2021 Porsche Panamera

What's the difference?

The Audi A7 is a really likeable car, one that is heavily focused on style but also emanates substance. The 55 TFSI model will appeal to many, but my initial impression is that the best buy in the range could well be the entry-level 45 TFSI. I can't wait to sample it sometime in 2019.

While we didn’t get to sample the full breadth of the range, our time in the base Panamera demonstrated that while it’s the most overlooked member of the Porsche family it might also be the most under-rated.

While it may not be the most spacious luxury sedan it does offer ample space and combines it with performance and handling that’s hard to beat. The price drop should help make it a more appealing prospect, although at nearly $200,000 it’s still clearly a premium prospect for a lucky few.

If you can't find something interesting about the design of the Audi A7, there's a good chance you're visually impaired.

The original A7 Sportback was perhaps ahead of its time in the way it blended the lines of a coupe with the practicality of a big sedan, and the new second-generation version pushes the envelope even further into the future. The vision, according to chief designer Andreas Koglin, was "a clear form with sharp lines and tight shapes", including the distinguishable 'boat tail' at the rear.

This is a technologically advanced looking car - big, long, sleek and stylish. From the LED headlights (or matrix LED and laser lights - yes, frikkin' lasers that have the same 5500 Kelvin as the sun, according to Audi) and daytime running lights, to the long, lean LED tail-light assembly, there's an illuminated, enlightened air to the A7.

Plus, with the matrix lights, both ends of the car do a sort of disco sequence as part of the start up and shut down procedure for the car.

There are a few carefully balanced lines across the body of the A7 that help catch the light, which is something you can't really say about its closest direct rival, the Mercedes-Benz CLS. It still retains the 'big-metal-small-glasshouse' look of the existing model, but there are definitely more angles and interesting elements to this new-generation car.

There are two exterior types offered for Australia - the S line that you see here is the version that'll be fitted to the two higher grade models, while the entry-grade model gets a less aggressive look to its front and rear bumpers. To my eyes, the base car actually looks more luxurious, where the S line models - when not fitted with the optional black exterior styling pack that deletes the chrome trims outside - have a slightly uneasy look in the grille area. With a black edge to the single frame grille, it looks a touch more convincing.

The A7 is still large, at 4969mm long (-5mm) and riding on a longer 2926mm wheelbase (+12mm), spans 1908mm wide (2118mm including mirrors), but it's also a little bit taller, at 1422mm (+2mm). According to Audi, the interior space has been increased by 21mm in this generation, making for a more luxurious cabin than before.

Things are a little edgier in terms of design in the cockpit, too. Gone is the appealing wraparound dashboard design, with a more driver-focused treatment evident. It looks sharper, more shapely, and has improvements to the usability inside, too.

When the second generation Panamera arrived in 2017 it was widely praised for its design. The new model allowed Porsche’s stylists to tidy up the somewhat puffy design of the original whilst still retaining a clear family link to the 911.

For this mid-life update Porsche has only made some minor nip and tucks rather than a major facelift. The changes centre around the front end, where the 'Sport Design' package that was optional is now standard across the range. It has different air intakes and larger side cooling openings for a more dynamic look.

At the rear there’s a new light strip that runs across the boot lid to connect to the LED tail-lights, creating a more seamless appearance. 

The Turbo S also gets a unique front end treatment, to further separate it from the previous Turbo. It gets even larger side air intakes that are connected via a body-coloured horizontal element so it stands out from the rest of the range.

Overall it’s hard to fault Porsche’s decision to not meddle in the design too much. The shape of the Panamera, like a stretched 911 in silhouette, has grown on people over time and the changes they made for the second generation, making it tauter and more athletic in appearance, didn’t need change for the sake of change. 

According to Audi, the A7's interior is said to offer a "futuristic lounge type ambience". And if your vision of a lounge in the future includes beautiful textile finishes, quality trims, and your choice of three crisp screens to look at and interact with, it certainly lives up to that.

Unlike the existing model, which seemed to draw a bit more inspiration from the world of watercraft, the new model isn't as luxe looking, with a more tech-focused approach inside. The wraparound finish on the dash is gone, and everything is more driver-centric in its orientation - the screens are tilted just enough towards the pilot and the design of the dashboard helps anchor the person in the driver's seat as the most important in the car.

As a driver, I still struggle to come to terms with climate controls that require you to use a screen, and I think it's distracting, too. At least with the Audi screen there's the possibility to slide up or down on the temperature display to make quick changes, rather than having to tap the screen repeatedly.

The haptic feedback on the screens is something that does take a bit of getting used to, because the response time isn't as instant as some regular touchscreen systems, but the menus are all pretty logically laid out.

And of course, all the storage considerations are dealt with, including good cupholders between the seats, decent door pockets, some loose item caddies and so on. In the back there's a flip-down armrest with cupholders, bottle holders in the doors and map pockets on the seat backs. One really neat addition is illuminated seat belt buckles - clever!

Space back there is mostly good, but it's better if you're short. There's enough legroom and shoulder-room for three adults, but anyone taller than me (I'm 182cm) will likely lack some headroom due to the curvaceous roofline.

The boot is good at 535 litres - enough to deal with two golf bags, the brand claims. The shape of the boot means tall items mightn't fit, but the length and width is good, and you get tie-downs with a mesh net to keep things in order. And there's a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor.

As the limousine of the Porsche family there’s a big emphasis on space and practicality for the Panamera. But there’s a big difference between a Porsche limo and the rest of the German ‘Big Three’, which is why the Panamera’s closest rivals are the sportier A7/8 Series/CLS and not the bigger A8/7 Series/S-Class. 

The Panamera isn’t small, stretching more than 5.0m in length, but because of its 911-inspired sloping roofline rear headroom is compromised. Adults under 180cm (5' 11") will be comfortable but anyone taller may find their heads bumping the roof.

The Panamera is available as both a four- and five-seater, but in a practical sense it would be hard to carry five. The rear middle seat is technically available with a seatbelt but heavily compromised by the rear air-vents and tray that sit on the transmission tunnel and effectively remove anywhere to put your legs.

On the plus side, the outboard rear seats are excellent sports buckets, so they offer great support when the driver exploits the Panamera’s sporty chassis.

This only applies to the standard wheelbase model, the Executive adds 150mm to its wheelbase which primarily helps create some more rear legroom. But we didn’t get a chance to test that for ourselves on this initial launch drive, so we can’t verify Porsche’s claims.

Those in the front get excellent sports seats across the range, offering lateral support whilst still being comfortable.

The biggest news in terms of pricing for this updated model is Porsche’s decision to cut the cost of entry - significantly. 

The entry-level Panamera now starts at $199,500 (before on-road costs), which is more than $19,000 cheaper than previously. Even the next model up, the Panamera 4 costs less than the previous cheapest model priced from $209,700.

There’s also the Panamera 4 Executive (long wheelbase) and Panamera 4 Sport Turismo (wagon), which are priced at $219,200 and $217,000, respectively. 

All four of those models are powered by the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, but as the names imply the standard Panamera is rear-wheel drive only while the Panamera 4 models get all-wheel drive.

Next up is the hybrid range, which combines the 2.9-litre V6 with an electric motor for more performance and greater fuel efficiency. 

It starts at $245,900 for the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, the stretched Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive costs $255,400 and the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo will set you back $253,200. 

There’s also a new addition to the hybrid group, the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, which starts at $292,300, and gains the ‘S’ thanks to its more powerful battery that increases its driving range.

The rest of the extensive line-up includes the Panamera GTS (from $309,500) and Panamera GTS Sport Turismo ($316,800). These are powered by 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 befitting the role of the GTS as the ‘driver focused’ member of the range.

Then there’s the new range-topper, the Panamera Turbo S, which starts at hefty $409,500 but gets an even more potent version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. 

And, just in case none of those appeal there’s one more to choose from, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid which adds an electric motor to the twin-turbo V8 for the most power and torque in the range. It’s also the most expensive at $420,800.

All three drivetrains offered in the A7 have some form of mild hybridisation. The entry-level 45 TFSI engine is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo producing 180kW of power (at 5000-6000rpm) and 370Nm of torque (1600-4500rpm). It has a 0-100km/h claim of 6.8 seconds, and employs a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with quattro all-wheel drive. It employs a 12-volt mild-hybrid system to assist with stop-start traffic and uses brake regeneration, too.

The high-spec petrol is the 55 TFSI, a 3.0-litre V6 producing 250kW (at 5000-6400rpm) and 500Nm (1370-4500rpm). The 0-100 claim is 5.3sec, and it also uses a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. It has a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that uses a larger capacity battery and a belt-driven starter generator that recuperates energy in stop start traffic and, according to Audi, can also allow the car to coast for up to 40 seconds at speeds of 55-160km/h.

The same 48-volt tech is used for the only diesel model in the range, the 50 TDI. This powertrain uses a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine producing 210kW (3500-4000rpm) and 620Nm (2250-3000rpm), and unlike the petrols, it has an eight-speed automatic (not a dual-clutch). The claim for acceleration is 5.7sec from 0-100km/h.

As mentioned earlier there’s a smorgasbord of powertrains for the Panamera range with a variety of V6 turbo, V8 turbo and hybrid variants of both to choose from.

The entry-level model, known simply as Panamera, gets the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 making 243kW/450Nm and paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and sending drive to the rear-wheels. 

Step up to the Panamera 4, 4 Executive and 4 Sport Turismo and you get the same engine and transmission but all-wheel drive.

The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid range (which includes Executive and Sport Turismo) has the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 but adds a 100kW electric motor. 

That means a combined system output of 340kW/700Nm, driving through the same eight-speed dual-clutch and all-wheel drive system as the non-hybrid variants.

The Panamera 4S E-Hybrid gets an upgraded 17.9kWh battery, replacing the old model’s 14.1kWh version. It also gets a more powerful version of the 2.9-litre V6, tuned to make 324kW, which ups the total output to 412kW/750Nm; again with the eight-speed dual-clutch and all-wheel drive. 

The Panamera GTS uses the brand’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, tuned to make 353kW/620Nm, also with the eight-speed ‘box and all-wheel drive. 

The Turbo S uses the same engine but it gets a new tune to bump performance to 463kW/820Nm; that’s a 59kW/50Nm increase over the old model’s Turbo, hence Porsche’s justification in adding the ‘S’ to this new version.

And if that’s still not enough grunt, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid adds the 100kW electric motor to the 4.0-litre V8 and the combination produces 515kW/870Nm.

Interestingly, despite the extra power and torque, the Turbo S E-Hybrid isn’t the fastest accelerating Panamera. The lighter Turbo S does the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.1 seconds, while the Hybrid takes 3.2 seconds. 

However, the 4S E-Hybrid does manage to out-accelerate the GTS despite using the V6 engine, taking just 3.7 seconds compared to the 3.9 seconds it takes the V8-powered GTS.

But even the entry-level Panamera still does a very rapid 5.6 second 0-100km/h dash, so none of the range can be called slow.

The mild hybrid tech in each of the A7 models help it offer miserly fuel consumption.

The 45 TFSI model claims 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres; the 55 TFSI model just a touch more, at 7.3L/100km. And as you might expect, the 50 TDI diesel model is the most efficient, using a claimed 6.0L/100km.

We only drove the 55 TFSI on test, and the dashboard indicated display of 9.1L/100km seemed pretty respectable.

We didn’t get a chance to test all the variants and run the numbers against Porsche’s claims. Again, in an unsurprising development the hugely diverse range of powertrains leads to a wide spread of fuel economy numbers. 

The leader of the pack is the 4 E-Hybrid which uses just 2.6 litres per 100km, according to the company, just ahead of the 4S E-Hybrid with a 2.7L/100km claim. Despite all of its performance the Turbo S E-Hybrid still manages to return a claimed 3.2L/100km.

The entry-level Panamera we spent the majority of the time in uses a claimed 9.2L/100km. The Panamera GTS is the least-efficient, with a claimed 11.7L/100km return, which puts it ahead of the Turbo S and its 11.6L/100km figure.

A lot of the time when we go on new car launches the test drive route is planned to highlight handling dynamism, with less focus on the day-to-day drudgery most of us will actually encounter.

The launch of the Audi A7 was primarily of that design, too, but (thankfully?) there was some disgusting traffic to deal with on our in and out of Brisbane, where it was clear the A7 is superbly comfortable.

Well, that is, if you get the air suspension system. The ride was impressively cushioned, untroubled by sharp edges and road joins, and the suspension eliminated pothole effects, too. All the cars I drove on the launch were the 55 TFSI model, and all had the air suspension - the cynic in me thinks there's probably a reason for that, and I'd love to sample one without it.

This stint of stop-start driving saw the engine cut out at speeds up to 22km/h when you're decelerating, allowing us to coast to a stop without the engine burning fuel.

Once we exited the city limits and found ourselves on the roads of Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious, the chance presented itself to push the A7 in some bendy bits. With the dynamic drive mode selected, the transmission in sport mode, and about a hundred corners to contend with, the big German luxury hatch showed its skills.

The air suspension kept the circa-1815kg model relatively flat in the bends, but the front seats lacked adequate side bolster support despite being called 'sports' seats. Obviously physics were at play here.

The steering was more eager in the four-wheel steer version we sampled, and that's definitely an option for the enthusiastic owner to consider. Otherwise, the steering was accurate, if devoid of meaningful feel.

And while the engine was strong in its response and the transmission clever in its shift speed and intelligence, it became clear that this was a car that seemed more adept at open road cruising than bruising a series of hairpins. It didn't disappoint in terms of dynamics - it just felt its size.

Eventually when we reached an open road, the effortlessness of the A7 came to the fore. Comfort mode engaged, it paced along beautifully, the adaptive cruise taking its surroundings in nicely. There is a touch of wind noise and the suspension can be loud when you encounter pockmarked sections, but it doesn't feel flustered at speed.

One of the nice elements of the A7's smarts is that it will pulse the accelerator pedal to warn you that you could be saving fuel - say you're approaching an 80km/h zone, and you're driving at 100km/h, the throttle will throb to let you know you could ease off. Neat.

At the end of our day of driving, I was left with the impression that the Audi A7 is more than capable as a luxury saloon, one that was relaxing to drive - even when we encountered a five km traffic jam on the way back into Brisbane. It feels well engineered, without excessive gimmickry and with enough genuine quality to leave you feeling pampered.

This is where the Panamera really excels. With every vehicle it builds, Porsche works to make it drive as close to a sports car as possible, even if it's an SUV or, in this case, a large, luxury sedan.

Although Porsche has an extensive range, our test drive was primarily focused on the entry-level model. That’s no bad thing as it’s likely to be the biggest seller in the range, but also because it’s an excellent example of a sports sedan done well.

It may be the first rung on the ladder, but the Panamera doesn’t feel like it's basic or missing anything important. The engine is a gem, the chassis is well sorted and the standard equipment level of Australian models is higher than average.

The 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo makes a nice noise, a melodious V6 burble, and delivers plenty of punch when needed. Even though it tips the scales at more than 1800kg the V6 with its 450Nm of torque helps punch it out of corners with intent.

The corners is where the Panamera really shines. Even by the highest sports sedan standards the Panamera is a class-leader thanks to all of Porsche’s decades of know-how being poured into its development.

Point the Panamera at a bend and the nose responds with the kind of precision you expect from a sports car. 

The steering provides accuracy and loads of feedback, so you can place the car accurately despite its size. 

You do notice its size and weight as you get into the middle of the corner, but that’s no different from any of its rivals as you can’t fight physics. But for a luxury sports sedan, the Panamera is a star.

To add another layer to its appeal, the Panamera rides with excellent poise and comfort despite its sporting nature. 

Often sports sedans tend to focus too much on handling and stiffer suspension settings at the expense of ride comfort, but Porsche has managed to strike a great balance between the two seemingly opposing characteristics.

ANCAP hasn’t tested the Panamera, most likely due to the substantial costs involved with crashing half a dozen sports sedans but its limited market probably factors in too, so there’s no crash test score.

Autonomous emergency braking is standard, as part of what the brand calls its ‘Warn and Brake Assist’ system. It can not only detect potential collisions with cars, using the forward camera, but also mitigates against cyclists and pedestrians.

Porsche has included plenty of other standard safety features including 'Lane Keeping Assist', adaptive cruise control, 'Park Assist' with surround view cameras and a head-up display. 

Notably, Porsche doesn’t offer its mild-autonomous functionality, 'Traffic Jam Assist', as standard; instead it’s an $830 option across the range. 

Another significant safety optional extra is night vision - or 'Night View Assist', as Porsche calls it - which will add $5370 to the cost.

As with all Audi models, there's a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty offered. Mainstream brands seem to be pushing to five years' warranty, while the premium makers lag behind.

The company also offers a three-year pre-purchase capped price service plan called the 'Audi Genuine Care Service Plan', which you can bundle into your finance package. Exact pricing isn't known yet, but you can expect it to average out at about $650 for every 12 month/15,000km service (based on the previous generation model).

Service intervals are annually or every 15,000km (whichever comes first) for routine oil changes, with every second year a more significant inspection. 

Prices vary state-to-state due to different labour costs, but as an indication Victorian residents pay $695 for the annual oil change, while the inspection costs $995. 

There are other notable charges you should factor in, including brake fluid every two years for $270, while every four years you need to change spark plugs, transmission oil and air filters which add up to an extra $2129, on top of the $995.

The Panamera is covered by Porsche’s typical three-year warranty/unlimited kilometre, which used to be the industry standard but is increasingly becoming less typical.