[rhinosaur]

Originally Posted by delvek

Because they are slower

So far the best answer, to which I would only add that they are also uglier.

[jnkirk1974]

I actually like the looks of the car. However, compared to other cars in it's price range, it jut doesn't even come close to the same power. Deal breaker for me. I expect more than that, when spending that kind of money.

[iceburg02]

To add a different perspective, I did go with the A7. I read this forum because I have an LS460 that I plan to dump for a 550i.

Bought the Audi for the missus. The supercharged V6 has plenty of torque for her needs, and the liftback is good for those with rugrats. Plenty of tech in the car (hotspot, Google Earth-based nav, full LED's), but I would agree that the interior could be nicer.

It's a polarizing design - people either love it or hate it. Not unlike the BMW 6-series if you ask me, but that's just my two cents.

cheers

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by iceburg02

To add a different perspective, I did go with the A7. I read this forum because I have an LS460 that I plan to dump for a 550i.

Bought the Audi for the missus. The supercharged V6 has plenty of torque for her needs, and the liftback is good for those with rugrats. Plenty of tech in the car (hotspot, Google Earth-based nav, full LED's), but I would agree that the interior could be nicer.

It's a polarizing design - people either love it or hate it. Not unlike the BMW 6-series if you ask me, but that's just my two cents.

cheers

The A7 is basically the same car as the A6, exterior design is different, there is a few small difference in the interior, but overall. pretty hard to justify the additional $10K premium. For the $10K premium, the interior needs to be much nicer than the A6 and a few more HP would not hurt.

[iceburg02]

I was more focused on it being unique than a better value. Way fewer A7's on the road than A6's, but your point is a fair one.

The folks on the Audi forums (as well as a few car mags) have recently been comparing the A7 to the 640 Gran Coupe rather than the 5-series.

[LiveLarger]

640 Grand Coupe is in another league than the A7.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by LiveLarger

640 Grand Coupe is in another league than the A7.

The shape is similar, but I like the 640 GC's design better. At $30000 more, the 640SC should be much better. Is it $30000 better, I think not.

[gtron]

a7 is slow and ugly. /thread

[Russkey]

Originally Posted by gtron

a7 is slow and ugly. /thread

agree!

[Ti335]

Originally Posted by Debaser

Thanks, guys. Your feelings reflect why I prefer the 5 myself. It just feels richer, better in almost every way - better architecture, more solid interior, more masculine and serious overall.

I guess at the end of the day the few milliseconds or metres the A6 has on the 5 in those professional test drives mean little. I did enjoy the A6's responsiveness and smoothness during the test drives I did, but I had a feeling my main quibble with the ride in the 5 was the run flat tires.

I'll go with my gut. I love BMWs.

Sorry but you are just rationalizing your decision. We are not talking about "milliseconds in a professional test drive" here. Having driven both the A6 and 535i, the former is considerably quicker. The difference was very apparent to me and, according to various magazine comparisons, A6/A7 is actually closer to the 550i acceleration-wise. Audi's handling is also noticeably better.

Interestingly, the difference between the A6/A7 and F10 5-series is the reverse of the traditional BMW vs. Audi dichotomy. BMW is more comfortable and has a better interior while Audi is a better performer and more fun to drive. If someone tried to predict such a turn of events ten years ago, he would have been branded a lunatic. But I guess Audi has been spending most of its R&D funds trying to build a more sporting car, while BMW has been focusing on making their cars more like Mercedes.

[F11-Diesel]

The 7 was proposed to me at over 100k.
I did not completely like the looks of the back of the car.
I am very pleased I got the stunning looking versatile F11 for 85k instead.

[LiveLarger]

Originally Posted by The X Men

The shape is similar, but I like the 640 GC's design better. At $30000 more, the 640SC should be much better. Is it $30000 better, I think not.

I think it's $50000 better, at the minimum. A7 is just a A6 in drag. And Audi in general doesn't feel like premium cars. And yes, I used to drive Audi.

[HoustonEaDo]

Originally Posted by Ti335

Sorry but you are just rationalizing your decision. We are not talking about "milliseconds in a professional test drive" here. Having driven both the A6 and 535i, the former is considerably quicker. The difference was very apparent to me and, according to various magazine comparisons, A6/A7 is actually closer to the 550i acceleration-wise. Audi's handling is also noticeably better.

Interestingly, the difference between the A6/A7 and F10 5-series is the reverse of the traditional BMW vs. Audi dichotomy. BMW is more comfortable and has a better interior while Audi is a better performer and more fun to drive. If someone tried to predict such a turn of events ten years ago, he would have been branded a lunatic. But I guess Audi has been spending most of its R&D funds trying to build a more sporting car, while BMW has been focusing on making their cars more like Mercedes.

Finally - someone with a logical, non-fanboy response -- well said !!

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by gtron

a7 is slow and ugly. /thread

From Edmunds:

Acceleration numbers are unremarkable, as the 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe takes 5.7 seconds to reach 60 mph (5.4 seconds with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip) and 14.2 seconds at 95.0 mph for the quarter-mile. That's no better than a 535i, which carries a $23,500 lower base price. The Audi A7 beats it, too (5.4-second 0-60 time, 13.6-second quarter-mile at 101.7 mph)

[gtron]

Originally Posted by The X Men

From Edmunds:

Acceleration numbers are unremarkable, as the 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe takes 5.7 seconds to reach 60 mph (5.4 seconds with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip) and 14.2 seconds at 95.0 mph for the quarter-mile. That's no better than a 535i, which carries a $23,500 lower base price. The Audi A7 beats it, too (5.4-second 0-60 time, 13.6-second quarter-mile at 101.7 mph)

oh sorry, i thought the title said "why didn't you buy an A7?" oh wait, it did. i didn't buy it because it's slow an ugly. the part about it being ugly is just my opinion, but the slow part is fact when it comes to why i didn't buy the A7.

550 0-60 4.7 sec.

i also rate several other cars over audi though so there's that too. i just don't care for them at all.

finally, as far as "fanboy" responses go, bmw will not be my next car so that has nothing to do with it.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by gtron

550 0-60 4.7 sec.

Just to be fair, you really should compare the 550i to the S7, not the A7.

[rhinosaur]

Originally Posted by F11-Diesel

The 7 was proposed to me at over 100k.
I did not completely like the looks of the back of the car.
I am very pleased I got the stunning looking versatile F11 for 85k instead.

[gtron]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Just to be fair, you really should compare the 550i to the S7, not the A7.

but the S7 is like $10-$12k more.

also, to be honest, that giant front grill and the way the back looks like a modified station wagon is just so darn hideous to me.

[JNoSol]

The A7 exterior is unique and it's eye catching for those love it or hate it. However, the whole 4dr coupe design is (will be) a short lived-fad like the tail fins on a Caddy, wooden doors on a Woodie, and chrome bumpers on all those American classics. Oh, don't me started on the cool white LED strips: Even a $14k KIA Soul got them nowadays (I love their commercials, they got the funny hamsters).

My point is, If you buy an A7 you will realize how quickly the fad dies off. The excitement and stares will stop, so you'll be stuck with an ugly car.

Stick with BMWs. The design may not be bleeding edge, but it's elegant, timeless, and it evolves from generation to generation. You can appreciate a BMW look, no matter how old it is.

An E30, E46, E39, and E60 will still catch my attention for years to come. I can't say the same for any older Audis on the road (pre 2008).

[rhinosaur]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

The A7 exterior is unique and it's eye catching for those love it or hate it. However, the whole 4dr coupe design is (will be) a short lived-fad like the tail fins on a Caddy, wooden doors on a Woodie, and chrome bumpers on all those American classics. Oh, don't me started on the cool white LED strips: Even a $14k KIA Soul got them nowadays (I love their commercials, they got the funny hamsters).

My point is, If you buy an A7 you will realize how quickly the fad dies off. The excitement and stares will stop, so you'll be stuck with an ugly car.

Stick with BMWs. The design may not be bleeding edge, but it's elegant, timeless, and it evolves from generation to generation. You can appreciate a BMW look, no matter how old it is.

An E30, E46, E39, and E60 will still catch my attention for years to come. I can't say the same for any older Audis on the road (pre 2008).

Agreed.
I was at the BMW Museum in Munich last Saturday and the quality of design in everything BMW did from the early days until now is staggering, from the Isetta 250 to the timeless Z8 (just to name a few totally different concepts).
In addition, as funny as it may sound, the LED lines in Audi's models is one of the things I don't like about them. On the one hand I think they are "cheesy", on the other hand they have so many different designs and I get confused as to which model I am looking at from afar.

[Karrera4]

that is the cheapest A7 interior I think you can get....if you get a few options on the A7, the interior is right up there with the nicely optioned interior in the 5 series you show.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by gtron

but the S7 is like $10-$12k more.

also, to be honest, that giant front grill and the way the back looks like a modified station wagon is just so darn hideous to me.

If you option up a 550xi to the option level of a S7, you are looking at about $80K, about the same as the S7.
Exterior design is subjective, you might not like it but a lot of people do. The fact is that the A7 have won a few design award, thats more than I can say for the F10.