2012 Audi A7

The 2012 Audi A7 may very well be the best-looking car Audi has ever built. And it’s close to being the best Audi built, period.

There isn’t a weak spot in its design. In person it’s sexy from any angle, and the interior is one of Audi’s best and most logical.

The navigation now uses Google Maps, and that alone makes the system worth the extra money in my opinion.

Performance is stout, if not stirring: the A7 uses a 310-hp version of the S4′s supercharged 3.0L V6. It goes from 0-60mph in around 5.5 seconds, which is darn quick…but it does it in such a smooth, subdued fashion that I hardly noticed. It’s very difficult to keep your freeway speeds under 90mph in this car.

There’s a well-designed hatchback with lots of tie-downs and a monstrous opening that extends the functionality of the cargo area beyond its nominal capacity of 24.5 cubic feet—six more than a BMW X5!

The A7 is fast, fun to drive, and practical with the huge hatch and standard Quattro all-wheel-drive. It’s a sporty luxury car you can drive quickly in nearly any kind of weather and get decent mileage doing so (18 city/28 highway mpg). That makes its as-tested price of $66,220 seem like a real steal.

To view the window sticker for the 2012 Audi A7 visit our RoadflyTV YouTube Lounge: 2012 Audi A7 Window Sticker

Vehicle: 2012 Audi A7

Base Price: $59,250

Price as tested: $66,200

Engine: 3.0L supercharged V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Horsepower: 310 @ 5500-6500 rpm

Torque: 325 lb-ft. @ 2900-4500 rpm

0-60 MPH: 5.4 sec.

Curb Weight: 4210 lb.

Warranty: 4 years, 50,000 miles (vehicle),

Fuel Economy: 18 city / 28 highway MPG

2012 Audi A7

Roadfly recently spent some quality time in the all new 2012 Audi A7 Sportback. The Roadfly.com editors and producers liked the new A7 so much they added it to their "Best Cars" list.

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Hosts Jessi Lang and Steve Hammes checked out the all-new 2010 Mercedes Benz CLS 63 AMG, the ridiculously powerful sports sedan whose class, the CLS, is being marketed by Benz as a “four door coupe”. Although this seems like a contradiction, once you see the 63 AMG for the first time, you realize that its sleek, sporty styling, while managing to fit itself into a four-door frame, rewrites the rules on both coupes and sport saloons.

Mercedes’ CLS lineup has been known for both its power, sportiness, and luxury, and the 63 AMG is the culmination and pinnacle for all three. Under the hood, the 63 AMG has a naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V8 engine that gets an insane 507 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. This power will get you a blazing-fast 4.3 seconds in the 0-60 test, a drop in 1.2 seconds from the closest model in its lineup, the CLS 550. However, all this power comes at a steep price: you’ll be looking at 12 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway, and that’s with premium gas.

The handling is a thrill as well. The AMG-tuned suspension also takes things to the next level, with stiffer shocks and stabilizer bars–controlling this car is a thing of beauty. Taking to the curves of the backroads gives you confidence and drives at a level which Steve Hammes calls, “Like a star athlete on game day.” The 7-speed automatic transmission comes with paddleshifters on the steering wheel and seems to shift slightly faster than the base CLS models.

Our test car came with the performance package, which rounded up the price another $9800. The package came with 19″ alloy wheels, a limited slip differential, larger front brakes, a track-calibrated suspension system, and a sport steering wheel. All AMG branded. And with this package, the speed limiter was raised from 155 to 186 mph.

The interior is a little less than expected out of a hundred-thousand dollar sports saloon, the electronics are outdated and the backseat feels a little cramped. But the 63 AMG is still luxurious, and one buys this car for the German engineering, the beauty of its exterior, and its incredible driving experience, not the minor gripes that can be found inside the cockpit.

And the CLS 63 AMG is no cheap car, either. The base 63 AMG starts at $97,950 while our test car, with that performance package, came in at $116,775. On either, though, tack on the steep $2600 gas guzzler tax charge.

Although the CLS models are on the cusp of a redesign, this year’s 63 AMG is an incredibly tempting and powerful marriage of luxury sedans and sport coupes that is hard to resist.

Porsche has a long and legendary history when it comes to sports cars, but new for 2010 is their first addition to the growing luxury sports sedan market: the Porsche Panamera. Our host, Jessi Lang, spent a week road testing and reviewing the Panamera 4S.

With a noticeably Porsche-esque front end, many of the Panamera’s design cues, especially the noticeable sloping roofline that rises toward a high back end, have more in common with the Cayenne than perhaps the Boxster or the 911.

Although the look might be decidedly different from Porsche’s norm, its powertrain is not. Our test car, the Panamera 4S, boasts a 4.8-Liter V8 engine with 400 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and does 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 175 mph. Fuel economy is decent, you retain 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. Not bad for a car that weighs nearly 5,500 pounds. The Panamera also uses a variant of its PDK dual-clutch transmission, one designed specifically for the Panamera in order to achieve a lower center of gravity.

Our test car’s interior is beautiful and high-tech as well as highly customizable, but also has a steep learning curve thanks to the dozens and dozens of dials and buttons that control every aspect of the car and its features. Digital gauges in the dashboard are classy and display all your pertinent information and then some. Hand-stitched leather seats and consoles really enhance the luxury aspect of the Panamera.

Be prepared, however, to spend a pretty penny on the Panamera. The base 4S model starts at $93,800 and our test car topped out at $114,515.

Other Links:

Porsche Panamera Forum

Porsche Panamera video on YouTube

Panamera pictures from the video shoot

Window sticker (Monroney Label) for our test car: 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S

The BMW X5 M has been a personal favorite of mine since I had the chance to take a lap around Pocono Raceway with it and needless to say, I was excited to see what correspondent Steve Hammes had to say about the 2010 X6 M. After a short time with the 2010 BMW X6 M, Steve came to the conclusion that it was one of the sexiest vehicle debuts in a long time.

The addition of the M to the X6 (dictating the BMW Motorsport division) does not disappoint, producing more power than most SUV drivers probably need with 555 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. The X6 M features a direct-injection, twin-turbo 4.4L V8 engine paired to a quick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. Off the line, the X6 M can do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, making you hard to beat for parking spots at the grocery store or at the school pick-up/drop-off line. Other additions to the X6 with the M moniker is the M-tuned XDrive AWD and M-tuned sport suspension.

With all of the pros of the X6 M, you still have to take the bad in the same package. The main downside here is the fuel economy as the premium fuel gets gobbled up, averaging 12 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. The price tag may also deter some buyers, but most enthusiasts who have been in a BMW M vehicle know they’ll love the vehicle enough to warrant the $95k+ as-tested price.

Want a green alternative to the X6 M? Check out the video review of the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid.

Like it? Hate it? Discuss it in our BMW X6 forum.

The new Porsche Panamera continues to show itself with very little camouflage. There are at least 13 Porsche Panameras testing around the San Francisco area this week and Roadfly staff photographer Alex Stack managed to take another group of pictures yesterday. Pictured below are the test mules at rest in a basement garage.

Porsche Panameras Under Car Covers

One of my first questions for Alex was, “Were you able to learn anything about the engines or transmissions?” Alex responded, “This (green) car was clearly a V8 with the PDK transmission. When the car pulled away the sound was nice and deep. Deeper than the 2009 911s I recently drove. None of the cars I’ve seen so far have been turbo-charged.”

When asked about the interior of the car Alex commented, “The Porsche engineers were fast to cover up the dash when I had the camera out. There was very nice black woodgrain from the radio rightward over the glove box area. The steering wheel had trademark Porsche PDK shifters.” Alex continued, “The front seating area is very cockpit like with a center console that sits rather high. The center console sort of reminded me of the Porsche Carrera GT. The driver and front passenger each have a very defined seating area.”

You can see that the rear lines of the Panamera are very Caymanish. The way the fenders bulge up and over the rear wheels… the seems for the rear hatch as it cuts through the rear bumper cover… Cayman styling ques for sure. Also notice the vents behind the rear wheels and the hood bulge which starts down in the front bumper cover area. All of which are very strong characteristics of a high performance grand touring sedan.

The test mule pictured here is equipped with Porsche’s Adaptive headlight technology. This active safety system basically turns the headlights into a turn as you’re turning the wheel. The system helps light the way around corners providing for a safer driving experience.

If you visually block out the large camouflage “whale tale” you can see that the rear spoiler is very similar to that found on a 911. The 911s spoiler raises and lowers at speed to provide better high speed stability and provide more downforce. It certainly makes sense that Porsche would utilize the same technology in the Panamera.

Through the wheels, the optional PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Braking) system is clearly visible. The calipers are not painted bright yellow but these are definitely ceramic disks. The key advantage to Porsche’s PCCB brake system is the 50% unsprung weight savings which provides for greater performance both on the track and the street.

The pictured test mule has Continental Snow Tires mounted. The sizes are:

• Front 255/40 R20 Continental
• Rear 285/40 R20 Continental

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For more commentary about the new Porsche Panamera please visit the Porsche Panamera Forum

Update 10/31/08 @ 3:40 PM EST: Just added more than 100 hi-res photos of the Porsche Panamera GT

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If you’re in the market for a car that is both sporty and luxurious at a good price, look no more because the 2nd generation 2008 Infiniti G35 S sedan is most likely the car for you. For a reasonable starting price of $33,050 (as-tested price of $37,000), the G35 S makes sure the buyer gets the best bang for their buck. Available amenities include RearView Monitor, a touch screen, hard drive-based navigation system, and an impressive audio setup by Bose. And, luckily, with today’s high gas prices, practical meets performance underneath the hood. Surprisingly, the G35 S does not gouge at the gas pump, still getting 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway even with the 6-speed manual transmission paired to the 3.5L V6 engine that produces 306 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm.

But, enough talk. If you want to know more about the handling, interior, styling, and available features, you’ll have to watch the 2008 Infiniti G35 S Video:

Click here for more car review videos on YouTube.