2014 Audi A7 Earns 3rd Consecutive Automobile All-Star Award

Although it still may be hard for some folks to call the 2014 Audi A7 anything but a sedan, there should be no problems describing it as an all-star. After all, this year marks the third in a row that Automobile Magazine has selected the A7 line for its annual All-Star team, with the A7 itself earning the publication's top prize three years ago. Then, as each succeeding year has seen the four-rings brand add more variants to the A7 portfolio, the publication has included the new model among the All-Star representatives. As a result, the 2014 Audi A7 shares its prize with the S7 and RS 7.

The bottom line from this year's selection committee: "The Audi A7 was our 2012 Automobile of the Year, and as Audi’s sleek four-door 'coupe' adds ever more powerful versions, it continues to epitomize the qualities that have made Audi one of the leading luxury brands—sophistication, style, substance, and comfort. It’s equally wonderful to look at, to sit in, and to drive. To all that, the 560-hp Audi RS 7 model, which debuts for 2014, adds one more worthy quality: menacing performance."

Of course, the fact of the matter is that the 2014 Audi A7 comes in four different flavors, each with their own distinctive advantages … .

2014 Audi A7: Powertrain Portfolio

The entry point to the 2014 Audi A7 lineup, the standard A7, starts at $64,500 and includes an anything-but-standard array of premium features, including Audi MMI Navigation (with voice control), MMI "touch" tech (that can recognize handwritten commands), and MMI audio (with 10 speakers and AM/FM/CD/MP3 playback). The A7 actually provides two different driving experiences, however, with its MSRP covering the driver's choice of two powerplants: a supercharged 3.0-liter V6, capable of 310 hp, 325 lb.-ft. of torque, and EPA grades of 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway/21 mpg combined, or a similarly sized TDI engine that serves up 240 hp, 428 lb.-ft. of torque, and a stellar fuel-economy line of 24/38/29. (Also, Vincentric recently named the 2014 Audi A7 TDI the Best Value in America in the Premium Large Sedan category.)

Drivers can choose from a pair of performance-oriented models, too, in the S7 and the RS 7. The former ups the ante with a supercharged V8 engine capable of transforming 4.0 liters of displacement into 420 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque, enough to lower 0-60 times to 4.5 seconds and raise the top speed to 155 mph. At the top of the 2014 Audi A7 range in the RS 7, which turbocharges its 4.0-liter V8 to produce 560 horses, 516 lb.-ft. of torque, 0-60 sprint times of 3.7 seconds and a terminal velocity of 174 mph.

And all models of the 2014 Audi A7 are on sale now.