Audi has operated the first facelift on the A7 Sportback, with the large five-door liftback getting a fresh look and updated technology. The most striking exterior changes involve the reshaped singleframe grille, new LED headlights and taillights, redesigned bumpers and tailpipes.

LED technology is now standard on all A7 Sportback models, with Matrix LED headlights available as an option. The latter also come equipped with dynamic turn signals at the front (standard at the rear).

On the inside, the A7 Sportback gets new materials including the aluminum/Beaufort walnut inlay and Valcona leather. New colors are available as well, with up to five seat colors to choose from.

In Europe, the facelifted Audi A7 Sportback is available with two gasoline and three diesel units with outputs ranging from 218PS (215hp) to 333PS (328hp). Among these there’s the new 3.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel engine producing 272PS (268 hp), which is also available in an “ultra” version with 218PS (215 hp) and front-wheel drive. In this configuration, the A7 Sportback averages just 4.7 l/100 km (50 mpg US), corresponding to CO2 emissions of 122 grams per kilometer.

The Audi S7 Sportback continues to be offered with the 4.0-liter biturbo V8 engine which has been uprated to 450PS (444hp) and features Cylinder on Demand (COD) technology. There is also a 3.0-liter TDI Biturbo Clean Diesel, which produces 320PS (316hp) and is mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission, while all other engine configurations have a 7-speed S Tronic transmission. In FWD models, the dual-clutch transmission has been fully redeveloped, replacing the Multitronic.

The refreshed A7 Sportback will arrive in dealerships in late summer 2014, with a base price of €51,300 ($70,100) in Germany. The Audi S7 Sportback starts from €82,300 ($112,463).

By Dan Mihalascu

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