Car and Driver says the Gran Coupe is just too expensive for what it is. It is beautiful inside and out but it can not back those looks up either. So we have an expensive and under-performing car that is more about style than substance. Isn't that what Audi used to be?
The 640i price came out to a whopping $105,695. Wow. Over $100k for a base model? The A7 starts $16,000 LESS to begin with. Even with options it came out to $67,170. That's a difference just shy of $40,000. This isn't a joke.
So how much better does the BMW perform for that huge price difference? Well, that's the problem, it doesn't perform better. The Audi at 4178 pounds with a supercharged 3.0 liter V6 outpaced the 640i considerably with a 13.7@103 in the 1/4 mile. The Gran Coupe did a 14.1@98 or in other words got spanked. The extra 5 horsepower the Gran Coupe has on paper sure did not show up on the drag strip. The BMW is heavier but only 115 pounds heavier and is not routing its power to all four wheels. The Audi motor is more impressive.
So acceleration is in the Audi's favor but what about handling? Close between the two with the Audi just edging the skidpad .90g to .89g and the BMW just edging the slalom 44.3 to 44.0. Basically a wash.
Car and Driver simply feels the A7 is the better car. It offers more leg room, more trunk space, better feedback, and better driving dynamics. My how things have changed.
Car and Driver summed it up well:
In the end, it wasn’t even close. An A7 with many of the BMW’s gizmos can still approach 85 large, but the 640i would’ve needed a standard flux capacitor to stage a comeback. The A7 isn’t perfect, but it does more with less, winning most of our subjective categories despite its lower price. It may not weaken the knees like the Gran Coupe, but it’s still exceedingly pretty. And it doesn’t exact as dear a toll for its beauty.
BMW simply isn't what it used to be or perhaps Audi is way better than it used to be. The truth is likely a bit of both.
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