Audi A7 Sportback vs BMW 6 Series Gran Tourismo vs Mercedes-Benz CLS Class: which one is the best value for money?

By Chad Luckhoff

We compare the trims, options and technology in the Audi A7 against the offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

 

The Audi A7 Sportback is an appealing option for the consumer looking for a vehicle that can accommodate 4 adults, their luggage and munch up the miles, but one that isn't an SUV. We compare the A7 Sportback against the BMW 6 Series and the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

The SUV market is the largest and fastest growing segment in the motoring sector and has been for a few years. We've started seeing the decline of sedans and sports coupes and virtually every manufacturer has, over the last few years, contemplated pulling the plug on their four-door, three-box design sedan offerings – some have already started doing this.

Despite this, there is still a fair contingent that keeps the D- and E-segment sedan market alive, but their choices are nowhere near as varied as they once were.

The appeal of a lift-back Sportback is understandable and one only needs to look at the introduction of the BMW 6 Series GT and the Mercedes-Benz CLS to see that it's clearly a market the manufacturers deem worth pandering to.

 

Audi A7 Sportback

With the local launch of the second generation Audi A7 due for late 2019, the current generation A7 sees itself in a rather strange position. No new orders for the A7 are being taken and this means two things; availability is rather limited and the stock that is available may not necessarily be to your desired specification level – a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it scenario. This will mean that finding the perfect combination of options may prove near impossible.

The second point is the one that glosses over the former in that the pricing may be rather competitive and dealers will be keen to structure a good deal on the current generation A7 as they make way for the impending arrival of the new model.

While you may be sitting with a slightly dated model in terms of technology and development, the A7 is still a rather new design having only been with us since 2010. You will still get creature comforts such as four-zone climate control, Audi MMI infotainment system with navigation, interior and exterior lighting package, leather upholstery, parking aid plus and reverse camera. 

The exterior will have, at minimum, LED headlights and taillights, 20-inch alloy wheels and Audi's famed quattro system.

You have the choice of two engines in the A7; a 3.0-litre TDI or a 3.0-litre BiTurbo petrol engine making 200 and 235 kW respectively. The fuel consumption comes in at a claimed 5.2l/100km in the diesel and a 6.1l/100km in the BiTurbo petrol, both on the combined cycle. Torque figures rest at 590 Nm for the diesel and a stout 650 Nm for the petrol.

The pricing for the TDI starts at R1 080 000 and the petrol derivative starts at R1 190 500. Naturally, pricing will vary depending on the spec level of the car you are interested in and which optional extras have been fitted.

 

BMW 6 Series GT

Competing with the Audi A7 Sportback is the BMW 6 Series Gran Tourismo. While the 6 Series was always known to be the two-door sports offering, the Gran Tourismo adds two additional doors and provides a lift-back storage solution that opens up to a cavernous boot. This model replaces the 5 Series Gran Tourismo with the 8 Series touted as being the 6 Series coupe replacement.

Introduced in 2017, the 6 Series is a newer model and as it is still in production, can be configured to suit your individual tastes. 

Also available with either a 3.0-litre turbodiesel in the 630d or a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol in the 640i, the 6 Series GT offers the option of either all-wheel drive in the 640i or rear-wheel drive in the 630d.

The 630d produces 195 kW and 620 Nm with a claimed, combined fuel consumption figure of 5.6l/100km. Alternatively, the 640i churns out 250 kW and 450 Nm of torque with a claimed consumption figure of 8.5l/100km on the combined cycle.

Pricing starts at R1 127 316 for the 630d GT and R1 168 188 for the 640i GT in standard guise with the Luxury Line, Sport Line and M Sport models increasing these figures.

The ground-breaking technology comes at a premium as part of the options available and a fully kitted out 640i could push you over the R1.7mil mark.

 

Mercedes-Benz CLS

The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is now in its third iteration having been completely reworked. The latest version broke ground in 2018, featuring the companies latest design language and technology.

Low sales volumes in the past means that there are only three variations of the CLS-Class available locally, all of which run the same 2.9-litre turbodiesel engine. You can choose from the vanilla CLS400d 4Matic, CLS400d 4Matic AMG-Line or the CLS400d 4Matic First Edition, each one offering a slightly different standard spec level, look and feel.

The 2.9-litre turbodiesel engine produces 250 kW and an impressive 700 Nm torque for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint of 5-seconds dead. This makes it the most powerful of the three offerings despite the lack of a petrol-powered option.

Technology, as with the other two, is largely dependent on the options list boxes that one checks at the time of ordering. Standard fare sees LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, 18-inch alloys, lane keep assist and cruise control fitted. Innovative items such as the Driving Assistance Package, Multibeam LED headlights and widescreen cockpit are additional options that bump the price up significantly.

These will take the car from a base price of R1 194 834 for the standard version and R1 234 834 for the AMG-Line and thrust it closer to that R1.8mil price tag.

Verdict

The age and impending replacement of the A7 Sportback count against it in this comparison but if you are not too bothered with driving the latest and greatest offering in the segment, it could prove to be the most cost effective. You will be limited in choice, but the saving of a good few thousand Rands may make this an appealing proposition. Do keep in mind that when the time arrives to replace the A7, it will still be considered an older model with less support from the manufacturer.

Our personal pick would be the Mercedes-Benz as it offers the most power from a similar displacement and is newer than both the BMW and Audi and less likely to be replaced soon, thus retaining its value a little longer.