Used Audi A7 Sportback (2010-2018)

Traditionally, buyers in the market for a large car had little choice but to buy a dull-looking saloon, such as the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series or Audi A6.

But since carmakers decided that the creation of ever more niches is the way to capture customers from each other, that’s no longer the case. Each of those cars now has an alternative, a more distinctive version. The Mercedes CLS offers the sporty styling of a coupé, while the BMW 5 Series GT promises the extra practicality of a hatchback. The Audi A7 was launched in 2010 with the aim of offering both: a swooping design, but with a practical hatchback boot.

The A7 certainly looks sporty, but that style does come with a cost - its sloping roofline comes at the expense of rear headroom. Other than that, there’s plenty of space for occupants, front and rear, to stretch out. The boot is quite shallow, with a low, hard cover, but long when the rear seats are folded down flat. It’s easier to access than a saloon, too.

So the Audi is good looking and practical but it’s also pretty quick, whichever engine buyers choose – and those opting for the high-performance (and very expensive) S7 and RS7  versions will bag themselves very quick cars (0-62 in 4.6 and 3.7 seconds, respectively).

Meanwhile, at the other extreme is the ‘basic’, but still impressive, 3.0 TDI Ultra. In fact, almost all the engines, bar those in the two performance versions, are efficient 3.0-litre diesels (there were 2.8 FSI petrol cars on sale until November 2012, plus a 3.0 TFSI model). The Ultra is the most economical (62.8mpg) but still does 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds. It’s our pick of the range.

Most versions are quattro four-wheel drive but even the front-wheel-drive cars have decent grip and handle well, although not quite as well as the Mercedes CLS. Every version has a Drive Select system that allows drivers to adjust the suspension and steering to suit their taste (and the road conditions).

Be wary of those versions with the larger wheels: they spoil the ride, so you might need to either look for something with smaller wheels (which were a no-cost option) or factor in the cost of fitting smaller wheels (which you can offset by selling the larger ones). An adaptive air suspension was also available as an optional extra, so if you can find a car fitted with that, it does improve the ride quality

Audi interiors are generally stylish and beautifully put together – and the A7’s is no exception. Indeed, as one of Audi’s flagship models, it was state-of-the-art when launched. Still, the dash looks great, and all the controls are robust and operate with real precision. The acoustic windscreen helps suppress wind noise but it was only one feature in a standard equipment list that stretched to a sat-nav, heated leather front seats and a powered bootlid.