[V8] A7

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I just read something on the Internet about what a swell car the A7 is.  I
am very fond of hatchbacks in general and think the auto industry is missing
the boat by not manufacturing more of them, and educating our dumbed down
population to think of their overall value instead of just running and
hiding from the whole concept.  The SUV is pure waste and overkill for the
majority of people driving them, and minivans have such an obnoxious
connotation, that the one-size-fits-all mentality in the US auto industry
(especially) irks me.  I would really like a car like the A7 which could
replace the aging 100CS and the V8, which for us might be an intelligent
choice.
 
The car is a terrific development by Audi, I guess.  Although I was pretty
well turned off by the ugly blunt nose that looks like a medeival battering
ram and by windows that look more like the observation ports of German WWII
coastal artillery observation posts.  What is it with the green houses on
cars being built today?  So many seem to look slab sided with these tiny
windows.  Is this the automotive design of a civilization become so fearful
of about everything, that cars must be near solid ingots of steel (and
plastic), enabling people to hide when inside?
 
And then, I looked at the performance specs and one thing stood out way
above the rest.  The fuel mileage.  I really don't care what the tax bracket
of people is, the cost of fuel over time is not an insignificant factor.
This pig...er...Audi, with its SIX cylinder turbocharged engine and EIGHT
SPEED transmission manages 22 miles per gallon.  And that is all the great
technological advances of Audi since the 1990 V8 was produced can develop?  
 
I think they are not half trying.  
 
I am not going to even visit the dealer to look at one close up. The
combination of things brought a vague feeling of unease in the pit of my
stomach.  Then I looked at the MSRP and saw that it is impossible to buy one
without dropping something north of sixty grand at the dealer.  
 
There is one word to use in considering this sort of foolishness:  NO.
 
Roger