The 2022 Audi A7 stands out as a luxury car that not only promises performance and style but also prioritizes safety. For prospective buyers and automotive enthusiasts alike, understanding the safety ratings of a vehicle is crucial. This article delves into the safety performance of the 2022 Audi A7, drawing from rigorous testing and evaluation criteria to provide a comprehensive overview.
The ratings discussed here are based on tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a highly respected organization known for its stringent vehicle safety evaluations. These ratings apply to the Audi A7 4-door hatchback, redesigned for the 2019 model year and continuing through the 2022 models. Notably, these ratings are also relevant to the structurally similar Audi A6 sedan and A6 allroad.
Let’s break down the performance of the 2022 Audi A7 across various crash test scenarios.
Small Overlap Front: Driver-Side
The small overlap front crash test is designed to simulate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or a stationary object like a tree or pole. This is a particularly challenging test because it bypasses the main energy-absorbing structures of the vehicle.
In the driver-side small overlap test, the 2022 Audi A7 earns a Good rating, the highest possible. This “Good” rating extends across all critical aspects of the test:
- Overall Evaluation: Good
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good
- Driver Injury Measures:
- Head/Neck: Good
- Chest: Good
- Hip/Thigh: Good
- Lower Leg/Foot: Acceptable
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good
The technical measurements from this test further illustrate the robust safety performance. For instance, occupant compartment intrusion was minimal, with a maximum of 4 cm intrusion at the lower hinge pillar and 7 cm at the footrest. Driver injury measures were also favorable, with low risk of injury across all body regions.
Small Overlap Front: Passenger-Side
The passenger-side small overlap test mirrors the driver-side test but evaluates the protection offered to the front passenger.
Similar to the driver-side, the 2022 Audi A7 achieves a Good rating in the passenger-side small overlap test. The detailed ratings are as follows:
- Overall Evaluation: Good
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good
- Passenger Injury Measures:
- Head/Neck: Good
- Chest: Good
- Hip/Thigh: Good
- Lower Leg/Foot: Acceptable
- Passenger Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Acceptable. The report notes that during the test, the dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled to the right. However, the side curtain airbag deployed effectively, providing sufficient head protection.
- Driver Injury Measures: While the test primarily focuses on the passenger side, driver injury measures are also assessed in this scenario, and they are all rated as Good.
- Head/Neck: Good
- Chest: Good
- Hip/Thigh: Good
- Lower Leg/Foot: Good
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good
The passenger-side test also showed minimal occupant compartment intrusion and low injury measures for both passenger and driver dummies.
Moderate Overlap Front: Original Test
The moderate overlap front test involves 40% of the vehicle’s front width impacting a deformable barrier at 40 mph. This test is representative of a common type of frontal collision.
The 2022 Audi A7 once again earns a Good rating in the moderate overlap front test.
- Overall Evaluation: Good
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good
- Driver Injury Measures:
- Head/Neck: Good
- Chest: Good
- Leg/Foot, Left: Good
- Leg/Foot, Right: Good
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Good
Technical measurements indicate very low footwell intrusion and minimal movement of the steering column and instrument panel, contributing to the “Good” driver injury ratings.
Side: Original Test
The side impact test simulates a vehicle being struck by another vehicle in a typical intersection crash.
The 2022 Audi A7 achieves a Good rating in the side crash test, showing strong protection for occupants in side impact scenarios.
- Overall Evaluation: Good
- Structure and Safety Cage: Good
- Driver Injury Measures:
- Head/Neck: Good
- Torso: Good
- Pelvis/Leg: Good
- Driver Head Protection: Good
- Rear Passenger Injury Measures:
- Head/Neck: Good
- Torso: Good
- Pelvis/Leg: Good
- Rear Passenger Head Protection: Good
Measurements from the side impact test reveal minimal intrusion into the occupant compartment and low injury measures for both front and rear occupants.
Roof Strength
The roof strength test evaluates the roof’s ability to protect occupants in a rollover crash.
The 2022 Audi A7 earns a Good rating for roof strength. It demonstrated a strength-to-weight ratio of 5.39, meaning it can withstand a force of more than five times its own weight before significant roof crush.
- Overall Evaluation: Good
Head Restraints & Seats
This evaluation assesses the geometry and dynamic performance of the seats and head restraints in preventing neck injuries in rear-end collisions.
| Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | G |
| Seat/head restraint geometry | G |
The 2022 Audi A7’s power leather seats receive a Good rating in this category. Both the dynamic rating and seat/head restraint geometry are rated as “Good,” indicating effective protection against whiplash in rear impacts.
Headlights
Headlight performance is critical for nighttime safety. The IIHS evaluates headlight effectiveness in providing adequate illumination while minimizing glare for oncoming drivers.
The 2022 Audi A7 is evaluated with two different headlight variations, associated with different trim levels:
Premium Plus and Prestige trims
- Low-beam headlight type: LED projector
- High-beam headlight type: LED projector
- Curve-adaptive?: No
- High-beam assist?: Yes
- Overall rating: Acceptable (A)
These LED projector headlights achieve an Acceptable rating. While offering good visibility on straightaways and gradual curves, visibility was rated as fair on sharper curves. The high-beam assist feature compensates for some limitations of the low beams.
Premium trim
- Low-beam headlight type: LED reflector
- High-beam headlight type: LED reflector
- Curve-adaptive?: No
- High-beam assist?: Yes
- Overall rating: Acceptable (A)
The LED reflector headlights on the Premium trim also receive an Acceptable rating. Similar to the projector headlights, they provide good straightaway visibility but have some limitations on curves. High-beam assist again helps to mitigate these limitations.
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle
Front crash prevention systems are designed to automatically brake the vehicle to mitigate or avoid frontal collisions.
The 2022 Audi A7 comes standard with “Audi Pre Sense Front,” a front crash prevention system.
- Overall evaluation: Superior
The “Audi Pre Sense Front” system earns a Superior rating. In IIHS tests at 12 mph and 25 mph, the system successfully avoided collisions, demonstrating its effectiveness in preventing vehicle-to-vehicle front crashes.
Front Crash Prevention: Pedestrian (Day)
Pedestrian crash prevention systems aim to detect pedestrians and automatically brake to avoid or reduce the severity of pedestrian collisions.
- System details: Standard Pre sense front
- Overall evaluation: Superior
The pedestrian front crash prevention system on the 2022 Audi A7 also receives a Superior rating. It performed exceptionally well in tests involving crossing children and adults, as well as a parallel adult scenario. In many scenarios, the system avoided collisions entirely or significantly reduced impact speed.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH)
The ease of use of LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) systems for installing child safety seats is evaluated.
- Overall Evaluation: Good
The LATCH system in the 2022 Audi A7 is rated as Good. It has two rear seating positions with complete LATCH hardware and an additional position with a tether anchor. The lower anchors are easy to locate and maneuver around, contributing to the “Good” rating.
Conclusion
The 2022 Audi A7 demonstrates a strong commitment to safety, achieving top ratings in critical crash tests conducted by the IIHS. It earned “Good” ratings in all six crashworthiness evaluations, including the challenging small overlap front tests, moderate overlap front test, side impact, and roof strength. Its front crash prevention systems also received “Superior” ratings for both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian scenarios. While headlight performance is rated as “Acceptable,” the overall safety profile of the 2022 Audi A7 is undeniably impressive, making it a top contender for safety-conscious buyers in the luxury car segment.
For more detailed information about these tests and ratings, you can visit the IIHS website and search for Audi A7 safety evaluations.
