Compare the2023 Audi A7VS 2023 Cadillac CT5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac CT5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The CT5 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A7 and CT5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The CT5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The A7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CT5 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A7. But it costs extra on the CT5.

Both the A7 and the CT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Audi A7 weighs 505 to 1114 pounds more than the Cadillac CT5. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A7 is safer than the Cadillac CT5:

	A7	CT5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	174 lbs.	209 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	57 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	20 inches
Hip Force	514 lbs.	558 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A7 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 89 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CT5 has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The A7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the CT5’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 7 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

The A7’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 98 more horsepower (335 vs. 237) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 258) than the CT5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A7 is faster than the Cadillac CT5 turbo 4 cyl.:

	A7	CT5
Zero to 60 MPH	4.9 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.7 MPH	91.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A7 gets better mileage than the CT5:

			MPG
A7
	AWD	55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	21 city/30 hwy
CT5
	RWD	3.0 turbo V6	19 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6	18 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the A7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CT5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The A7 has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the CT5 (19.3 vs. 17.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The A7 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CT5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The CT5 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A7’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the CT5:

	A7	CT5
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.4 inches

The A7’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the CT5 are solid, not vented.

The A7 stops much shorter than the CT5:

	A7	CT5
70 to 0 MPH	157 feet	169 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A7 has larger tires than the CT5 (255/40R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The A7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CT5’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A7 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the CT5. The A7 55 TFSI Prestige’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the CT5.

The A7 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CT5; it requires you to depend on its optional run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A7 is 2.2 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than on the CT5.

The A7 55 TFSI Prestige handles at .93 G’s, while the CT5 Premium Luxury pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The A7 has .5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT5.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A7’s rear seats recline. The CT5’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the A7 has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The CT5 doesn’t offer a power trunk, so its trunk has to be closed manually.

Towing

The A7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CT5’s (3500 vs. 1000 pounds).

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the CT5 Premium Luxury/Sport, the A7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

If the windows are left open on the A7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the CT5 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A7 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The CT5 doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A7 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The CT5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CT5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The A7 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the CT5. The A7 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CT5.

The A7 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The CT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

The A7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the A7 will retain 41.94% to 42.65% of its original price after five years, while the CT5 only retains 41.65% to 41.68%.

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