Shootout: 2016 Audi S7 vs. 2016 Tesla Model S 90D

Gasoline versus electric, the old world versus the new -- these primal conflicts play out in the automotive landscape of today. Perfectly embodying each side of this struggle sit the Audi S7 and the Tesla Model S 90D.
Tesla represents the future, a window into how the average driver will experience the road in five or 10 years. Its Model S eschews legacy, automatically turning on when you get in. A 4G/LTE data connection comes standard, connecting the car to Tesla for periodic software updates and letting drivers navigate with Google maps, listen to Internet-based radio stations and even browse the Web. Favoring a giant touchscreen in the cabin, the dashboard is essentially bare of buttons.
Audi still builds engines that burn fossil fuel, but the company brings cutting edge engineering to the S7. This car's twin turbocharged V-8 and seven-speed dual clutch transmission strive for maximum efficiency and power. Its cabin shows old-world automotive craftsmanship, using diamond-pattern leather covering seats that embrace the driver. Carbon fiber trim elements work as a modern sign of performance.

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The Audi S7 and Tesla Model S 90D not only come in similar four-door hatchback body styles, they match up in both performance and price. Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow

Despite these differences, the Tesla Model S 90D and Audi S7 bear striking similarities. Both add a hatchback for increased cargo versatility to their sleek, four-door sedan bodies. The S7 includes Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system while the Model S 90D gains all-wheel drive with two electric motors. Automatically adjusting air suspension lends to ride comfort and handling performance in both cars.
The S7 even matches the Model S 90D with its own 4G/LTE data connection, and also shows Google-derived maps in its navigation system.
The Audi has two siblings, the A7 and RS7, while the Model S can be had as the lesser 70D or more aggressive P90D Plus. We chose the S7 and Model S 90D partially due to how well they match up in price. The S7 starts at about $83,000 while the Model S 90D goes for $88,000. Add in options, and both cars we tested come to around $95,000.
Pitting the S7 and Model S 90D against each other, we considered how it would be to live with each as a daily driver, how they handled on a race track, and the pure acceleration of a drag race.

Road-worthy

Where the S7 makes you hit a start button to fire up the engine, the Model S 90D exhibits its future-forward style by readying itself to go as soon as you enter the car. And lacking a transmission tunnel, the Model S cabin feels light and airy, offering elbow room and little barrier between the driver and passengers. The S7 may have premium cabin appointments, but its seats feel a little more cramped, cocooning you among its controls and trim.