Audi Q7 Review

AUDI Q7

WHAT IS IT?

Now in its second generation, the Q7, Audi’s first foray into the SUV market, has been with us since since 2006 and has become quite a favourite amongst families who require a proper 7-seater.

The new Q7 3.0 TDI quattro 272PS S line Tiptronic is slightly narrower and shorter than its predecessor, and weighs in at 325kg less than the original, so it should be cheaper to run and better to drive. It also shares VW Group's MLB platform with the Bentayga, Cayenne, Touareg and even the Lamborghini Urus, so it’s in good company.

ON THE ROAD

As you would expect with a car of this size and class, everything about it is effortless, from tootling around town to embarking on epically long journeys, the Q7 wafts you along with ease to where ever your desired destination may be.

It’s impressively quiet too, wind noise is very well suppressed, even at motorway speeds, and of course being a Quattro variant there’s oodles of grip for when you’re driving like a … well, let’s just say spirited! On the subject of cornering, this press car had the £2,000 adaptive air suspension option which kept it surprising flat and worked really well around tight corners. I know ‘worked really well’ isn’t really the best description, but I haven’t had the opportunity to drive a Q7 with normal suspension, so I can’t really compare, sorry.

Being the faster version of the 3.0ltr V6 diesel with 268bhp, it accelerates effortlessly and relentlessly to reach 60mph in 6.5 second and carries on to reach 145mph, I’m told. It’s all quite civilised too, there’s no punch in the back like you experience with some cars, this is helped by the 8-speed automatic gearbox which works seamlessly to the point that you just don’t notice it. Yet, it also manages to return between 44 and 50mpg (on 19”-20” wheels) on a combined cycle, though admittedly I was averaging somewhere in the late thirties.

To aid consumption, at speed, when you back off the accelerator the gearbox disengages the engine and allows the Q7 to freewheel benefiting fuel consumption and reducing noise, not that you’ll notice this as, as I wrote above, it’s all pretty seamless.

The day before it was due to go back I needed to take it on one last adventure, so I woke up particularly early and drove to Wales, as you do. My favourite route from Lancashire is along the M56 and A494 towards Ruthin, then the B5105 to Cerrigydrudion and onto the ‘Evo Triangle’.

From the outside the Q7 is a huge lump of a thing, but you wouldn’t know it when throwing it around corners, the air suspension and an array of electrical goodies keep everything stable and under control, whilst the 8 Speed tiptronic gearbox always has the right ratio. To drive the Q7 along some of the best roads I know was an utter joy.

OFF ROAD

Of course, the Q7 isn’t a 4x4 in the traditional sense, but the Quattro system handled itself well on all the dodgy surfaces I drove it over, including wet grass, which is every 4x4’s nemesis.

Once you select ‘Off Road’ the adaptive air suspension rises by a small amount, which helps with ground clearance, approach and departure angles and proved quite useful at avoiding some of the bigger rocks that litter one of my favourite green-lanes.

I’m not going to say that it offered up a magic-carpet ride whilst tackling these sorts of roads, but ironed them out better than the Volvo XC90 did.

Fitted with a quality set of winter tyres I reckon you’ll be pleasantly surprised where the Q7 can take you, and would make a great family tourer for those who find themselves in some fairly inhospitable places.

INTERIOR

Up front it’s lovely with plenty of space and a large expanse in between you and your passenger, it isn’t exactly what I would call inspiring, but it’s pleasant enough. It’s a nice space in which you can while alway the hours in comfort as you cruise across continents, or nip to Asda for a loaf and some milk, your choice.

The Q7 comes packed with all the usual driving aids and features that you’d expect on a £60k SUV. The dash layout is clean and simple and the full marks for the popup screen instead of simply sticking an iPad wannabe in the middle of the dash. I particularly like Audi's fantastic Virtual Cockpit 12.3in screen which is in place of the traditional analogue instruments.

Rear seat passengers also have it easy, you could have a party back and no one would notice! The 6th and 7th passengers will be fine too, as long as they don’t have long legs.

Full loaded with people, there’s 770ltrs of space in in the boot, but with all the seats lowered you have a massive 1955ltrs of space. That’s enough to have a couple of 6ft2”, 19stone buffoons lay side by side. And if the said buffoon want to sit up, well there’s enough height for that, too.

CONCLUSION

On first impressions, when the Q7 arrived at Muddy Towers I have to admit that I wasn’t overly keen. Maybe because it was resplendent in brown, which to be fair isn’t the most inspirational of colours (though it’s better than primer grey I guess), or perhaps it was its sheer size and shape, don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, after a week the Q7 had certainly grown on me, everything about it was effortless (that word again), and I enjoyed every mile we took together.

£57,770 (£72,325 with options) https://www.audi.co.uk