It still does the basics brilliantly though. Despite being slightly narrower and shorter than the old Q7, there’s still room for seven inside, along with all their associated luggage.
An optional four-wheel steering system makes it more manoeuvrable at low speeds and more stable when you up the pace, while optional adaptive air suspension is well worth having for the cushioned ride and exceptional refinement.
Only one engine is available from launch – a quiet and powerful 268bhp 3.0-litre TDI, returning 47.9mpg and emitting 153g/km of CO2. A few months later a lower powered version with 215bhp will be available (returning 52.3mpg and 144g/km) for around £2,500 less.
Our choice: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line
Engines, performance and drive
4.7
It’s clear that Audi is targeting the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with the new Q7 because the driving experience is all about luxury.
With the optional adaptive air suspension fitted (designed to keep the body level at all times), the Q7 sails smoothly over even the bumpiest surfaces and would prove massively beneficial to anyone dodging potholes and speed humps on the school run. Annoyingly it used to be standard on the old car but is now only available as part of an option bundle which also includes a wide range of largely unnecessary driver aids.
Scroll up through the Audi drive select modes (or set you own individual parameters for steering, throttle and suspension in ‘Individual’ mode) and the Q7 is certainly more agile than its predecessor, and you can feel more of what is going on through the seat than ever before.
Image 2 of 35
Audi Q7 - rear cornering
Image 2 of 35
That’s largely thanks to its new MLB evo chassis that uses 71 per cent aluminium, combined with high-strength steels, and helps to cut 325kg from its predecessor’s kerb weight.
In Comfort mode the steering is still light and lacks feedback, but it’s far more willing to change direction and stability is rock solid at high speeds. That’s helped by a new four-wheel steering system, again optional, that turns the rear wheels by two degrees in parallel with the front wheels at high speeds.
At lower speeds they turn by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts, cutting the turning circle by a metre – and beating the current Audi A4.
This is a 4x4 you can drive incredibly quickly, too. Ramp things up to dynamic mode and the Q7 immediately feels more alert – it’s never harsh, but the body control is tauter, which gives you more confidence to push the car harder. Permanent quattro four-wheel drive gives excellent traction, too. The steering isn’t full of life, but there is some feel, and by flicking the smooth eight-speed auto box up and down with the steering wheel paddles, it’s a surprising amount of fun to hustle this big SUV around.
Image 1 of 35
Audi Q7 - front cornering
Image 1 of 35
Only one engine gearbox combination is available in the UK to begin with – a 268bhp 3.0 TDI with 600Nm of torque combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. That’s enough to propel the two-tonne Q7 from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, but such is the smoothness of the power delivery that accelerating hard is still a relaxing experience.
There's a lower power version of this engine with 215bhp and 500Nm that can still do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. However, in reality it feels a lot less punchy and is also slightly louder, emitting a distinctive diesel rattle under load. These problems certainly aren't worth the £2,350 saving on the list price and slighty superior 52.3mpg so we'd go for the higher power option. Anyway, those after outright economy should wait for the diesel-electric Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid with quoted economy and emissions figures of 166mpg and 50g/km.
The normal diesels each get an eight speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. On the whole it responds quickly to inputs and is very smooth - though on occasion it can cluck down into first when pulling up at a junction.
Although it’s not designed to match a Range Rover off-road, the Q7’s quattro system is more than capable of hauling it through a muddy field or up a slippery path. In normal operation it splits the torque 40/60 front/rear, but can send up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear axle if required.
In reality few Q7s will ever leave the road, and overall the car is very pleasing and relaxing to drive either in town or on the motorway. It helps that the seats are comfortable and that very little outside noise enters the cabin - all you really notice is a little wind whistle round the windscreen pillars at higher speed.
Audi Q7 review 2015
The Audi Q7 was first conceived back in 2005, when the first generation car debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s been a huge success for the brand – so much so that it has since spawned smaller Q5 and Q3 variants – as well as a second-generation model from 2015.
• Best SUVs on the market
Designed to rival the Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90 and BMW X5, the Q7 is a seven-seat SUV based on the new MLB Evo platform that will later underpin the next VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne models – as well as other front-engined Audis like the new A4 saloon.
Weighing an astonishing 325kg less than its predecessor, the Q7 is cheaper to run and better to drive than ever before. It’s the most technologically advanced Audi ever, and is able to brake, accelerate and steer itself at speeds of up to 37mph.
Image 7 of 35
Audi Q7 - front tracking
It still does the basics brilliantly though. Despite being slightly narrower and shorter than the old Q7, there’s still room for seven inside, along with all their associated luggage.
An optional four-wheel steering system makes it more manoeuvrable at low speeds and more stable when you up the pace, while optional adaptive air suspension is well worth having for the cushioned ride and exceptional refinement.
Only one engine is available from launch – a quiet and powerful 268bhp 3.0-litre TDI, returning 47.9mpg and emitting 153g/km of CO2. A few months later a lower powered version with 215bhp will be available (returning 52.3mpg and 144g/km) for around £2,500 less.
Our choice: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line
Engines, performance and drive
4.7
It’s clear that Audi is targeting the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with the new Q7 because the driving experience is all about luxury.
With the optional adaptive air suspension fitted (designed to keep the body level at all times), the Q7 sails smoothly over even the bumpiest surfaces and would prove massively beneficial to anyone dodging potholes and speed humps on the school run. Annoyingly it used to be standard on the old car but is now only available as part of an option bundle which also includes a wide range of largely unnecessary driver aids.
Scroll up through the Audi drive select modes (or set you own individual parameters for steering, throttle and suspension in ‘Individual’ mode) and the Q7 is certainly more agile than its predecessor, and you can feel more of what is going on through the seat than ever before.
Image 2 of 35
Audi Q7 - rear cornering
Image 2 of 35
That’s largely thanks to its new MLB evo chassis that uses 71 per cent aluminium, combined with high-strength steels, and helps to cut 325kg from its predecessor’s kerb weight.
In Comfort mode the steering is still light and lacks feedback, but it’s far more willing to change direction and stability is rock solid at high speeds. That’s helped by a new four-wheel steering system, again optional, that turns the rear wheels by two degrees in parallel with the front wheels at high speeds.
At lower speeds they turn by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts, cutting the turning circle by a metre – and beating the current Audi A4.
This is a 4x4 you can drive incredibly quickly, too. Ramp things up to dynamic mode and the Q7 immediately feels more alert – it’s never harsh, but the body control is tauter, which gives you more confidence to push the car harder. Permanent quattro four-wheel drive gives excellent traction, too. The steering isn’t full of life, but there is some feel, and by flicking the smooth eight-speed auto box up and down with the steering wheel paddles, it’s a surprising amount of fun to hustle this big SUV around.
Image 1 of 35
Audi Q7 - front cornering
Image 1 of 35
Only one engine gearbox combination is available in the UK to begin with – a 268bhp 3.0 TDI with 600Nm of torque combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. That’s enough to propel the two-tonne Q7 from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, but such is the smoothness of the power delivery that accelerating hard is still a relaxing experience.
There's a lower power version of this engine with 215bhp and 500Nm that can still do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. However, in reality it feels a lot less punchy and is also slightly louder, emitting a distinctive diesel rattle under load. These problems certainly aren't worth the £2,350 saving on the list price and slighty superior 52.3mpg so we'd go for the higher power option. Anyway, those after outright economy should wait for the diesel-electric Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid with quoted economy and emissions figures of 166mpg and 50g/km.
The normal diesels each get an eight speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. On the whole it responds quickly to inputs and is very smooth - though on occasion it can cluck down into first when pulling up at a junction.
Although it’s not designed to match a Range Rover off-road, the Q7’s quattro system is more than capable of hauling it through a muddy field or up a slippery path. In normal operation it splits the torque 40/60 front/rear, but can send up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear axle if required.
In reality few Q7s will ever leave the road, and overall the car is very pleasing and relaxing to drive either in town or on the motorway. It helps that the seats are comfortable and that very little outside noise enters the cabin - all you really notice is a little wind whistle round the windscreen pillars at higher speed.
It still does the basics brilliantly though. Despite being slightly narrower and shorter than the old Q7, there’s still room for seven inside, along with all their associated luggage.
An optional four-wheel steering system makes it more manoeuvrable at low speeds and more stable when you up the pace, while optional adaptive air suspension is well worth having for the cushioned ride and exceptional refinement.
Only one engine is available from launch – a quiet and powerful 268bhp 3.0-litre TDI, returning 47.9mpg and emitting 153g/km of CO2. A few months later a lower powered version with 215bhp will be available (returning 52.3mpg and 144g/km) for around £2,500 less.
Our choice: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line
Engines, performance and drive
4.7
It’s clear that Audi is targeting the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with the new Q7 because the driving experience is all about luxury.
With the optional adaptive air suspension fitted (designed to keep the body level at all times), the Q7 sails smoothly over even the bumpiest surfaces and would prove massively beneficial to anyone dodging potholes and speed humps on the school run. Annoyingly it used to be standard on the old car but is now only available as part of an option bundle which also includes a wide range of largely unnecessary driver aids.
Scroll up through the Audi drive select modes (or set you own individual parameters for steering, throttle and suspension in ‘Individual’ mode) and the Q7 is certainly more agile than its predecessor, and you can feel more of what is going on through the seat than ever before.
Image 2 of 35
Audi Q7 - rear cornering
Image 2 of 35
That’s largely thanks to its new MLB evo chassis that uses 71 per cent aluminium, combined with high-strength steels, and helps to cut 325kg from its predecessor’s kerb weight.
In Comfort mode the steering is still light and lacks feedback, but it’s far more willing to change direction and stability is rock solid at high speeds. That’s helped by a new four-wheel steering system, again optional, that turns the rear wheels by two degrees in parallel with the front wheels at high speeds.
At lower speeds they turn by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts, cutting the turning circle by a metre – and beating the current Audi A4.
This is a 4x4 you can drive incredibly quickly, too. Ramp things up to dynamic mode and the Q7 immediately feels more alert – it’s never harsh, but the body control is tauter, which gives you more confidence to push the car harder. Permanent quattro four-wheel drive gives excellent traction, too. The steering isn’t full of life, but there is some feel, and by flicking the smooth eight-speed auto box up and down with the steering wheel paddles, it’s a surprising amount of fun to hustle this big SUV around.
Image 1 of 35
Audi Q7 - front cornering
Image 1 of 35
Only one engine gearbox combination is available in the UK to begin with – a 268bhp 3.0 TDI with 600Nm of torque combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. That’s enough to propel the two-tonne Q7 from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, but such is the smoothness of the power delivery that accelerating hard is still a relaxing experience.
There's a lower power version of this engine with 215bhp and 500Nm that can still do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. However, in reality it feels a lot less punchy and is also slightly louder, emitting a distinctive diesel rattle under load. These problems certainly aren't worth the £2,350 saving on the list price and slighty superior 52.3mpg so we'd go for the higher power option. Anyway, those after outright economy should wait for the diesel-electric Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid with quoted economy and emissions figures of 166mpg and 50g/km.
The normal diesels each get an eight speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. On the whole it responds quickly to inputs and is very smooth - though on occasion it can cluck down into first when pulling up at a junction.
Although it’s not designed to match a Range Rover off-road, the Q7’s quattro system is more than capable of hauling it through a muddy field or up a slippery path. In normal operation it splits the torque 40/60 front/rear, but can send up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear axle if required.
In reality few Q7s will ever leave the road, and overall the car is very pleasing and relaxing to drive either in town or on the motorway. It helps that the seats are comfortable and that very little outside noise enters the cabin - all you really notice is a little wind whistle round the windscreen pillars at higher speed.
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