It is sometimes difficult to place the Audi Q7. It is not a serious off-roader, although you can take it off-road, to some extent. It is not the prettiest SUV, since it looks like a stylish potato wedge, but it undoubtedly has presence.
It is luxurious though and comes equipped with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive which is always a good thing, come tarmac or gravel. And what it can do, and do rather well, is to carry five people in supreme comfort, perhaps even with two little people in the back. At least Audi is honest regarding those two rear seats as it claims there is only enough space for occupants pushing the bar up to 1,60 metres, which sounds about right.
And yes there is enough luggage space (if the third row is folded down) and once you fold the second and third row of seats down you can easily fit in a surfboard, for example. But the buyer won’t be sitting in the back, he will be behind the steering wheel and it is here where the most notable differences with this facelifted model can be experienced best.
As part of Audi’s downsizing policy it has introduced a new V6 petrol derivative to the Q7 line-up. Positioned between the V6’s two banks of three cylinders is a supercharger that helps to bumps power and torque to 245 kW and 440 N.m, respectively. Those in the know will immediately recognise these figures, as the same engine is found in the S4 performance saloon. Obviously the Q7 can’t be as dynamically orientated as the S4, but still, this engine makes the Q7 feel a whole lot lighter than its 2 262 kg as tested weight suggests.
Apart from the new engine, there is now also eight gear ratios to play with. Yes, that is a lot, but if you leave the gear lever in the normal drive mode, you will hardly know that it is shifting between them. Start using the paddles behind the steering wheel, however, and you might get a little frustrated as you enter a corner and need to pull the left paddle several times to get to second or third gear. But that is not what the gearbox is designed to do best. What does achieve is keeping the engine speed as low as possible as often as possible.
Our test car came with the standard 18-inch wheels. Yes, the optional 19- to 21-inch wheels (ranging from R5 250 to R37 250, depending on size and design) might look prettier, but after spending several hundred kilometres in the driver’s seat I wouldn’t opt for the bigger wheels, as the ride will undeniably get harsher. Even with the 18-inch wheels I was just about happy with the ride quality. It was still more sporty than comfy, which will definitely suit certain buyers.
Even though most Q7s are highly unlikely to see any heavy off-road use or gravel roads, I had a serious urge to at least tackle a twisty bit of gravel road during our test period. On this specific good gravel road the Q7 fared well. With Quattro permanent four-wheel drive traction was good, and even if you feel like switching the ESP off, you will come away impressed with the levels of grip this SUV puts down. An electronic differential lock also helps in this regard.
The current Audi Q7 range starts at R665 625 for the 3,0 TDI and this 3,0T FSI retails for R702 255. Since both feature forced induction, the engine’s characteristics are now closer than before. If you like driving big, luxurious SUV’s with enough power, but are horrified at the fuel bills of traditional V8 players in this segment, then the Q7 is more worthy of consideration now than ever before.
Look out for the full CAR magazine road test in the future.
