Just as the new Audi Q7 huge seven seat SUV arrived at my doorstep for road testing so news of the Volkswagen Group ‘dieselgate’ scandal broke.
Subsequent information appears to show that Audi Q7s past and new are not involved and so far it is unlikely to involve this new model as it has a Euro6 compliant V6 engine and not one of the EA 189 EU5 1.6 and 2.0-litre Euro5 VW family group diesel units which are. Around 11-million VW Group vehicles (cars and vans) will need rectifying, of which 2.1-million are Audis. In the UK VW Group has announced 1.2-million cars will be re-called and around a third of them are Audi models
What affect on the global sales of VW Group brands the emissions issue has remains to be seen? Probably in the UK with the Q7 not much, but one of its main markets is the USA where the ‘dieselgate’ scandal started so that could be a very different and costly story – time will tell but the word ‘compensation is already being widely used by ‘legal eagles’ and the financial and motoring media. Over 36% of the value of VW Group shares has already been lost.
Ten years ago Audi entered the SUV 4x 4 markets with the original huge Q7 although they already had quattro all wheel drive saloon and estate models in their line-up. Since 2005 over half a million Q7s have been sold globally but the mainstay of their expanding SUV sales have been with the smaller Q3 and Q5 models and there is a smaller Q1 range due sometime next year.
Now the new Q7 is with us and it’s all new from the ground up. It is a shade smaller but still a seven-seater, but a lot lighter to the tune of a massive 325kg, equivalent Audi says to the weight of a grand piano.
So will the new Q7 be sweet music to customer’s ears? Well in its class the price, given all the technologies and build refinement, is competitive with the current starting price of £50,340 for the SE version and £53,835 for the best selling S line as it undercuts the Range Rover Sport. Initially the Q7 is available with a 3.0-litre, 272hp V6 TDI turbodiesel engine mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and of course quattro all wheel drive. But the range starter price will drop shortly as ordering has started for 3.0-litre 218hp V6 models which again have auto transmission and quattro drive and costs £47,755 for the SE and £51,250 for the S line.
Later this year Audi will add a plug-in 3.0-litre diesel/electric hybrid Q7 e tron model to the line-up giving up to 166mpg with CO2 emissions of 46g/km. Total power output is 373hp with 700Nm of torque. Top speed is 140mph with zero to 62mph taking 6.0-seconds and the vehicle can drive 34.8-miles on electric power only. The electric motor is positioned within the eight-speed auto gearbox and the vehicle has quattro all wheel drive as standard. As yet no prices have been disclosed but with the Government’s plug-in vehicle £5,000 grant and advantageous Benefit-in-Kind tax costs it will appeal to company car executives.
As for sales Audi still expects the new Q7 to exceed the 4,000 units sold annually until now in the UK. For reference their compact Q3 sold 14,600 units last year in the UK and the Q5 8,200 units.
Standard specification for the new Q7 includes MMI Navigation Plus with MMI Touch, Audi Connect, Drive Select, Keyless Go, auto parking system and a powered tailgate. Audi Connect brings internet-based services to the car via a 4G connection and also creates a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot enabling occupants to go online using handheld devices.
The S line adds all weather LED headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, leather upholstery with sports style front seats and S line sports body design enhancements and detailed trim additions. The rear seats can be folded electrically by the use of an appropriate button and where the adjustable height suspension option is taken this can be used to adjust the loading height by lowering the vehicle.
The long list of options includes Audi’s highly recommended virtual cockpit at £600, all wheel steering which reduces the turning circle and is supposed to enhance high speed cornering at £1,100, the £2,655 Dynamic Pack which includes the desirable air suspension for a refined ride plus the facility to raise the suspension height for off-roading, head-up display at £1,350, side assist alert at £750 and a rear view camera which given the Q7’s 5,052mm length is a must at £500.
The new Q7 uses the VW Group’s MLB-Evo platform which allows for a long wheelbase length of almost three-metres, hugely beneficial for middle row passengers who now have limousine like legroom and three individual seats which slide fore and aft and the third row passengers will not find their space cramped either. The rearmost twin seats fold out of the floor easily. The boot offers 295-litres of load space with all seven seats in use, 770-litres with the third row folded away and this goes up to a massive 1,955-litres with the second and third rows of seats folded down. Access to the boot is really easy as the Q7 has a wraparound tailgate design and it’s power operated for good measure. The braked towing weight is 2,800kg.
Built with a mixture of aluminium and steel the new Q7 might be considerably lighter at 2-tonnes but it still looks bulky but slightly more athletic. It remains imposing and the enlarged chrome front grille, a design feature of new Audi’s, give it instant recognition and flanked by the signature daytime running lights it will be a sight in your mirror that will cause most motorists to move over on high speed open roads as it cruises with absolute ease with 272hp of power and 600Nm of ‘grunt’ under the bonnet. The solid looking side profile with its sharp styling lines and muscular wheel arches gives this new Q7 a much more athletic look than the previous moulded appearance. The doors are wide opening for ease of access and the new roof-line gives ample headroom for passengers in all three rows of seats.
Inside the Q7 is another work-of-art from Audi both in terms of quality and design and this includes their virtual cockpit instrument and sat-nav layout introduced with the latest TT range. The Q7 customer can switch between a classic view with high-quality dial instruments and an infotainment view with an extended display area for lists and the map – all conveniently from the steering wheel. Fresh air vents cover the full width of the fascia panel and the sat-nav screen emerges vertically from the centre of the dashboard. The navigation display can also appear within the cowled instrument panel right in front of the driver. Coupled with the optional head-up display all the information the driver needs is right in front of them but the start/stop button is masked by the steering wheel rim. On the subject of visibility there is a row of smaller switches in the lower centre section of the fascia which is hard to see and these include the Drive Select which instead of one button to scroll through the operating modes now has toggle up and down additional controls which are not as user friendly. Below that bank of switches are the easy to use dual heater, ventilation, air-con and heated front seat controls. There is a wide centre console between the two front seats which includes a touch sensitive panel for doodling addresses and phone numbers. This centre console also houses the usual rotary control unit to operate the car’s systems, the auto gear selector, electronic handbrake, radio volume control and two cup holders. The ergonomics of the multitude of controls and displays might not be totally perfect but overall the front interior looks impressive and the general ambience and feel of the interior is pure quality.
Most expensive Audi’s offer a wealth of driver aid technologies and the Q7 is no different. These include Drive Select networked with the engine and transmission enabling the driver to alter their operating characteristics across five driving modes – auto, comfort, efficiency, dynamic or individual. The feel of the electromechanical steering can also be influenced by this system, as can the optional adaptive air suspension system. In addition to the hill hold assist function incorporated into the electronic handbrake and the hill descent control program, which automatically controls the speed of the car on steep terrain, the list of protective systems fitted as standard to the Q7 also includes pre-sense city and pre-sense basic. At lower speeds, pre-sense city warns the driver of impending collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians and will initiate heavy braking in an emergency. If a collision is deemed inevitable, Audi pre-sense basic initiates preventative protective measures for the occupants, such as tightening the front seat belts and closing the windows and sunroof. During the incident the multi-collision brake assist system uses controlled braking to help to prevent the car from skidding and so avoiding knock-on collisions.
Core to the new Q7 is of course the engine and transmission. In my test it is the new Euro6 3.0-litre, V6 272hp turbodiesel which importantly considering the vehicles size and weight pushes out a massive 600Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm. This power is transmitted via a fast changing, silky smooth eight-speed auto gearbox and then drive as required to all four wheels through Audi’s quattro system.
Top speed is 145mph and zero to 62mph takes 6.5-seconds. Officially fuel economy is 45.6mpg with the 21-inch wheels fitted to the test car (47.9mpg on 19/20-inch ones). My test driving week the fuel economy never got close to the official figures returning 36.7mpg for open road and motorway cruising but down to the low 20s for urban trips. Overall it finished up at 34.5mpg. With CO2 emissions at 163g/km (153g/km on smaller wheels) VED road tax is £180 a year and company car drivers will pay 30% in Benefit-in-Kind tax. Insurance is rated as Group 41E.
Given the weight and mass of this huge high sided SUV the 3.0-litre engine with its 600Nm of ‘grunt’ is fast and responsive in a straight line dispatching slower traffic with ease when required but it impresses more with its relaxed and hushed ability to cruise effortlessly at high speeds on motorways where it is most fuel efficient. With its electric steering and air suspension it lacks the ability to provide precision feedback to the driver at times. The air suspension allows the Q7 to float along on undulating roads and whilst that was very comfortable with little road noise intrusion, it didn’t feel ‘nailed down’ during cornering on winding roads with significant top-heavy body-roll. With the quattro all wheel drive you know the vehicle has cornering grip – I just couldn’t actually feel it though, it’s all a bit too sanitised. Despite all the settings available to tune the steering weight and suspension performance I never really found the optimum mode for driving on country roads. In town the size of the Q7 has its drawbacks as well in dealing with tight spaces and narrow parking areas.
Overall though it is a hugely impressive premium SUV in terms of kerb appeal, comfort, specification and hushed refinement. It has the ability to gobble up huge amounts of open road cruising in style and ease but it is uninvolving as a driver’s car.
MILESTONES: New Audi Q7 3.0 TDI quattro S line 272hp tiptronic auto. Price: £52,970 (£71,010 as tested). Engine/transmission: 3.0-litre, V6, Euro6 compliant turbodiesel, 272hp, 600Nm of torque from 1,500rpm, 8-speed tiptronic man/auto, quattro all wheel drive. Performance: 145mph, 0-62mph 6.5-seconds, 45.6mpg Combined Cycle (34.5mpg on test), CO2 163g/km, VED road tax £180, BIK company car tax 30%. Insurance group: 41E. Warranty: 3-years/60,000-miles. Dimensions/capacities: 5-doors, 7-seats, boot/load space 295 to 1,995-litres, braked towing weight 2,800kg, L 5,052mm, H 1,740mm, W 1,968mm. Warranty: 3-years/60,000-miles. For: Comprehensively and luxuriously equipped, high level of safety and driver support systems, spacious, comfortable and quiet ride, smooth and responsive engine. Against: Pricey with must-have options, expensive to run, not involving to drive, poor body control during cornering, Audi brand could now be under a cloud following the recent VW Group ‘dieselgate’ scandal. Miles Better News agency
