As the saying goes, if you’re going to be the last to arrive at the party you’d better be the best dressed. Audi is arriving about 10 years late with their luxury SUV, the Q7.
While Audi arrives late it makes a fashionable entrance. The Q7 is gorgeous, with a swoopy exterior shape and always first-rate and luxurious interior styling.
The new Q7 is built on the same basic platform architecture as the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, both siblings from the brand’s parent company, Volkswagen. Audi stretched the platform some six inches to fit in a third row of seats not available in either the Touareg or Cayenne.
Up front, the full-size Q7 repeats the signature trapezoid grille of Audi cars, flanked by sliver-shaped angular headlamps set almost even with the top edge of the grille. Fog lights are set into the lower front fascia.
Viewed from the side, wheel openings are round and blistered, the roofline wedge-shaped with two full-length rails for securing cargo up top.
The rear view is less attractive, with high-mounted LED taillamps and smaller, thin lamps with back-up lights fitted in the bumper. The one-piece tailgate has an available power open/close option.
Overall I liked the look of the Q7 but not everyone was moved by the style.
Inside, the Q7 has standard seating for five and can fit up to seven when equipped with a third row. The second row is available with either a split 40/20/40 design or bucket seats with a center console. Both configurations feature adjustable seats that can slide forward and back four inches and recline 10 degrees.
The third row seats only two and Audi recommends no one over 5’4” get back there.
The front seats in my Premium test vehicle were comfortable, but the wide center stack minimized legroom. Dual eight-way power front seats had four-way power lumbar adjustments. Both front and second-row seats were heated with a record six-level adjustment, but I thought only the bottom seat cushions were heated and couldn’t feel anything on my back.
Missing are a heated steering wheel, adjustable pedals and a power tilt-telescoping steering wheel common on most luxury SUVs.
If you’re considering buying a Q7, I recommend skipping the $1,850 optional Panorama Sunroof. At over 5 and a half feet long, it’s the largest I’ve seen and uses a mesh screen that doesn’t proved enough protection from the sun.
We also didn’t like what Audi calls the Multi-Media Interface (MMI), a system similar to the maddening iDrive we dislike so much on the BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series vehicles.
A joystick-knob (mouse) and buttons on the center console are used to control almost all vehicle functions, which are displayed on a dashboard screen. It requires a lot of fiddling around to get what you’re after and requires taking your eyes off the road for too long a period of time. Thankfully, the climate control and audio system can be adjusted independent of the joystick. Why not a touch-screen interface?
Arguably, Audi builds the best-looking interiors in the business, including real wood inlays for the center console and doors, nickel-finish metal trim and soft touch materials everywhere.
Audi offers the Q7 in four choices: base or Premium, V-8 or V-6. All come with all-wheel-drive (which Audi calls Quattro) and a six-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted manually.
Price starts at $39,900 for a well-equipped base model with cloth seats, seating for five, 18-inch wheels, and the 280-horsepower V-6 engine. The top-of-the-line Premium with the 350-horsepower V-8, leather seats and other luxury features starts at $59,900.
I tested a V-6 Premium model and couldn’t imagine wanting to spend ten grand more for the V-8. I had plenty of power with V-6, even considering the Q7 is on the portly side at well over 5,000 lbs.
I thought I was getting decent gas mileage, until I found out it takes more than 25 gallons of liquid gold to refill the Q7. This is a mighty thirsty vehicle, and the best I got was 14.2 miles per gallon.
Most will like the way the Q7 drives and handles. Shorter drivers won’t like the visibility; even I had a problem with both rear rows of seats up. The optional back-up camera was well appreciated.
I didn’t get a chance to take the tester off road, but I don’t think the optional 20-inch high-performance summer tires would perform well. Audi offers an optional adaptive air suspension system that allows the driver to set the firmness of the suspension and change the amount of ground clearance. Our vehicle wasn’t so equipped, but we would be interested to hear from readers who have experienced the Q7 with that set up.
The Q7 drives more like an Audi sedan, with predictable handling, and no “tippy” feeling on curves and corners. Brakes were excellent but I noticed plenty of tire and road noise in the cabin.
Rear seats fold flat to increase cargo space. This isn’t an overly spacious hauler, but does have 88 cubic feet with all seats folded.
Standard safety gear includes front, side and side-curtain airbags, stability control with hill descent control and rollover detection. Seat-mounted side airbags for the second row are optional. Also optional is Audi’s Side Assist, a feature that alerts the driver via a flashing light on the rearview mirrors when other motorists have entered the vehicle’s blind spots.
The Q7 earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest possible 5 stars for both front and side crash protection. It received a rollover rating of 4 stars.
Overall the Q7 looks great, drives easily and keeps Audi loyalists from switching brands when considering an SUV. But the tech-heavy MMI operation zaps a lot of fun from the driving experience. For the money, I like the new Mercedes-Benz GL450 better.
