Pros: excellent ride comfort and refinement, charismatic engine, superb interior
Cons: expensive, not the best-looking vehicle, space in row three at a premium
Audi Q7 Design
Perhaps the kindest thing we can say about the new Q7’s exterior is that it at least doesn’t slavishly copy the Mk1 and Mk2 models which went before it. However, with its gigantic, light-up ‘Singleframe’ radiator grille, small light clusters, large front overhang and slabby sides, it’s not the prettiest seven-seat, three-row SUV the world has ever seen. Still, some might like its unapologetic styling, which sits atop alloy wheels ranging from 20 to 23 inches in diameter.
Audi Q7 Interior
The interior of the Audi Q7 is definitely easier on the eye than the exterior, and while some of the company’s recent products haven’t quite lived up to the expectations set by the brilliant passenger compartments this manufacturer has served up over the decades, the big SUV’s cabin is back to Audi’s best. Material quality is fantastic and everything is nicely laid out, even if all features (including the climate control) must now be run through the central infotainment screen, and also the Q7 is encumbered with a convoluted and slightly ugly left-hand column stalk, an item lifted wholesale from the smaller Q3.
All Q7 models get the three-screen array of the ‘Audi Panoramic Display’ concept, so technophobes might not be huge fans of this vehicle, but otherwise the interior is a major success. Except for the fact that, for such a large vehicle on the outside, space in the third row of seating – the main reason you buy the Q7 in the first place – is not exactly generous. People of about five-foot six might just about be comfortable back there, but anyone taller will need some shuffling of the middle bench to accommodate their legs.
Audi Q7 Performance & Drive
Rather astonishingly, in day and age, the Audi Q7 is launching with one engine option: a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. It is, at the very least, accompanied by mild-hybrid (MHEV) technology to reduce the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, a little, while there is a choice of power outputs: either 245- or 299hp. Either one is connected to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive.
There will be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) along soon, but for now it’s the diesel MHEV or nothing. Further weapons in the Audi’s dynamic arsenal include adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering as standard.
Undoubtedly, the best thing about the way the Q7 goes down the road is how supremely comfortable and quiet it is at all times. Doesn’t matter what size wheels you’re rolling on or how bad the tarmac gets on your chosen route; the Audi simply glides along in a sophisticated and dignified fashion on its air springs. There’s also a lovely, rich, low-revs urgency about the hybrid-enhanced diesel powertrain, which suggests the SUV is ultimately going to feel stronger than its 299hp and 630Nm on-paper figures.
There are a couple of issues, though. The steering is overly light, to bely the sheer bulk of the Q7 – it weighs in at a colossal 2.5 tonnes. The chassis is rather resolute and foursquare, so the Audi is rarely fun to drive. And despite that initial impression the V6 powertrain is going to be hugely muscular all around the rev range, it actually turns out to feel a bit breathless and undernourished from about 3,000rpm onwards. Also, two different test Q7s couldn’t better 12 litres/100km, which is a poor return in this era, and will mean the Audi SUV is pretty dear to run.
Audi Q7 Pricing
The 245hp model in basic SE trim starts from €119,250, but if you want the more potent drivetrain and more desirable S line specification as with our test car, you’ll be looking at upwards of €135,000. Bear in mind a similar-spec Mk2 Q7 was around €86,000 in 2015 and you can see just how much the Audi’s price has vaulted into the six-figure domain in the past decade. Sure, rivals like the BMW X5, Volvo XC90 and Mercedes GLE aren’t massively cheaper in comparison, but the Q7 still looks like a mighty expensive thing to buy.
Carzone Verdict
An assured and highly competent showing is put on by the new Audi Q7, despite a couple of minor flaws with various aspects of its character – and the fact the SUV isn’t a sub-€100,000 machine any longer kind of throws these issues into ever starker relief. But the Q7’s high-tech interior, its magnificent ride comfort and rolling refinement, and the sheer charm of its V6 powertrain should all be enough to carry it through.