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 Audi, the originator of
Quattro all wheel drive, did not have a SUV in its lineup until this past
year. Being one of the last of the Germans manufacturers to bite the bullet
and build a SUV, and that too in a time when SUV sales are plumeting, is quite risky.
Audi was never one to go after high sales numbers like its cousins in
Germany, being content thus far making premium sport sedans with a emphasis
on 'sport' and a better price than its rivals. Mercedes has always been the
more luxurious one, while BMW offered a fine balance of both sport and
luxury, and Porsche offered something for the sport car lover. Audi set
itself apart by offering a firmer ride, all-wheel drive, and an overall
harder, sportier feel than even BMW all at a lower price. Out of all the
German manufacturers, Audi has a nice position in the market and appeals to
a core group of buyers, who are affluent yet still want an understated
sport sedan. Audi entering the SUV world signals at how automakers
must compete in every segment to ensure their survival and so the Q7 brings
Audi into what has been the biggest market of vehicles in the US at a time
when more and more buyers are moving away from the SUV.
 From a host of true
competitors like the ML from Mercedes, the BMW X5, and the Porsche Cayenne,
Audi has managed to make a SUV that is unique and that will appeal to many
different kinds of SUV buyers. Just as loyal
Porsche owners have bought a Cayenne, Audi hopes the Q7 will be parked in
many previous Audi owners' garages. We recently tested the Q7 3.6 Liter
Premium Edition which wowed us in so many ways. What is so unique about the
Q7 is that it is roomier than any of its rivals from Germany while offering
great build quality inside and out with a sharp looking exterior.
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 Our Q7 features a 3.6-liter
FSI direct-injection V6 engine that produces 280 hp and 266 lb-ft of
torque. Mated to this is a 6-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic,
allowing the driver to select gears manually, and Dynamic Shift Program which
selects from over 200 shift programs to match driver needs. The Q7 also has
the latest generation Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, with
asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution (torque split 42:58). The air
suspension system allows you to firm up the ride and raise the vehicle for truly
variable levels of performance. Steering control is via a servotronic,
speed-sensitive close-ratio power unit for very precise input and feedback.
 Driving habits of the Q7 are
as supple or as sporty as you want the vehicle to feel. The air suspension
system is wonderful and its controls are similar to that of the Audi A8.
A simple spin of the control dial lets you select any level of firmness,
from dynamic, to automatic, to comfort. The Automatic setting rarely sets the suspension to the more firm dynamic level
as you would have to be going pretty fast on US highways for that, but comfort setting is truly great for bumpy roads
while driving slowly or fast. Even with large 20 inch
wheels the vehicle feels quite supple in the 'comfort' setting which is
great when you have sleeping passengers in back. However, the Audi Q7
will never feel as quiet, or boring, as a Lexus, despite the air suspension.
Selecting the firmer 'sport' mode, lowers the Q7
significantly, and stiffens body sway, allowing for more road feel and much
more fun. When you want to feel like you are in a sports car, just a
touch of the dial is all you need to do.
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 The amount of feedback coming
to the driver from the pedals and the steering wheel is quite high,
something that is very difficult to attain. The steering is super precise with
good amounts of road feel. For a large SUV the Q7 feels much more like a
smaller vehicle behind the wheel. This is one vehicle you must take for a
long test drive. The Q7 feels light and maneuverable,
without being overly light as in a Touareg. Carving the Q7 through curves at high speed
feels fun, much like a sports car, even though you have a few tons of weight
being you. The large width of the Q7 may be the true
reason behind this fantastic feeling in the esses. Sit inside and you
have almost Hummer like width inside the cabin and you can feel this width
through the steering wheel as you carve the corners.
 The
V6 engine is very smooth and powerful.
The sound of the exhaust is also noticeable at full throttle giving us a
sporty feeling while driving. Gear shifts are liquid smooth though not as
quick as on a DSG transmission. We hope Audi can provide the DSG
transmission in future versions of the Q7. In manual shifting mode we
could feel a split second delay in shifts which should have been improved.
Overall, Audi's smooth V6 engine combined with their excellent 6-speed
automatic transmission made for a great combination. Whereas in the Cayenne
V6, you can have some lagging or struggling in hard acceleration, the Q7 did
not display similar traits and was quite sporty.
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 Stopping this monster was just as enjoyable
as pushing the accelerator. We think this is perhaps the best braking
system on the market today, we simply have not felt anything that is so
quick and works so well on any other production car in this price range.
Pressing the brake slightly causes the vehicle to slow down amazingly fast
with a confident feeling coming back to the driver. Large disc brakes
are offered all around with 350mm x 34mm rotors in front and 330mm x 28mm rotors
in back. Another superb feature is the four-wheel
anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake pressure Distribution (EBD) and Hydraulic
Brake
 Assist,
a system which automatically senses emergency braking and applies maximum
available power boost to reduce overall stopping distance. Combine
this with ESP and you have a amazing system that brakes one wheel at a time
to help you go where you want to go on icy roads. We were lucky to
have a ice storm during our test and we are happy to report that the Q7
handles wonderfully. If all cars on the roads were this good we would
not have any more accidents. In thick sheets of ice we would easily
turn and if we began to slide, the vehicle would keep us going in the
intended course of travel by using braking power and engine acceleration to
just the right wheels. Experience this in our videos.
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The exterior of the Q7 looks far more menacing in person than in photos.
The front is just massive with devilish looking headlights and a wide open
grill. The headlights are narrow and thin, unlike the Micky Mouse
lenses on the Porsche Cayenne. The Q7 has a large center grill, and
it is very intimidating, like a wide open mouth ready to swallow another car.
We found that many people would move out of the left lane as we approached
and the Q7 turned heads everywhere we went. In person, the Q7 stands
tall and has a nice elongated body while, giving the car good presence. The
proportions seem just right, unlike the short rear of the Cayenne, the Q7
has a much longer rear trunk, making the Q7 appear much more substantial.
Standard equipment on the Q7 3.6L are 18 inch wheels and tires, however, our
vehicle had the optional wheel package, that featured 20 inch 5-double spoke
cast alloy wheels with 275/45 all-season tires. The massive 20 inch
wheels look excellent and there will be no
 need
for anyone to run to their local wheel center to buy aftermarket rims.
Along the side doors are steel running boards with stylish treaded patches.
Nothing was left to look cheap. The Q7 has a maximum ground clearance
of 8.1 inches with the standard suspension and 9.4 inches with the air
suspension. You can also lower the Q7 to a loading height which
makes getting in and out very comfortable.
The Audi Q7 makes us want to go out and
buy it. We wish buying a new car was made easier, without all the
taxes and fees imposed on us in the east coast. Then perhaps more new
cars would be on the road sooner giving us all a safer commute and more
advanced features, enabling us to move forward faster as a country. I
guess till then we must all lease a car.
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 The rear taillights are a large wrap-around one piece
unit, completely colored in red with square brake lenses. Take a look
at our night time photos to see how good these brake lamps look. We
liked the thin wrap around turn signals and fog lamps with dual lamps in
back. The exterior mirrors also feature long thin turn signals which
are beautiful at night. There are also lamps which point downward to
light the road around the sides of the Q7 hidden in the rear view mirrors.
The interior
of the Audi Q7 is large and comfortable.
High quality abounds everywhere from the leather to the genuine wood trim
and aluminum accents.
 Audi's design is trendy and modern, using wedge
shapes and sharp angles. It definitely stands apart form its German
cousins, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. Audi focuses more on functionality,
leading to a refined and elegant interior that is usable. Take a look at
the doors while sitting inside and you can notice the angular shape of the
door handle perfectly set in a natural position for your hand with a soft
armrest as well. There is also a space in the door for a bottle; it's
angled deep in the bottom of the front door, thereby using that space more
efficiently. A behind the wheel, the driver feels in control, like the
captain of the ship. We liked the large and thick leather covered steering
wheel and shift knob. The steering wheel features dials which make
selecting a station easier, and faster. There is also a tilt and telescopic
manually adjustable steering column. All switches are of similar style and
feel, making for good continuance throughout. We liked the aluminum ribbed
dials on the climate controls and the MMI system. They give a nice 'click'
sound when being turned and feel like they are of very
high quality,
something like the click wheel in the iPod.
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 The Q7 is filled with all the gizmos that
you could want, some optional and some standard. In our test car a
navigation system was installed, which is one of the best we have ever
tested in any car. Its maps are just beautiful and vivid with quick zooming
capability. The only thing missing is that you cannot select a destination
by just moving the map and clicking on it. Also lacking are destinations by
phone number which some other systems offer. The climate control system is
equally impressive and functions with ease. The fully automatic dual-zone
climate control system has seven temperature sensors, a sun sensor and a
pressure sensor, making for a very comfortable interior. Everything is
displayed in the large information screen on top of the dash for a graphical
view of every function. The radio, CD changer, and satellite radio are also
controlled by way of the MMI control knob. We could not get the voice
control system to function in our test car, perhaps it was an optional item
not included in our car.
 The
telephone system only works with a cradle even though it is Bluetooth
capable. Why have a Bluetooth system when it cannot connect to any
phone? Perhaps this should be changed quickly.
The interior of the Q7 is very wide giving you lots of room to stretch out.
The Q7 is wider than a Cayenne and offers more legroom as well. The
Q7's wheelbase is 118.2 inches and the overall length is 200.2 inches.
Head room in front and rear is 39.5 inches while shoulder room is 58.7
inches. Seats are quite comfortable even on long 8-hour journeys.
We had plenty of leg room to stretch out with over 41.3 inches of space in
front and rear seats. In our long haul trip we arrived quite relaxed,
without any major parts aching.
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 Front
seats have 12-way electrical driver's side adjustment (including 4-way
lumbar) with memory and a less adjustable passenger seat without memory. The rear seats are
capable of folding 40/20/40 and quite easily and offer seatback angle
adjustment as well. The seats in the rear cabin are quite comfortable
as well offering deep lower cushions and all seating positions have large
grab handles on the doors and an equally comfortable armrest. In the
center console facing the rear passengers are dual heated seat controls, 12v
outlets and air vents. The rear seat center armrest has a slide out
dual cup holder which is a nice feature and something you should check out
in your test drive is the quality of both arm rests in this Audi Q7.
An essential item is a backup camera or some sort of backup sensor as the Q7
is quite long and in our test car it was not added as an option though we
highly suggest it.
 The sound system in the Q7 surpassed our
expectations especially in the Satellite radio mode. The Bose premium
surround sound system with AudioPilot noise compensation featured a total of
14 speakers, a rear subwoofer and a front centerfill speaker. It produces
270 watts and has a 10-channel DSP and Dolby 5.1. Also included was an
in-dash 6-disc CD changer. Surround sound modes made the interior feel like
a studio with amazing bass and superb volume. You can easily wake up the
whole neighborhood with the Q7.
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 Without the third row of seats trunk space
is very large as well, a great benefit in this large SUV. We were able to
fit 4 large suitcases and 2 smaller ones all in back. Forget buying a Yukon
or Expedition from now on, you can have a luxury ride, sports car like
handling, and all the space you need. You will find under the rear cargo
floor, which has some very thick carpeting by the way, a dual tray system
for storing items out of sight or for storing wet items. The power tailgate
was very useful and could be opened with switch on the driver's door or from
the remote control key. Loading is also made easier by a switch located in
the trunk to lower the back end for loading, great for showing off to your
neighbor. Another noteworthy item is the heavy rubber floor mats that
featured a tire pattern design. They were well suited to hold lots of snow,
water or mud, without causing a mess of the interior. The actual carpeting
throughout the car was also quite nice. It was a very heavy berber style of
carpeting, much nicer than you find in most other vehicles.
 In our tests we averaged 15.6
miles per gallon while on fully highway driving we were able to get 18mpg.
The Q7 is heavy and large thus fuel economy will be low, a hybrid powertrain
is needed to get these numbers up. We felt at times the large doors were a
bit too heavy, a elderly person may not be able to deal with such a large
and heavy door at times. Even though we like having heavy doors for a more
solid feeling to the entire car, perhaps it was a bit of overkill in this
Q7. Audi also pushes the limits of interior design by having a powered
glove compartment, beautiful interior lighting, and high quality exterior
lighting. The dual moving Bi-Xenon headlamps are a great option to have in
today's world combined with powerful fog lamps you can really feel safe in
night time driving. Even the outside rearview mirrors fold up at the touch
of a button. Audi is certainly improving everything in their line and
having such a high quality car for a daily driver will be a pleasure for
owners.
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 We were lucky enough to have the Q7 in a
ice storm. Therefore testing on ice sheets was easily done and we are very
happy to tell you that the Q7 performed quite well. The stability control
system would easily figure out where I wanted to go, by the direction of my
steering wheel and brake certain wheels to make sure the Q7 would go in that
direction. The Q7 easily conquered thick sheets of ice in traction as
well. The anti slip regulation provided solid feeling starts on ice making
us feel more confident as a driver. Braking was also done in the icy
conditions and the Q7's ABS system made stopping on ice quick, even allowing
us to turn and navigate around things relatively easily. In about a foot of
snow with a ice layer below, the Q7 was able to keep moving forward, even on
a hilly incline. Our snow testing alone proves that this Audi is a great
vehicle to have, much better than any American SUV, and wider and more
stable than most other German SUV's.
 The Q7 has rated the highest possible
rating on the NHTSA crash tests and it did this in both front and side
impact tests. A new
feature missing our test car was the Audi side assist which lets you know
when cars are in your blind spot on either side, a very helpful thing. Add
to this a available large panorama roof which was not included in our
options list and you have a unbeatable offering.
Once again the Q7 has put Audi ahead of the
pack. Unlike its' cars, with the Q7, Audi has truly surpassed other German
automakers by delivering a great product at a very good price. Though it is
not just like the concept car unveiled a few years ago, which we would have
truly loved to see produced, the Q7 is a great vehicle to look at in person,
and pictures do not do it justice. So go for a test drive and be wowed.
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