Compared to other full-size SUVs, the Audi Q7 3.0 is a dreamboat. It’s got wonderful on-road manners and solid off-road abilities. Its styling sets it apart from most other SUVs, and the complexity of its controls shouldn’t be too much of a problem once owners learn their way around the multi-media-interface (MMI).
Size is something the Q7 has no short supply of. Raised to its full ride height, that massive grille, slit headlights and wide haunches make it look like Mike Tyson?s pet tiger.
It?s built on a monocoque chassis, but does not have a dedicated standard 4WD. All wheels rely on electronics and full-time 4WD system to get the car through off-road sections. It uses double wishbone independent suspension upfront and multi-link suspension at the rear?the layout is more ?sport? than ?utility?. It comes with an adjustable air suspension system, and given its size and supreme highway abilities, it?s only fitting that its massive fuel tank and diesel engine gives it fantastic continent-munching ability.
The interior is instantly familiar to Audi car drivers; it’s based on the A6 and A8 sedans. I’ve never been a fan of the dark and somber interiors in many German cars, which is why I really like the Q7’s cabin, which is done up in lighter colours. High-quality wood and aluminum accents make it a pleasant place to be, especially with sunlight streaming in through the optional panorama sunroof.
The new arresting accents at the front and rear end dominate the exterior. The coupe-like silhouette, in combination with the accentuated arched roof line and the tautly curved body surfaces, emphasise the athletic stance of Audi Q7. The new single-frame radiator grill in high gloss black with vertical chrome bars adds robustness to the car, in conjunction with new Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights. Audi Q7 also comes with optional high-end headlight version that integrates not only a low beam, high beam, and turning and cornering lights, but for the first time, also a special superhighway beam. The newly designed, all-aluminum tailgate provides easy access to the luggage compartment, which is of about 2,035 litres.
The SUV provides the highest levels of spaciousness, a driver-oriented design and exclusive equipment with a colour- contrasting cockpit forming the theme in the centre console, shift gate and multi-media interface (MMI) control unit. The interiors are comfortable, with individual seats in the rear that can be folded down. Audi claims that the seats can be adjusted in 28 different ways.
Audi Q7 can boast of some new features like voice control that can enable the driver to operate a cell phone or music system by just uttering the phone number or the name of a song.
An overlay of lines shows the path the Q7 will take as you turn the steering wheel. It’s so idiot-proof that even a parking-challenged driver like yours truly can easily dock this land yacht on the first try.
The Q7 is unabashedly an SUV?big, powerful, and seriously capable off-road at a starting price tag of Rs 56 lakh. Part of its design philosophy was that it had to be unmistakably an Audi: luxurious, technically sophisticated, and able to grip the road like a car.
Mission accomplished!
