Just when everyone had almost forgotten about Audi’s full-size offering, the Q7, the SUV has received an all-round update, both visually and technically.
The visual update begins with that large octagonal singleframe grille that is in line with Audi’s current design language. The reworked bumper features two-part side air inlets which make the car look more sporty than before. Buyers can go for Matrix LED headlights. The side profile with a sharp shoulder line has been mostly retained, however, there is a new set of 19-inch wheels that come with the optional S line exterior.
The rear-end too conforms with Audi’s current design language, featuring a chrome strip that connects the new taillamps. The aforementioned S line also includes underbody protection at the rear. The Q7 has now grown 11 mm (0.4-in) to 5,063 mm long. It measures 1,970 mm wide and 1,741 mm (including roof aerial) high.
As with all the latest Audis, the updated interior of the Q7 features the all-digital Audi virtual cockpit, and two touchscreens that provide haptic and acoustic feedback when clicking on the touch controls. When off, the top display disappears into the large black decorative surface. The top-end MMI navigation plus features LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi hotspot, natural voice control, and Audi connect portfolio. The latter ranges from traffic information, navigation with Google Earth, to the hybrid radio. The cloud-based Amazon Alexa, which is integrated into the MMI operating system, is also new. The same applies to the Car-to-X service traffic light information, which is being rolled out in stages in selected European cities.
Depending on the position of the rear seatbacks, the luggage compartment on the 5-seater version offers between 865 and 2,050 liters of capacity, the latter with a flat load area. An electric tailgate is standard; foot-activated gesture control is available as an option. Another option is the rear seat bench plus; all three seats can be moved individually fore/aft and the backrest angle adjusted, as well as a third seat row with two electrically lowerable seats.
Air suspension comes standard on all 7-seater Q7 models. The S line package includes a slightly firmer adaptive air suspension sport, which lowers the ride height by 15 mm (0.6 in) compared with the regular air suspension system.
Options list includes ambient lighting package, 4-zone automatic air conditioning, power-assist function to close the doors quietly, Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System, air quality package with fragrancing and ionizer, and climate control and massage function for the S sport seats plus. Electromechanical active roll stabilization and all-wheel steering are also optionally available.
Safety and assistance systems include adaptive cruise assist and emergency assist. The latter brings the car to a stop and initiates protective and rescue measures if the driver is inactive.
A choice of two diesel engines will be available at market launch, followed by a gasoline unit and a plug-in hybrid model at a later date. All engines are coupled to an 8-speed tiptronic transmission and permanent all‑wheel-drive. The standard 48-volt mild-hybrid technology helps with efficiency and is claimed to reduce consumption by up to 0.7 liters per 100 km. During braking, the belt alternator starter (BAS) can recover up to 8 kW of power and feed it back into the battery. If the driver takes their foot off the accelerator at speeds between 55 and 160 km/h, the Q7 recuperates energy; rolls in idle, or coasts for up to 40 seconds with the engine switched off. The BAS restarts the engine the moment the accelerator is depressed.
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.
