|
From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests Being late for a party can be a fashionable move providing you aren’t too tardy. But, if you’re gonna show up exceedingly late, you better be carrying a hell of a bottle of wine or some to-die-for salsa in hand. Such is the case for the new Q7 4.2. Dinner was missed and most of the guests are sauced, so Audi made sure their SUV knocked on the front door of this SUV shindig with more than a few party favors under its arms. We expect the party goers will be pleased with what they see, having ourselves just taken a closer look at a US-specification Q7 4.2 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Inside the Q7 is graced with even more great-looking design that’s typically (for Audi) a benchmark in quality for the industry. Wood and aluminum trim accent a center console and dashboard heavily inspired by the A6. However, to be fair, there are a lot of lookers at the SUV soiree. The Q7 won’t get by on good looks alone and Audi knows this. That’s why the Q7 comes bearing gifts aplenty. Offerings such as the Q7’s third row seating, oodles of cupholders and door-mounted bottle holders will get you noticed by the SUV literati, but it takes a little something extra to make an entrance this far into the evening. For starters, there are the old Audi standbys. Q7 comes complete with MMI (Audi’s Multi-Media Interface), satellite navigation, MP3 playback via SD cards, Bluetooth telephone connectivity, the choice of either XM or Sirius satellite radio, Advanced Key with keyless start, 4-zone climate control, adaptive air suspension, large Open-Sky sunroof (like the A3, but bigger), and a unique cargo storage track system in the trunk similar to the one in the A6 Avant.
Then there’s the new stuff. Immediately useful for many SUV owners is towing capacity. All Q7s for North America will come with a pre-wired trailer hitch and be rated for 5,500 lbs. towing capacity. An option package will up-rate that to 6,600 lbs. New technology has also been added to the Q7’s already generous list of electronics. Though radar-assisted adaptive cruise control has been seen before in previous Audis, the Q7 features the latest version, which allows the Q7 to gauge both distance and speed, bringing the car to even a full stop if necessary. The system takes some getting used to, one wondering if it will indeed stop the car should someone panic stop in front of oneself, but during our test in Phoenix rush-hour traffic, the Q7 stopped well within the distance needed. It was slower on the acceleration standpoint, perhaps due to safety, but it gave more aggressive drivers time to slip inahead of the Q7. We also noticed that the system disengages with an audible chime once the car is brought to a stop. Another cool piece of techno-wizardry is Audi’s new side-assist system. The Q7 uses radar rather than cameras like early prototype Volvo systems we’ve tested utilize. It senses cars or motorcycles in the Q7’s blindspot area, and mutedly lights amber LEDs located in the mirror housing to alert a driver of their presence. Should the driver trigger the turnsignal in the direction of the obstruction (and we wonder how many American drivers will actually remember they have a turnsignal), the amber LEDs flash brightly to further remind the driver that something is in their way. While the system may take some getting used to, we found it highly functional and appreciated its presence.
The Q7 also gets a cool new piece of technology we first saw recently in the all-new Audi S8 in the form of a rear view camera packaged with Parktronic parking assist. Like the S8, the camera shows both distance to an obstruction and trajectory of the car given the position of the steering wheel. This is one of the most useful systems we’ve seen of this nature, and testing the S8 on a backwards slalom showed just how useful the trajectory lines were in determining where a driver was placing the vehicle. Finally, there’s the price. With a base of $49,900 for the 4.2, the Q7 is aggressively priced. She’s not cheap, but she’s also a hell of a value.
Okay, she came bearing gifts, has made it past the doorman and is now getting more than a few appreciative looks by revelers at the event. Things are going swimmingly for a successful reception despite the Q7’s tardiness. But can she dance? From what we found last week in Arizona, the Q7 knows a few new steps, well beyond the typical Macarena or Electric Slide moves of lesser competitors. . A commanding view of the road shouldn’t scare you off. Our Q7 4.2 quattro test car with adaptive air suspension showed it could muster some fancy footwork, and the Servotronic steering provides some aggressive weight you don’t normally find in an SUV. Dialing the Q7 to dynamic mode gave it some decent cornering ability on pavement, and the Off-Road setting took it nicely onto some unpaved desert access roads. The Q7 comes with the new 40:60 split Torsen center differential, bestowing it with the ability to wag its tail in very controllable fashion, helping steer through throttle inputs rather than pushing its way into unwanted understeer. Hit a down-hill slope in Off-Road mode and disable the ESP in that setup and you’ll activate the Q7’s Downhill Assist. This limits the Q7 to about 25 mph, and allows for wheel lock to help the Audi descend. It’s a nice touch, but we’re guessing 25 mph may be a bit fast for serious rock crawling. No matter though, the Q7 goes without some of the rock-crawling kit found in the Touareg and Cayenne, since the Audi was built for less hardcore off-road applications. We found the Q7 did just fine in the light off-road environment we exposed it to, even on the optional 20-inch chrome alloy wheels fitted to our particular Q7
Engine fired up, the Q7’s voice is a throaty purr with enough flirtation ringing in your ears that you’ll think of it as you drive your Lexus hybdrid and maybe even call out the Audi’s name. Under full throttle, the 4.2 is one of the sexiest sounding engines in the business, and it’s good to see that this latest FSI variant has not lost any of that quality.It has changed however, with improved power (350 hp), torque (325 lbs. ft). Should you be curious about courting the Q7, she’s due to make a showing in a dealer near you by late May or early June. A 3.6-liter V6 will follow later in the year, and we hear Audi is considering the torque-laden 3.0 TDI diesel model for the North American market during the calendar year 2006 to spearhead the return of diesel products from Ingolstadt on this side of the pond. While in Phoenix, Fourtitude had a chance to sample versions of both the 3.6 and 3.0 TDI as well. Impressions of both will follow within the week.
© Copyright 2004 by YourSITE.com |
