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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests Our first drive of the Q7 4.2 left us impressed that this newest Audi had plenty going for it- gobs of power, loads of torque, and a throaty exhaust to name but a few. The $50,000 entry price, while sharp for what you get, is still a lot of coin. And that’s before the thirsty V8 drains what was left in your wallet. Fortunately, the Q7 is a family, and for the US market the 4.2-liter model will be joined by a 3.6-liter sister.
The Advanced Parking System uses Parktronic and a rear camera. Parktronic has been around the Audi block for a while, its beeping reminder telling owners when not to hit another car while parallel parking, the back wall of a parking garage, or the neighbor’s kid who’s testing Darwin’s theory as he dives for a dropped M&M behind you when you’re late for work. The Advanced Parking System adds to that a handy rearview camera that shows not only the look of utter fear on the face of that candy-diving neighbor spawn, but also distance metering in blue and red guide lines that change their trajectory with the position of the steering wheel, showing which way to steer to slalom around that little bastard and his Big Wheel too.
The other new piece of electronica is Audi’s Side Assist. As was shown on the 4.2, radar sensors monitor the spaces in the blind spots, from the rearward sides of the Q7 to the back, a row of amber LED lights in the outside mirror housings light subtly from whichever side the obstruction is on, then blink rather brightly and incessantly if you hit your turn signal in the direction of the obstruction. The latter is a great idea, though we wonder how effective it will be in our turn signal-challenged society. Under the hood, the new 3.6-liter engine is derived from the same family as the 3.2-liter narrow angle V6 found in the TT 3.2 and A3 3.2. The additional displacement is acquired by enlarging bore – 3189cc to 3597cc. The angle between the cylinder banks of this cast iron block is just 10.6 degrees, allowing everything to sit underneath one single head. Derivations of the 3.6 will also find their way into both the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne later this year.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone observing Audi’s latest engine developments to learn the 3.6 employs FSI technology (direct gasoline injection). As with all other FSI engines, the new V6 delivers exceptional torque and power while using less fuel than conventional engines of similar displacement. Horsepower is rated at 280 at 6200 rpm, with peak torque output of 266 lb ft delivered between 2500 and 5000 rpm. Resulting performance isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but it’s adequate for an SUV of two and a half tons. This smaller-engined Q7 will hit 62mph in 8.3 seconds, and top out at 137 mph, if you’re lucky enough to try it out on the Autobahn. On the road, the Q7 has decent torque. It’s tuned to start strong, though passing at highway speeds is where the Q7 3.6 shows it could use a little extra oomph. It’s not painfully slow by any means, but just can’t match the torque of the 4.2 in this situation. The engine is mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic feature, weighing only 176 lbs. The unit features uprated shafts, shaft mountings and a reinforced parking mechanism to help it deal with the abuses that off-road use might entail.
True off-roading is not the Q7’s objective though, as Audi deleted much of the hardcore off-road hardware found on the Volkswagen Touareg that shares its platform. The VW has a low range gearbox and the 4Xmotion all-wheel drive system with locking center and optional locking rear differentials. The VW also has descent control by putting the Touareg’s Tiptronic into first gear– good for rock crawling. Contrarily, the Q7 has the standard Torsen-based all-wheel drive system commonly found on Audis, though with the new 40:60 split like the RS 4. The Q7’s own down hill assist system that can be activated by deactivating the ESP system via a control button on the dashboard while the adjustable air suspension in ‘Off Road’ mode. Once activated, this slightly different system holds the Q7 to 25 mph and allows some wheel lock to help slow the car on loosely packed terrain. The Q7 can also ford water, up to 19.7-inches with the standard steel suspension or 21-inches in the Off Road setting on the optional air suspension, as fitted to our test car. Approach and departure angles are similarly effected depending on which suspension you have (approach angle is 21-degrees steel / 24-degrees air and departure angle is 23-degrees steel and 25-degrees air).
We find the exterior design of the Q7 to be polarizing. While some who view it believe it to be beautiful, others suggest it’s just plain ugly. While we tend to lean toward the beautiful side, all will probably agree that Q7s fitted with lesser wheels such as the 18-inch 7-arm design on our 3.6 tester do look much more homely than the optional 20-inch 5-arm design Audi fitted to other 4.2 Q7s we tested. No matter what you think of the Audi design, it’s functional. The Q7 is big and long, giving up some head room to the optional (for the 3.6) third-row of seating, though that same coupe-like roof line helps the Q7 to have one of the best drag coefficients amongst its peers. A standard figure of .37 is quoted on Q7s with the steel suspension, though that drops to.34 on 3.6 models fitted with the optional air suspension like our test car. While .34 or better might not be that uncommon on a sedan, Audi claims this is the best in the Q7's segment. Inside, the 3.6 gets standard marlin style aluminum trim or optional wood inlays. This higher-spec test car came with the wood, combined with optional cricket leather that Audi describes as more heavily grained. The MMI system was immediately familiar if you’ve spent time in the A6 or A8 models from the Audi range, and remains one of the more intuitive systems to learn if you’re not all that familiar. The system also had the optional Bluetooth hands free phone system. Setting up a phone was slightly clumsy, but once done, the system works well. With the Bluetooth function left active on the phone, the Q7 will immediately reconnect with the MMI system upon starting the car, an audible chime giving confirmation of its readiness. From there, the phone can be left in your pocket, purse, or even a suitcase in the trunk of the car. When a phone call comes in, caller ID is shown on the MMI screen and the stereo system is muted. You simply speak as you would to another passenger in the car, and your caller can hear you. We did find a slight voice delay that caused one person to talk over the other, but this was little more than a nuisance. Users can upload their directory of phone numbers from the phone, and that’s probably worth doing as the dialing setup is similar to the navigation destination entry system– it’s okay if you’re sitting still, but it leaves you wishing for an easily-reached touch screen key pad when you’re on the go.
With the Q7 3.6, Audi presents the more attainable version of their new SUV. It doesn’t have the flash or standard toys of the 4.2, but it’s also easier on the pocketbook all the way around. This will make the Q7 more attractive for those buyers on a budget, who won’t be giving up all that much more performance. Sure, wheel options could be a bit more flashy, but that’s easy to fix. And, it appears Audi will be making enough option packages available that buyers will be able to cherry-pick the equipment they do want without having to fully step up to the V8. On the other end of the spectrum, we hear there will eventually be a value-oriented model with cloth seats. The 3.6 will not be available at the launch of the Q7 this spring- only 4.2 models will hit the market initially. But V6 models will follow closely behind, reaching dealers toward the end of the summer. By that time, differentiator packages such as 'S-line' and 'Off-Road' should also be available to tailor the Q7 even more towards an owner's tastes.
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