Audi Q7 2020 review

The Q7 is hefty, with bulky weight around the middle of the car. It’s got a squarish shape and is in line with others in the Audi SUV range, just a more beefed up, spaced out version. It looks sophisticated and stylish but I do think the Volvo and the BMW out-design it. From the exterior anyway. 

The Q7 is hefty, with bulky weight around the middle of the car.

The interior looks premium, with quality finishings everywhere you turn. The “Valcona” leather seats look and feel great while sitting on them, and you especially notice the comfort of the leather on bare legs. The S line model's steering wheel is leather with perforated panels and a flat bottom shape, which I’m quite partial to and Audi has perfected this shape in various forms on different cars. 

It comes with a panoramic glass sunroof as standard on 50 TDI models, which lets in lots of lovely light to the car. The centre console is finished with high shine and the gear shifter is very wide, it fits nicely under the hands. All models get the Audi 'Virtual Cockpit' digital driver information screen, and that feels very 2020. 

The interior looks premium, with quality finishings everywhere you turn.

The Q7 has a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine that also has “Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology” (MHEV). Sounds complicated but what it basically means is that the engine can coast without using fuel for up to 40 seconds, and cut the engine at speeds below 22km/h if you're braking to help save fuel. It’s not an electric car and there is not one in the Q7 lineup. 

This engine is powerful and smooth, though it does feel a bit heavy on takeoff. Once you’re going though it doesn’t feel heavy at all. If anything, on highways it’s more of a case of toning down your speed because it would get up very quickly if you weren’t concentrating!

The 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine produces 210kW/600Nm.

It has all-wheel drive (AWD) which means you’ll get better traction on unstable surfaces like dirt, gravel, snow - or even wet roads. It has good handling and the steering is not heavy which is a plus in a big car like this. 

Parking is always going to be a challenge in an SUV this size, because it’s wide as well as long, but if you’ve got enough room it’s manageable especially with the high definition reversing camera on the wide screen which is split with a 360-degree surround view. 

The Q7 is high off the ground but my children didn’t have any trouble jumping in and doing their seatbelts up. If you do up children’s car seats it’s at a good height off the ground to strap kids in. I found the doors quite heavy to open and close, being such a big car. 

There’s a fair amount of automation with the front seats being power adjustable, and the tailgate is “electric” with a programmable opening height and gesture control.

Despite being high off the ground, my children didn’t have any trouble jumping in the Q7.

There are two cupholders in each row, six in the car in total. You’ll also find a Qi wireless phone charger where the centre storage usually is, and no spot for keys and a phone in the front, but there is a bottle holder in each door. 

There is also quad-zone climate control and air vents in each row of the car. The front seats are heated, which is always a nice find in the cooler months. 

There is a bunch of advanced safety which comes standard across the range including adaptive drive assist (high and low speed adaptive cruise control), active lane assist, rear cross-traffic alert, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning system, collision warning assist and "Exit Warning", which detects cars and cyclists when opening doors. 

It scored a full five stars when it was ANCAP tested in 2015. There are airbags for driver and front passenger and side curtain airbags that extend to the back row.

You’ll also find five top tether points in the back two rows and four ISOFIX points (two in the second row outer seats, and two in the rearmost seats) to fit kids car seats in safely. 

The Audi Q7 50 TDI S line quattro costs $119,900 before on-road costs and extras. In this 2020 model most things are included so the usual load of high-cost extras are avoided. The only extras on this car are the metallic paint ($2400) and the tow bar and wiring ($1500), taking the total cost to $123,800. It’s a huge improvement on the pricing when extras used to tip $20K or so. 

Fuel consumption is a claimed 6.8L/100km and I actually bettered that, with an average of 6.1L/100km. I did do a lot of highway driving this week though, which uses less fuel. 

It’s covered by Audi’s three year/unlimited km warranty which is fairly standard in this category but sub-par when you compare it to companies like Kia, for example (seven years/unlimited km). Servicing is required every 12 months/15,000kms.