2006 Audi Q7 Reviews

Audi Q7 was designed back in the days when car makers were under the impression that buyers wanted an SUV to traverse difficult country. In fact, the great majority were just looking for a practical station wagon in which to transport their families. So the original Audi Q7, launched here in September 2006, was

It's a topic of debate -- some would argue the Range Rover kicked off the prestige SUV craze 40 years ago.Others say SUVs aren't serious off-roaders and the modern category was established by ze Germans. It is the latter crowd that -- regardless of the origins of the species -- have come to dominate this prestige SUV segment.Be it an upper-crust shopping centre carpark or the leafy confines of a private school's grounds, you are guaranteed of spotting three particular vehicles -- the BMW X5, Audi's Q7 and examples of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.The brand that has built its image on sheer driving pleasure and derivations therein has the X5 on its books, the benchmark in the class for on-road dynamics and some epic powerplants.The X5 sits behind only the 3 Series as BMW's top seller and is the best of its SUVs, fitted with six and eight cylinder petrol engines and six-cylinder turbo diesels.For those not concerned with fuel economy, the petrol V8s provide much in the way of propulsion and aural amusement but the oilers are the gems. The X5 has badge cred, car-like dynamics and family wagon versatility -- even a third-row option but space isn't abundant.Audi's Q7 has been outshone to some extent by the introduction of the smaller Q5, but the big Ingolstadt wagon has space aplenty. Among its petrol and turbo diesel engines, the 3.0-litre V6 oiler is the value pick. Not as nimble or car-like as the BMW, the Audi has a more useable third row of seats but lacks low-range.The M-Class is best off the beaten track, with an optional off-road package for the more serious adventurer. It has V6 petrol and turbo diesel, and V8 options including the super-quick ML63. As with the Audi, the V6 diesel is the best all-rounder.Last year the sales of large SUVs over $70,000 topped 17,000 , up 11 per cent. This year the segment is up more than 30 per cent with all three brands' SUVs selling strongly.Getting into one of these late-model beasts is relatively not expensive. Thanks to finance defaults, leased vehicles moving on and even trophy wives wanting something new, the "pre-owned'' market has no shortage of them, some with new car warranty remaining.Top TipsAs with all used cars, signs of poorly repaired accident damage (inconsistent welds, paint and panel fit) as well as signs of water intrusion (given recent flood events and submerged new car stocks) can point to rusty consequences.Diesel powerplants are generally more frugal when towing or on the open road but the fuel economy is offset by higher purchase price, service costs and the price of diesel. Do the numbers based on your driving habits (using urban and extra-urban fuel economy figures, not the combined-cycle number) and pick the appropriate machine.If you are hauling polo ponies, dressage nags, a boat or a van, check the towing capacity details, as some 4WDs make big boasts but fall over in real-world applications.2006 BMW X5 4.4Engine: 4.4-litre V8 petrolTransmission: 6-speed automaticThirst: 14.8L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSThe slogan "there's nothing quite like a V8'' applies here -- while the X5 has worthy diesels, the 4.4-litre V8 on offer in the big Beemer has appeal and when used sensibly won't drink ridiculous amounts of pulp. Leather trim, the full gamut of electronic safety gear and a clever all-wheel drivetrain make the big wagon more nimble than many passenger wagons and more than a few sedans.2008 AUDI Q7 3.0 TDIEngine: 3.0-litre V6 Turbo DieselTransmission: 6-speed automaticThirst: 10.5L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSThe V6 turbo diesel, one of the brand's better engines, deals well with the Audi's mass. Not as nimble as an X5 but far from a truck, the Q7 has a long features and safety equipment list plus leather trim. Tips the scales over two tonnes but can drag 3.5 tonnes when asked. There are bigger diesel and petrol engines but the 3.0-litre is a good all-rounder.2009 MERCEDES-BENZ ML 350 CDI WAGONEngine: 3-litre V6 turbo dieselTransmission: 7-speed automaticThirst: 9.6L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSUS-built -- as is the X5, which pipped the Benz by 49 sales last year -- the ML progressed significantly from the original M-Class, maintaining a greater off-road ability while closing the gap to the X5 in on-road dynamics. The badge holds plenty of cachet. There is an off-road pack with diff locks, low range, height-adjustable suspension and under-body protection.  

The chief rivals from Munich, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg have a massive head start which in some cases can be measured by the length of an entire model life.And that's good and bad.Good in that Audi should have capitalised on any of the shortcomings of BMW's X5, Mercedes's ML-Class and the Volkswagen Touareg.And bad in that if you are a died-in-the-wool Audi worshipper, in terms of the waiting game, it's been a bit like a seven-year itch.Seven years! That's how long the ML-Class has been out and about.So Audi is off and running with the Q7, a big wagon that was the centre of a big launch in September. It was a big deal running a fleet of 15 Q7s the breadth of Australia from east to west — a trans-continental crossing of monumental proportions.This adventure was loaded to the brim with bravado by Audi having faith in the product stacking up to Australia's harsh Outback.But you don't need a Rhodes Scholar to tell you the most dust many Q7's will collect will be sawdust from the next door neighbour who is renovating their palatial suburban abode.So we put our first Q7 road test car, a TDi, through its paces in the real world — out and about in Brisbane and down the coast for the cafe cruise.The turbo diesel we acquired was loaded with kit and the third row option and you could feel every bit of its bulk. It is a little unwilling off the line but once it gathers pace, it runs hard and strong.This is quite a competent truck, good all-round vision and the reversing camera to keep you from backing over something you cannot see in the rear vision mirror.Downtown the diesel was running into the 13-14litres/100km range, although it was closer to 10litres on freer runs on the highway.There are little touches here and there that separate the Q7 from the crowd and a highly functional cabin that hits the ergonomic button where others have tended to miss the mark.It handles quite well for something which stretches the tape further than a LandCruiser in length and width but not height.But where the Q7 really shines is ride quality. It spoils occupants with the sweetest ride among the premium soft-road brigade.No surprise then that the 4.2-litre V8 version offers a lot more urge down low, the mumbo you would expect from an eight-pot howler.It is the business, the V8, and it also demonstrates the engineering prowess of the Q7 chassis that copes with all of this energy as if it were a regular sedan.The V8 was chewing through about 13litres/100km on this test with strict adherence to signposted speed limits but running the revs up from a standstill every now and then.Given that we deliberately did not take the Q7 on the gravel we didn't have to worry about testing the integrity of how the twin intercoolers in the TDi stood up to punishment from stones.They are vulnerably placed behind the vents either side of the front spoiler.If we were to give one piece of advice it would be to install mesh to these vents to prevent anything spearing the intercoolers if you plan to go on the gravel let alone on a trans-continental expedition.Not that any were reported to have been pierced on the east-west crossing launch run but it is better to be safe than sorry.A lot of people, colleagues included, have questioned the existence of such an animal as the Q7.But here's the rub.One of the many reasons why it has been built is to tap a market where Audi traditionally has not been in the game — the United States.And Australians are warming to the interlocking rings brand with a vengeance.So it is better that the Q7 is here now, late, than not at all.

DAY 1: BirdsvilleA handful of permanent residents and one of the greenest footy fields anywhere west of the mountains ... Birdsville is one of those places every Aussie knows of and precious few ever visit. Just days before we flew in from Sydney the town had hosted its annual party weekend, the Birdsville Races, which attracted more than 9000 visitors from the city and the Corner Country's far flung stations and settlements.By midday last Monday all that remained were the tracks out of town, a truly impressive collection of empty beverage containers and 15 Audi Q7s, dusty but unbowed by the first seven days of a 7000km trek from Sydney to Broome across Australia's red centre. With the Q7 — Audi's foray into the large luxury SUV market — in showrooms from today, the idea of running a fleet of them coast-to-coast had been schemed for almost two years.“The Q7 is a performance SUV which will allow Audi to tap into the growing prestige and luxury market for this type of vehicle,” Audi's general manager for sales, Andrew Doyle, says. “It is also the ultimate quattro (AWD) showcase.”Priced from $84,900 for the 3.6-litre FSI V6 petrol model, available from November, through to $85,700 for the 3.0-litre TDi diesel to the range-topping 4.2-litre FSI V8 at $116,800, the Q7 comes reasonably well specified out of the box but with a list of add-ons that runs to an impressive level. A V12 diesel with 1000Nm of torque was confirmed this week but no availability date has been announced.Critical safety features are standard. All models get the latest generation quattro AWD, eight airbags with side curtains back to the third row in the optional seven-seat configuration, and a switchable electronic stability control bundling ABS, EBD, panic brake assist, roll stability program, electronic differential lock and traction control.There is also a reversing camera with parking assistance standard — something that should be legislated for all vehicles.New — and optional — on the Q7 are a pair of radar-based systems. The adaptive cruise control will monitor traffic on the road ahead and keep the car at a constant cruise speed and at a constant pre-set distance from other traffic, slowing and accelerating as needed. Lane assist uses radar to monitor driver “blind spots” and warn when a car is detected.The biggest test the cars faced before setting off on a 500km run on shifting gravel roads from Birdsville to Clayton River was an appointment with Big Red, at around 40m the largest of the 1100 or so sandhills on the desert run from Birdsville back to Dalhousie Springs. Once a formidable opponent — and still no walk in the park for the careless or the brainless — Red is definitely losing the battle against technology.With one minor blip when inexperience prompted one of the drivers to lift off the gas at a critical moment and bog in the soft sand — simply remedied by reversing down the slope and nailing it next time — Big Red offered no serious impediment to the Q7's progress. On to Clayton River.DAY 2: Birdsville to Clayton River (475km)Once a daunting droving route south to the Adelaide markets, the Birdsville Track is much more good gravel road than a track these days, at least in the dry.On the 475km run to Clayton River the Q7 performed faultlessly. The 4.2-litre V8 (257kW@6800rpm and 440Nm@3500rpm) chewed fuel at a constant 16.6L/100km but that was running fully laden at a good clip over a loose surface that regularly called on the electronic stability control to gently intervene. Left to its own devices on automatic, the variable air suspension had its moments over some of the dips and floodways, where rebound control was found to be less effective than expected.Between the humps and bumps the ride was composed and comfortable.A stop at the Mungerannie Roadhouse provided a break in the seemingly endless sameness of the country, as well as a fascinating window on the character of those inhabiting what to most is barren and inhospitable terrain.Above the bar is an impressive collection of headgear — some loved to the edge of destruction — of those who live around the region. Look down, and scorch marks on the wooden floor and a tyre-shaped indent tell of a wild night not long ago involving a fair degree of lubrication, a Harley-Davidson and an innovative use of the barfront to anchor the bike's front wheel while an extended burnout filled the room with smoke. Evidently it seemed like a good idea at the time.DAY 3: Clayton River to Coober Pedy (434km)A short run to Maree before leaving the Birdsville Track and joining another famous droving route, the Oodnadatta Track, for the run up past Lake Eyre to William Creek before heading across to the underground town, the opal mining centre of Coober Pedy.This time the Q7 of choice was the 3.0-litre diesel. Although most diesel buyers — some70 per cent of the 700 Q7s Audi will sell this year — will option up to the same level as the 4.2-litre V8, including air suspension, we took the basic car with steel-spring suspension.The engine is a great package with huge lumps of the maximum 500Nm of torque on tap from just over 1600rpm, making shifting the Q7's considerable bulk an effortless exercise. There is enough power (171kW) to roll the car comfortably at a very respectable speed across loose gravel roads very similar to the previous day. The biggest difference was that while the ride was a little harsher the rebound control was much better with a more workmanlike handling of the inevitable dips.Halfway along, just 15 minutes from William Creek (two pubs and a permanent population of nine), is one of Australia's best-kept secrets and one of its most stunning natural beauties.As environmentally fragile as spun glass and approachable only by air, the Painted Hills sit in some of the most remote privately-owned land on the continent. Weathered by wind and occasional rain, the hills, valleys, flats and dry creekbeds have been coloured by time and minerals in rich hues from purple through yellow and ochre to an almost iridescent red. Locals say mere hundreds of Europeans have seen the country and are adamant it will never be opened to ground traffic. Nor should it.The rest of the trip to Coober Pedy again passed without the Q7 missing a beat, putting another 150km of dust and rocks behind.DAY 4: Coober Pedy to Yulara (740kms)A night underground in Coober Pedy's Desert Cave Hotel set the scene for a final push to the Red Centre and Uluru. The choice of car is the 3.0-litre diesel with air suspension — a predictable combination of economy and selectable comfort for what was always going to be a long day on tarmac highways. None of this was a test for the Q7's claims to SUV status but it gave the car every chance to underscore its performance aspirations.The Q7 diesel proceeds at a rich clip in a very comfortable manner. It overtakes with ease at highway speed, dropping back on demand then holds a very respectable pace on the Northern Territory's unrestricted roads until well towards the redline.While the 1650km run from Birdsville was far from a hardcore 4WD test — and without low-range there are restrictions on what the car can be expected to do — it was fairly representative of what a Q7 owner might ask.The final run to Broome is next week in the hands of another group.Fast factsAudi Q7Price: 3.6 FSi $84,900; 3.0 TDi $85,700; 4.2 FSi $116,800Engines: 3.0-litre V6 DOHC common rail turbo diesel, 171kW@4000rpm, 500Nm@1750-2750rpm; 3.6-litre V6 FSI DOHC, 206kW@6200rpm, 360Nm@2500-5000rpm; 4.2-litre V8 FSI DOHC, 257kW@6800rpm, 440Nm@3500rpmTransmission: 6-speed tiptronic with sport mode; quattro permanent AWDPerformance: 0-100km 9.1 sec (3.0-litre), 8.5 sec (3.6-litre), 7.4 sec (4.2-litre);Fuel: 100-litre tank, 3.0-litre 10.5L/100km; 3.6-litre 12.7L/100km; 4.2-litre 13.6L/100km combined (claimed),LAUNCH TRIP:September 3-5 Sydney to Broken HillSept 7-11 Broken Hill to The Red Desert BirdsvilleSept 11-15 The Red Desert to the Red Centre (Uluru)Sept 19-24 The Red Centre to Broome