2025 Audi Q7 Reviews

Nudging its electronically governed 236km/h top speed, the behemoth Audi Q7 cannonballed down the autobahn's outer left lane. For tens of kilometres, this 2.4 tonnes of luxury SUV vied effortlessly with a BMW 7 Series, the Audi's 4.2-litre diesel V8 delivering 760Nm of turbine-like thrust put down to the billiard-table tarmac through all four wheels via a six-speed Tiptronic auto.Slower vehicles segued smoothly to the inside lanes as we blurred the Bavarian boondocks. Thus we spent a morning last northern spring on the approaches to Munich in the most powerful vehicle of its type.It could have been an advertisement for the efficacy of western Europe's freeways and wisdom of teaching drivers to drive.That was then; this is now.Now we're in Sydney. The vehicle is identical, save for the steering wheel being on the right, but the quickest lane is still the left (although, given that the right lane is more often than not occupied by zombies doing 75km/h in 80 zones, quickest is hardly the word).The Q7 runs lean — amazingly so for its size and weight — but too many of the diesel pumps you encounter at filling time are fit only for trucks and covered in a stinking patina of slime.And, as though to emphasise that what is — for now — Audi's halo SUV (a1000Nm V12 diesel is mooted) is just too much for the auto backwater that is Australia's biggest city, even the weather is grim.Unless you live in America (or in Mosman) and therefore find using a massive SUV for daily urban driving entirely sound and reasonable, there's something just a bit mad about this Q7.Audi is making ever better all-wheel-drive cars in less bloated form. The forthcoming A4 Avant will be a stylish load-carrier. The yet-to-be released Q5 medium SUV could very well be another.The current 3.0 TDI Allroad is a good SUV/wagon compromise: a bit like a Subaru Outback, except with a great six-cylinder diesel engine and a weepingly expensive price tag.Of course, some of you just have to have an SUV and, in the 18 months they've been on sale locally, the lesser Q7s have done well.The Q7 can also seat seven, although the rearmost two had better not be adults. And this provision, as Audi has been obliged to make abundantly clear in its advertising, costs extra.In isolation — and even at $124K — the 4.2 TDI is pretty compelling. Forbiddingly big though it is, it's no great chore to drive or even park, thanks to vast wing mirrors and an indispensable reversing camera.Forward motion obviously isn't going to be a concern with all that torque on tap, but it's snatchy at low speeds.Urban fuel use of 16 litres per 100km is just one way in which it justifies its premium over the V8 petrol version.Thing is, you'd really need to be towing a trailer full of elephants on a regular basis — or just really “have to” have the top model — to justify the circa $40K spend over the base diesel 3.0 TDI. Most of the time, that's all the Q7 you could want.Especially in this neck of the woods. 

The national launch for the Q7 last year involved a trip across Australia, including the Simpson Desert.And there is a switch inside the behemoth SUV which simply says "car" and takes you to the pneumatic suspension settings which you can vary according to your circumstances.While most owners may ride around on "comfort" settings, there is also the option for "offroad" and "lift" which takes you to dizzying heights.Now this may be intended so you can cross swollen creeks and maybe even dig out underneath if you get bogged on a big sand dune, but I know what it's really going to be used for.Speed bumps.Let's face it, the $85,700 kid carrier is rarely going to see dirt, sand, creeks or such.Its main duties will be ferrying the kids to school and in the seven-seater option it can also take a basketball team to the Saturday morning game.That means negotiating the gnarly urban terrain with its many potholes, speed bumps and sloping gutters.There is a little rat-run I sometimes take on the way to dropping off my daughters at school. It involves no fewer than seven sharp speed bumps in less than 500m.Ridiculous, isn't it?In one low-slung sporty street racer, I was forced to attack the bumps on an angle so as not to return the vehicle to the car company minus several kilos of plastic front spoiler.But with this beast, all you do is hit "car", rotate the knob to "lift" and punch the button.Up she goes and over you go, no stopping.And I think the local residents are thankful that I don't hit the brakes, then roar away as most other drivers do. I know the noise of sudden braking and acceleration would annoy me if I lived near one of these suspension busters.Anyway, back on track.The Q7 I drove was the lusty three-litre diesel.Except for a flat spot just off idle, the car is a torquey monster with more go than Paris Hilton on a weekend in Sydney.From the outside, it looks a lot like a beached three-tonne whale, but I imagine it is difficult to design something this big and make it look like anything else.However, the interior is up to Audi's magnificent stylish standards.Sumptuous leather, brushed aluminium, gadgets galore, wood trim. It's all here.Passengers are also well catered for with separate airconditioning controls.The third row is handy, but only for temporary tenants, amputees and small children. At least there is some room behind it for luggage.When the third row is folded away, the cargo area is cavernous.I didn't just drive this one to school and back. I took the family on a trip to the Gold Coast hinterland, up to O'Reilly's and down the four-wheel-drive-only Duck Creek Rd to Beaudesert where I lashed out on a Sunday roast special at the "Beauy" hotel.It was yet another great off-road adventure straight out of the pages of Brad McCarthy's Dirty Weekends book.There were no swollen creeks to cross, but the big SUV straddled the rocky path and descended the steep drive with aplomb.You barely knew you were on a dirt road.However, the air suspension did make one passenger in the second row car sick.Air suspension tends to do that. It has a floaty feel.On the return trip, I screwed the air suspension down and there were no complaints from the crew that hunkered down and went to sleep in the luxurious and quiet cabin.With a combination of school runs, highway and even some four-wheel driving, the big diesel drank only 10.5L/100km, which is exactly the factory claimed economy figure.The only problem was that when I went to fill up at an Ipswich servo, it had only one diesel pump and the nozzle was too big.

But the Allroad never had the great size, voluminous interior and elevated driving position which affluent suburbanites in Australia and America prefer in this sort of SUV. Given that the Yanks are the world's most powerful and influential consumers of these vehicles, the German marque had little choice but to defer.The Q7 is late on the scene with its most obvious rivals, the American-built Mercedes-Benz M-Class and BMW X5, now into their second generations. Yet it could have been much worse.Once the consequences of its mistake became apparent, Audi managed to secure an SUV platform from parent Volkswagen and project partner Porsche. Then, as if to prove a point, it created a bigger vehicle than either the Touareg or Cayenne, which all roll down the same production line in Bratislava.Just as there were accusations early on that Porsche and Volkswagen had lowered their standards in the pursuit of US market penetration — based largely on poor quality survey results and a couple of embarrassing recalls — the Q7 has also suffered from a disappointing four-star Euro NCAP crash-test result. This is a rung below the standard expected in this class. In 2004 the Touareg scored a maximum five stars.Judging from the Q7 order bank in Australia, that controversial crash test — which forced Audi to take corrective action — and other extraneous factors such as rising interest rates and higher fuel prices have not dented sales.And little wonder. While the vehicle fails to break new ground in this segment, the Q7 is a strong alternative to its main rivals — including the class-leading X5 — with a powerful road presence, luxurious appointments, quiet and cavernous cabin, a third-row option and, in the TDI model tested here, a marvellous V6 common-rail turbo-diesel.A bit more powerful than the version used in the Touareg, the Q7's 3.0-litre TDI produces 171kW at 4000rpm and 500Nm from 1750-2750rpm. The engine's diesel origins will be obvious to those outside the vehicle, but for those within it manifests a quiet, smooth and flexible nature that has no trouble with the 2.3-tonne kerb weight and never leaves the driver aching for more acceleration or responsiveness.In this regard, the six-speed automatic transmission works in wonderful concert with the engine, shifting gears with smoothness and cleverness in accordance with driver demands and the prevailing road conditions. There is also the means for gear shifting in a sequential-manual fashion, although the diesel's muscle at low and medium revs tends to negate the need for it.The Q7 is not as lean on fuel consumption as its government rating indicates, returning 12.3 litres per 100km across our test. But, like the NCAP result, this is probably not a figure that will terminate a prospective sale.Indeed, this is true for most facets of the Q7.Not a new breed of prestige-sports SUV as Audi would have us believe, the Q7 still proves to be a competent, composed and well-rounded vehicle. It is a cinch to manoeuvre around shopping centres, effortless to drive on the open road, undisturbed across broken bitumen and controlled around corners.A monocoque construction with independent double-wishbone suspension front and rear, the Q7 does not feel as sporting to drive in standard form as the Allroad or X5 — the value of which is disputable in a high-riding, two-tonne SUV — but it does feel stable and secure in most situations.It keeps a level head during quick directional changes and, with the combined efforts of Audi's Quattro permanent 4WD and 255/55 18-inch Bridgestones, maintains a great deal of adhesion to the road. It also has accurate steering, and all-wheel disc brakes offering outstanding resistance to fade.Things come undone a bit in accordance with deteriorating road conditions. On corrugated dirt and gravel, the Q7's electronic traction nannies become intrusive, cutting power and braking (and emitting a horrible noise) in the quest to maintain control. A less-than-impressive emergency-braking exhibition on loose gravel and sand also brings into question ABS calibration for dirt roads.Off-road, the confidence the vehicle exudes on bitumen erodes further. Short overhangs, decent ground clearance and a full-size spare wheel on the five-seat model are all beneficial, but the braking assistance offered with the ESP-related off-road mode provides nowhere near enough control, often forcing the driver to take corrective action.Up steep gravel inclines the Bridgestones can struggle to maintain traction, while the parking assistance system goes berserk when it detects wheel ruts or even long grass. It can be turned off, but re-engages of its own accord whenever the driver selects reverse.For all the attention to detail and hi-tech gadgets and passenger comfort that Audi has built into the Q7, the interior also has some drawbacks.For instance, the TDI driver must contend with a foot-operated park brake (which did not disengage properly on our test car), an unconventional high-mounted ignition slot on the left-hand side of the steering wheel and, worst of all, distracting reflections on both exterior mirrors from the chrome-look trim surrounding the dashboard air-vents.There is no electric front seat adjustment, no lumbar support and no rear-seat automatic seatbelt locking retractors for securing child restraints properly. If the optional panoramic sunroof is fitted, there's a sense of never being able to escape a blazing sun (despite perforated blinds). The optional electric tailgate is convenient and detects obstacles, but can also cause minor injuries before grinding to a halt.Accommodation and amenities are excellent in the front and rear passenger compartments, and further astern in the five-seat version there is more than enough luggage room. The floor-mounted guide rails and attachments in the cargo area are also useful, although the flimsy "telescopic retention bar" left something to be desired.Again, irritations like these are unlikely to halt the Q7 queue. Standard TDI features include a reverse-parking camera, dual-zone climate-control, a beaut 11-speaker stereo, eight airbags, leather trim and Audi's MMI computer interface.Combine these with the requisite size and looks, a splendid engine and an $85,700 asking price, and Audi has at last got itself a sure-fire SUV success. Even with an all-new Allroad coming soon, "all roads" now lead to the Q7.

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