Audi Q7 News

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.

Audi has revised its Q7 SUV lineup, improving spec levels and value – and adding more than $5000 worth of kit to the V8 for an extra $500.From September, the range-topping Q7 4.2 V8 diesel will be fitted standard with 21 inch alloys (up from 20), the S-Line exterior package, heated front seats, and Audi Connect internet connectivity. All except Audi Connect are currently available as options totalling more than $5000, but the SUV’s asking price will increase by just $500 to $129,300. The V8 revisions – which follow running changes to the volume-selling 3.0 TDI V6 diesel earlier this year – join the current model’s adaptive air suspension, memory seats,  satnav with hard drive storage, xenon headlights and proximity keys,   parking system plus with front and rear view camera, Bose audio and digital TV.Earlier this year, Audi added satnav with hard drive storage, xenon headlights and proximity keys to the Q7 3.0 TDI, in addition to the previous model’s parking system plus, rear view camera, Bluetooth audio and telephone, leather seating for seven, and automatic tailgate. All Q7 models are unchanged mechanically, with the 3.0 TDI sending 180kW/550Nm through an eight-speed automatic to Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. Average fuel consumption is therefore unchanged at 7.4L/100km. The 4.2 TDI makes 250kW/800Nm, and is rated at 9.2L/100km with the same eight-speed auto and quattro setup.The supercharged petrol V6 3.0 TFSI model is unchanged, with its 245kW/440Nm outputs paired with the same eight-speed auto/quattro combination as the diesel models, and a combined fuel consumption of 10.7L/100km Pricing for the Q7 3.0 TDI starts at $90,500, while the mid-range 3.0 TFSI is unchanged at $95,200.  

The biggest change in the switch to a new VW Group platform - that will also be the base of everything from the Volkswagen Touareg to the Lamborghini Urus - is a body change that means the next Q7 will be about 400 kilograms lighter.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover

Audi is looking to take over the world. Well, the world of luxury automobiles not the actual world. They don't like when you make those jokes. Audi has sky-high sales targets and it needs nearly every vehicle in its lineup to sell, and sell well. There are some vehicles it needs to sell... that haven't even arrived yet. Case in point is the oft-rumoured Audi Q8, a full-size SUV that has its sights set on some serious competition. According to Autocar, Audi is prepping the Q8 to arrive and tackle a rather legendary name among the SUV set. We're talking about Land Rover. More specifically the Range Rover Sport. The story goes that Audi will essentially build up the bodywork of the A8 sedan and plop it down on a revised version of the MLB platform. If the Q8 does come to see the light of day, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a potential flagship-grade SUV on the automaker's current favourite platform. Still, just as Bentley and Lamborghini were set to bring their respective sport utility vehicles out to dealerships around the country club, it would surprise no one if the idea of an Audi Q8 faded into the ether just the same. If Audi wants to see itself reach the lofty sales goals the company has placed upon itself, perhaps a near halo-like SUV isn't the right way to go. Of course, we still wish Audi went ahead with the R8 V12 TDI, so stay tuned for the Q8. www.motorauthority.com  

Smart cars that avoid accidents and clever fuel-saving technology are bonuses, but they can turn sour by forcing up insurance premiums and wiping out the economic repair of a damaged car.

Prototypes are up and running and, although they look much like the current SUV, there is a shorter front overhang and wider front guards disguising the new mechanical package under the skin.

The Q7 — known as the QE7 because of its size — began Audi’s push into SUVs and the updated model is expected to set a new benchmark for the class. This exclusive Carparazzi computer generated illustration shows that Audi is sticking close to the current successful recipe for the new model.

The 2.7-litre, twin-turbo V6 Ford/PSA engine - previously deployed in models as diverse as the Jaguar XF and Citroen's C5 - brings to this hitherto thirsty, petrol-only range the low-end torque and economy that makes diesel the power source of choice for buyers of bigger SUVs. Emissions will be cut by as much as 25 per cent compared with the Territory's venerable naturally aspirated in-line petrol six, while output should be in the vicinity of 150kW and 440Nm: just what the two-tonne Strayan SUV needs. New SUVs are thick on the ground in 2011, but the fairest of them all is the Range Rover Evoque, which brings designer desirability and - at little more than $50K - relative affordability to the segment.  Range Rover's first foray into the domain of the Q5s and X3s of this world will bring Land Rover's luxury badge within reach of people who don't necessarily use them to form convoys outside private schools. It's the smallest, lightest Rangie ever, and the leanest version emits about 130g of CO2 per kilometre.  Most of all, Gerry McGovern's sublime, compact design - especially in coupe format - will change the way you look at SUVs. Roll on September. On a softer note, compact SUVs - prestige ones, in particular - have been the growth segment of the past few years.  This year brings an especially intriguing contrast: two Volkswagen Group models, both with Tiguan underpinnings and most likely highly similar drivetrains, one built in Spain, the other in the Czech Republic. The former is Audi's Q3, the latter Skoda's Yeti. The Audi will carry a premium price tag; the Skoda won't. Compare and contrast.  In tougher terrain, the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee lobs later this month with its newly acquired monocoque chassis, reportedly tarted-up interior and a trio of V engines; a new 209kW 3.6-litre petrol V6; a 5.7-litre Hemi petrol V8; and a three-litre CRDi turbo-diesel six. The Cherokee's Patriot and Wrangler stablemates have also been updated. Just as ballsy (more so, even) is Nissan's Pathfinder Ti 550, the most powerful version to date, with its stump-pullin' three-litre turbo-diesel V6. If the sun is temporarily eclipsed in June, it's probably due to the vastness of the latest Volkswagen Touareg with its new range of six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and a platform shared with the exxier likes of Audi's Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. There can be few left in this global village who haven't been exposed to pre-launch publicity for the Toyota FJ Cruiser.  This four-year-old, retro-designed device finally gets here in March, lugged along by the four-litre V6 petrol engine from the 150 Series Prado. Claimed outputs are 200kW and 380Nm.  If you must have one, that blue seems the least ostentatious colour.

The sporty Audi TT gets a modest makeover but like the revised Q7 off-roader, the big news is under the bonnet. New engines have improved fuel economy and lowered emissions.The TT's 2.0-litre TSI engine receives a 8kW power boost to produce 157kW while torque is up 70Nm to 350Nm compared to the current engine. Despite the power lift fuel economy has gone from 7.7L/100km to 6.6L/100km for the six-speed manual. The six-speed manual TT hits 100km/h in 6.1 seconds and has a top speed of 245km/h.In the TT, the most obvious visual additions are 12 white LED daytime running lights on the lower edge of the headlights, new 17-inch alloys and lattice-look of the grille. At the back there is a larger diffuser set into the bumper and redesigned tail-lights.The Q7 gets new forced induction and direct injection V6 petrol and TDI engines and an eight-speed automatic gearbox across the range, except for the V12 TDIIn Europe, the new 3.0 TFSI V6 petrol is supercharged for better efficiency and available in two states of tune as part of Audi's engine downsizing strategy. It replaces the 3.6 FSI engine.Audi Australia spokesperson, Nadine Giusti, says both engines are under consideration for Australia. "However, we are still working through how they will fit into the line-up," she says.The milder tune 3.0 TFSI develops 200kW/400Nm. It accelerates to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 222km/h. A more powerful version delivers 245kW/440Nm and is a second quicker to 100km/h with a top speed of 245km/h. Both off-roaders are reasonably frugal, delivering 10.7L/100km.Compared with the current 3.6 FSI and the 4.2 FSI engines fuel consumption has been reduced by 1.4 and 2.0 l/100 km respectively, a 12 per cent and 16 per cent improvement. The Q7 also gets a new second-generation 3.0-litre TDI V6 that is 20kg lighter and more fuel efficient than the current 3.0 TDI. Audi has achieved the gains by reducing internal friction, fitting a new turbocharger and improved common rail injection system. A new stop-start system switches off the engine at a standstill, further saving fuel.The 3.0-litre TDI delivers 176kW/550Nm, hits 100km/h in 7.9 seconds with a top speed of 215km/h. Fuel consumption is 7.4L/100km, 1.7L/100km better than the old engine. Consumption has been cut in the 4.2 TDI too, from 9.9L/100km to 9.2L/100km. Power remains at 250kW but torque is up 40Nm to 800Nm.Both the TT and Q7 arrives in local showrooms around Christmas.

Was it "Big Bopper" - the '79 XB Falcon from Mad Max, or Steve McQueen's '68 Mustang GT in Bullitt. Or could it be the '64 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Bond in Goldfinger. How about the Mini Coopers of 1969 in the Italian Job? Or, does the '77 Pontiac Trans Am from Smokey and The Bandit top your list?Take our poll below to tell us what you think, or leave a comment if your top pick is not listed.But if the Oscars gave out awards to cars instead of stars, Audi would probably get the most nominations. During the past few years, Audis have featured in all the Transporter movies, Ronin, I Robot, Mission Impossible 2, About a Boy, Legally Blonde 2, Hitman, The Matrix 2, Iron Man and now its sequel.In the first Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark (a.k.a 'Iron Man'). His workshop houses a 1932 Ford Flathead roadster, a 1967 Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7, a prototype Tesla Roadster and a 2008 Audi R8.Supporting roles were played by the S5 sports sedan driven by American secret service agents and a Q7 SUV which is literally held up by Iron Man, who saves the family inside from the enemy. For the Australian premiere, Downey Jr arrived in a silver R8. In Iron Man 2 he drives an Audi R8 Spyder and his secretary, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), drives an A8 TDI.Audi Australia corporate communications general manager Anna Burgdorf could not confirm whether any payment was made for the placement. However, she could confirm that the super-sport R8 V10 Spyder will arrive here towards the end of the year.The R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro features a lightweight-cloth top that opens automatically in about 19 seconds. Its V10 engine produces 386kW of power and launches the open-top two-seater to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313km/h.Product placement of cars is not new to the sliver screen. Most critics believe it started with Bond films, notably the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, in 1964. Aston returned in 1965 for Thunderball and was replaced by the DBS for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.Other companies then got into the act of pushing their vehicles on to the Bond screen with the highlights being the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me and the launch of the BMW Z3 Roadster in GoldenEye. Even a pre-production Aston Martin DBS scored a role in Casino Royale, and scored a Guinness record for "the most cannon rolls in a car at the same time" - seven - for its very brief appearance.Iron Man 2 begins screening in Australia on April 29.