# Test Drive - Q7 3.0 TDi



## prhim (Nov 27, 2003)

Below is a write up I did for http://www.mytouaregforum.com in the UK:








Today I had the good fortune to spend some time with the guys from Test Drive magazine looking at, and driving, the new Audi Q7. 
For pics, go here: http://www.mytouaregforum.com/q7
I only had about 30-35 minutes behind the wheel, but it was long enough to get a good impression of the car, which I have tried to convey below in a logical format.
*LOOKS*
The Q7 was already parked up in the pub car park when I arrived, looking pretty good in the Lava Grey. Not too sure about the two-tone effect created by using a silvery colour for the lower skid panels, but that's just a personal thing. The frontal area is pretty massive and looks very imposing. For many people that will be a plus, but I think it might be enough to put some people off. At the risk of being sexist, I'd say it's a "man's" front end. Not at all delicate.
The rear, by contrast, is more elegant with the Audi-family lights. Surprised that they didn't use LEDs in the tail-lights, though. The normal bulbs are bright enough but I would have expected more 'drama'. Also slightly surprised that the rear hatch doesn't have the option to only raise the glass portion. I have to admit to 'gadget envy', though, with the self-raising and self-lowering hatch.
For my money, the worst view of the car is the side profile. Personally, the drop in the roofline at the back, coupled with the sharp rake of the glass house and raising of the skid plates just doesn't work. It's like the car has a bit of an identity crisis. Up to the B-pillar, it's a big mean SUV, then it turns into something more like a traditional Audi Avant. It's not ugly, just not as good as it perhaps could have been.
For anyone familiar with current Audi design (we have the A3 Sportback), there are loads of exterior design touches which will seem very familiar, from the vanes in the front side grilles, through to the creases on the wings and door lines. There's no doubting the car's bloodline.
*INTERIOR*
Our car was fitted with leather/alcantara seats, which are more supportive than the Touaregs (on twisty roads) but not necessarily any more comfortable. The dash looks like it has been lifted from the A6 - right down to the electronically-operated glovebox. It's certainly not unattractive, but after the mix of wood and aluminium in the Touareg, I have to say I was a little under-awed. Little things like the finishing on the transmission tunnel / gear selector not matching the dial surrounds just didn't work for me. Also, I don't know if this was just because the car was left-hand drive, but I felt much closer to the door when sat in the driver's seat - almost as if the interior was smaller than the Touareg. This may be a deliberate attempt by Audi to 'wrap' the cockpit around the driver, but it left me feeling strangely claustrophobic.
The second row of seats moves on a rail (to accommodate the third row, if required). In the rearmost position, I would say leg room was comparable to the Touareg, but no better. With the third row raised, there was little legroom in either the second or third rows. From that, it's safe to conclude that only kids need apply for the third row if you're going anywhere more than 20 minutes away.
Boot space with the third row down is greater than the Touareg (as you would expect), but pop the rear seats up and it all but disappears.
Visibility out of the rear window, even with the third row down was poor, compared with the Touareg. From the outside, the glass area looks about the same, but it seemed very small through the rear-view mirror. Likewise, the front windscreen is more raked than the VW, which left me feeling a little bit like I was peering out of a letterbox compared with the panoramic view from the Touareg. 
I liked the Audi MMI interface, however, and all the controls were well-weighted.
*ENGINE*
Anybody with the 3.0 Tdi Touareg will be right at home. There's virtually no difference. If anything, I'd say you can just notice the extra bulk of the Q7s extra set of seats. On the plus side, Audi has done a better job of insulating the cabin from the diesel chatter and general road noise. The gearbox felt a smidge smoother and throttle take-up in Sport felt a little less 'snatchy' than the Touareg. Not a lot else to say really. As well all already know, this engine really suits this kind of car. 
*DRIVING*
My half-hour was spent exclusively on country roads, so no motorway or town driving. First impression is that the car doesn't really feel any bigger than the Touareg when on the move. Despite being left-hand drive, we were still able to bustle along without feeling like a bloated whale.
All Audi Q7s in the UK will be fitted with air suspension; so I stuck it in 'Dynamic' (Sport, I guess?) and let the computers do their thing. Body control was, overall, very good though I thought it still rolled a little too much in the corners. I had expected a harder ride given that I had selected the hardest 'spring' setting. However, any understeer was entirely predictable and pretty easy to drive around. While my emergency brake from 70mph might have been terribly enjoyable for the passengers, it proved that, like the Touareg, the Q7 stops very quickly and is very stable under braking.
One thing I noticed is that the steering wheel appears to have been lifted directly from an A3 and, as such, felt somewhat small in diameter for a large car. You'd no doubt get used to it, but it was a little weird at first. On a less positive note, I have to say I think the Touareg has the better steering. Like all too many Audis, you have to take multiple bites of the steering to get the car through the corner. Our A3 is the same, as are many other Audis. Others will prefer it, but it feels a bit alien to me. 
The mirrors are better on the Q7. Shorter but taller. And there is a neat little device which lights up LEDs on the side of the mirror housing if there is a car in your blindspot. Very clever. Reversing was certainly made easier by the addition of a rear-view camera, but I doubt this will be a standard-fit item. Without it, the small rear windscreen made parking tricky, even with the third row of seats lowered. The parking sensors were fine, although it felt a bit silly that the visual aid is on the satnav screen. This means that you can't both look out the back and get a visual reference to the proximity of a wall. You'd get used to it, but it seemed a silly oversight.
So that's about it for impressions on the test drive. Feel free to ping me if there are any areas I haven't covered. The $64,000 question; would I buy one?
Yes, but not in a hurry. 
I've always liked Audis. I like the design philosophy and I like the anti-BMWness of the badge. But gut feels says the Q7 is not sufficiently 'better' than the Touareg in any particular way to make me trade-in in a hurry. I could see the Q7 as a possible next car, but there are a few things I'm still unsure about, such as the interior and that side profile. I'd like to have one for a longer-term test drive (hint, hint Audi!) to see if perhaps it would win me over given a little more time. 
Anyway, those of you who have looked closely at the pictures will note the presence of a tractor on some of the field shots. Yes, we (not me!) got the Q7 stuck! Audi certainly won't thank me for posting the pictures but I guess it wasn't entirely surprising given the boggy nature of the field and the fact the car was wearing 20" alloys shod with strictly road rubber. But we did laugh...
Thanks to Angus, James, Mark and all the other test drivers for a great day out. Hope they ask me again soon!
Hope that helps all you potential Q7 owners out there...


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## alex911s (Mar 20, 2006)

thanks for the review, that's great, the most pics I've seen so far.. dont care about getting stuck, u got 20's on.. 18 offroad tires that prob would've not happened...btw did u turn of ESP? lol ,again thanks for the review... btw here's an offroad review, from a rennlist member, he has a cayenne S, went offroading with Touareg and hummer, pretty cool,,, check it out
http://porschepuebla.homestead.com/news14.html

_Modified by alex911s at 9:31 PM 4/3/2006_

_Modified by alex911s at 10:09 PM 4/3/2006_

_Modified by alex911s at 10:15 PM 4/3/2006_


_Modified by alex911s at 10:22 PM 4/3/2006_


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

Apperciate the write-up. 
I take the stock tires are pretty worthless for anything but the pavement. Do you think your Touareg would have faired any better in that muddy field?


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## prhim (Nov 27, 2003)

My 19" Michelin Diamaris "probably" would have not got stuck, but they certainly wouldn't have been up to the job of pulling the audi out....


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## YllwTRB (Feb 15, 2004)

*Re: (prhim)*

I hope they bring that 3.0L TDI here. I will be all over that. Unless the Touareg TDI gets here first.


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