Andaluz

The Audi Q7 may look like a denizen of the deep, but it's still likely to be one of the hottest SUVs on our roads
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'There's an easy fluency to its movements and a well-damped suspension'


'The design falls victim to the same split personality as the whole project'


Part of the Porsche Cayenne family, and just as ugly


'You have to take to the verge when something comes the other way on small roads'


The interior looks swish but some penny-pinching is apparent in the touch-points

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Mr. Mercedes

Thanks for the review Andulaz, I tend to agree with most of it.

I myself am torn by the styling of the Q7. I recently saw a dark grey one at the motor show, and wasn't that taken aback. It seems these newer automotive designs are very color sensitive and the dark grey hid the lines of the vehicle. Also the thing is absolutely HUUUUGE. I wish Audi made a shorter wheelbase offering when the 3rd row of seats isn’t required, because the proportions look very much like a station wagon on steroids. In comparison the ML looks like a rather beautiful, extremely well proportioned SUV. But I hope seeing the Q7 in other colors will change my mind.

The interior was a notch above the ML in terms of quality of materials used, but the comparison wasn't really fair because MB stupidly had a bare bones ML 350 on display with the 1/2 leather 1/2 fabric upholstery. That the car had a black interior and got very dirty from all the touching didn’t help either. Audi on the other hand had a top of the range Q7 with a lovely cream/dark grey contrast interior with premium leather. That the fit of the MB was on par with the Audi is an excellent achievement for the ML and bodes well for G-glass, which steps up the material quality over the ML.

Oh I finally got a chance to play around with Audi's MMI system, and first impressions (after 5 minutes of testing ) are that the system is outstanding. Probably even easier to use than the S-class Command II and Lexus's touch screen. But more testing would be required for a more definitive opinion.

What I was disappointed in was the styling of the seats. They were very comfortable and the leather quality excellent, but they just didn’t look luxurious and sumptuous like the newer offerings from Lexus and MB. They looked rather thin and cheap, but thankfully didn't feel that way. They felt great. What was truly a HUGE disappointment though was the armrest/storage compartment between the front seats. I was absolutely appalled by the quality of this thing. Not only does it not lock firmly into place (there isn't even a locking mechanism fitted), but every single part of this contraption feels cheap. And it SLAMS back down as the plastic parts collide. No well damped closing mechanisms here. After hearing so much about Audis attention to detail and quality interiors, I really couldn’t believe such an abomination was fitted to the Q7. Yes I know its only a centre armrest/storage compartment, but this really was that bad. It felt like something that just came out of a 90's Hyundai.

Overall in terms of showroom appeal it would be an extremely tough choosing between the ML and Q7.The driving experience may sway my opinion either way, but I'll only get to drive a Q7 in October.

Centurion

I saw the Q7 for the first time the other day, it was silver. I was walking towards our family car when I 25 meter away saw something huge rolling over a speed bump. Whent he car which was in front of the Q7 turned I was happy to see that it was the actually Q7.
Geez that car was huge, after the H2 it is probably the seconds largest SUV, it's simply enormous and if you drive in one of these you would hardly go unnoticed. The front has alot of presence and those side mirrors measure 13 inches or something, they were simply huge making the car look like an elephant .

Yannis

Audi made a true winner. All the reviews say that it's one of the best SUVs (if not THE best) out there.

Centurion

I did look pretty good when I saw it and I bet the S-line version looks superb. I'm warming up to it.

audi_rudy

i cant wait to see one of these cars in real life. IT probaby will move up to my number one spot in terms of suvs or behind the range rover. Audi sure did make a class leader.

MikeJ

I also saw the Q7 for the first time a few days ago and I have to say it does look better in the metal. Still not sure I like it, though.

Centurion

I'm also a bit unsure but with S-line package, the right colour and with some nice sized rims it can be as hot as Eva

Giannis

For Christ's sake Luw. stop posting pics of hot girls instead of hot cars. BTW, i'm sure the Q7 will sell great, but i am not yet convinsed if it's beautiful or not. To me it looks very heavy...

PS. Eva started to shake/move in a very funny way. It's like she wants **... lol. You made my night (it's 12.00pm here). Too bad i have to go to bed alone...