Audi Q7

The Q7 is Audi’s 7-seater luxury SUV, which was once the most popular choice for all the new-age celebrities. And as the Q7’s celebrity clients have changed, so has the Q7. It has gone from being one of the flashiest options in its segment to one of the most understated, especially compared to newer and more modern rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLE and BMW X5. 

I’ve spent some good time with the Audi Q7 and it made me realise that while its rivals might be louder and even more opulent in some areas, there’s this intangible charm of the Q7 is something that only a few will appreciate. The question is, would you be amongst those people, or will you be better off with its rivals? Let’s find out

The Audi Q7 is a big car, but its road presence actually doesn’t match its size because the design isn’t loud. It isn’t until you are up close with the car that you realise how wide and long the car actually is.

From the front, the Q7’s design doesn’t seem outright swanky or modern, and that’s because the design language hasn’t seen a radical change in many years. And with Audi transitioning into its new-age products with its sharper design language that can be seen on cars like the new-gen Audi A6, this design seems even more dated.

Still, you get a huge grille dominating most of the real estate at front with vertical chrome inserts and chrome surrounds that make it look and feel bold. I like the design of the Matrix LED headlights and the sleek LED DRLs that have been integrated within the same cluster. The airdams on either side of the bumper, flanking the horizontal opening above the silver skid plate, add some style to the design.

In profile, the styling is clean. Tasteful chrome accents around the windowline, silver inserts near the skirting with Quattro lettering and 20-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels suit the SUV well. It doesn’t look traditionally butch, neither does it look outright sporty, but offers a balance between both.

The detailing in the LED tail lights never fails to impress in an Audi. It looks intricate and feels properly premium to look at at night. In the daylight, you will appreciate the sleek chrome bar that connects the two tail lights along with a rugged bumper that also sports dual exhaust tips. You also get a stop lamp in the roof-mounted spoiler.

The Audi Q7 is available in 5 metallic colour options: Mythos Black, Glacier White, Sakhir Gold, Samurai Gray, and Waitomo Blue.

Inside the Q7, you get the option of speccing the seats in either Cedar Brown-Steel Gray or Saiga Beige-Steel Gray. The black treatment of the dashboard is something that remains constant.

The overall design is simple with horizontal elements running across the dashboard. While I’m not a fan of the heavy usage of Piano Black elements around the central console, I do like the wood-like inlays around the door trims and dashboard.

The quality is great. Everything you touch and interact with feels tactile and well built, and the dashboard and door pads are covered in soft leatherette. Even more satisfying is the ‘click’ sound you get when you interact with the few physical buttons below the screens and the rotor for the electric ORVMs.

Front seats

The front seats of the Audi Q7 are super comfortable. The cushioning is good, the support is adequate and it feels even more accommodating for people with a wide build. The range of adjustments just make things even more convenient and comfortable with powered seats that have two memory presets along with lumbar adjustment. 

The steering adjusts for both reach and rake, and finding a comfortable driving position is easy. The only thing that it misses out on is ventilation and massaging function, otherwise the Q7’s front seats are a great place to be on a long road trip.

Second row

But chances are that if you’re buying the Q7, you won’t be spending too much time at the front. Now you do have to climb in a bit to get inside the Q7, but once you’re sat, the seats are comfortable and the space is plenty. The rear seats slide and recline, so you can get really comfortable on long journeys, and conveniences like a central armrest and rear sunshades make it a nicer place to be.

I wouldn’t make any adult sit in the middle for too long though, as the seats are contoured to support the side passengers, which can feel intrusive. And if that doesn’t, the thick central tunnel will definitely make them feel uncomfortable and limit their footroom. 

Third row

Getting inside the third row is easy with second row seats that fold and tumble. Now if the second row passengers are a little accommodating and don’t move the seats all the way back, average size adults can actually spend a long time in the third row of the Q7. While passengers won’t be able to benefit from the airy feels of the panoramic sunroof, they do get decent-sized window cut outs which ensures they don’t feel cramped. There are no AC vents for the third row passengers.

Charging Options

The front and second row passengers in the Audi Q7 get two Type-C charging ports. There’s a wireless phone charger at the front, while a 12V socket is available for both the front and second row passengers. 

Features

The feature package of the Audi Q7 isn’t extensive, but the experience of using everything is just different to what other cars offer, which makes it feel unique.

The dual 10.2-inch screens, for example, have haptic feedback. So it is almost like you’re pressing a button to select something even though it actually is a touchscreen. While I found this useful to operate on the move, especially for the climate control panel, others found this to be counterintuitive. At the end of the day, nothing replaces physical buttons and knobs for rudimentary features like your aircon settings. 

In terms of resolution and responsiveness, you won’t ever have an issue. The graphics are crisp, the icons are big and the user interface is fairly simple too. However, relative to comparable cars from Mercedes-Benz or BMW, this interface does look outdated.

The 12.3-inch digital driver’s display has multiple layouts to choose from, and it relays a whole host of information ranging from media to engine performance.

Other features like the keyless entry, panoramic sunroof, four-zone climate control, auto-dipping ORVMs, 360-degree camera ambient lighting, powered front seats, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers add to the comfort factor.

The Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System has 19 speakers, which offer an immersive audio experience. If you’re an audiophile, you will enjoy listening to your favorite music on this sound system.

But for a car costing north of Rs 1 crore (on-road), missing features like ventilated seats, wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and a proper Level-2 ADAS suite pinch hard. Even the second row comfort could be better with features like device mounts, eating trays and seat ventilation.

The Audi Q7 gets features like 8 airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, park assist, all-wheel disc brakes, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control and ISOFIX mounts. The car also has Level-1 autonomous driving assistance systems (ADAS) with features like lane departure warning.

The Audi Q7 has a powered tailgate, which opens up on the touch of one button. And while the loading lip is high, the air suspension can be lowered using the button inside the boot itself, making it easy for you to load/unload any luggage.

Both the second and third row seats fold at the touch of a button, opening up to 1908-litres of storage space. Even with only the last row down, you can store multiple sets of suitcases (including small, medium and large trolleys). Audi has also provided a parcel shelf for the Q7, which hides all your luggage. It moves up and down with the tailgate, and can be removed entirely if you need to stack multiple items.

The Audi Q7 is a petrol-only offering. It benefits from the Quattro all-wheel drivetrain and transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed torque converter automatic. There are five drive modes available: Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual.

City Performance

The Audi Q7 is super refined to drive in the city. There’s plenty of torque available from as low as 1500RPM, so you never need to push the engine and all your commuting within the city can be done smoothly and quietly. 

The eight-speed automatic transmission is so smooth with its shift when driving regularly that you can barely tell its shifting any gears. In the city, you can expect a fuel efficiency of around 7-8kmpl.

Highway Performance

It feels like the Q7 was built to cover long distances. The way this engine hits triple digit speeds and just sits effortlessly at 100kmph is astonishing, especially considering that this is a comfortable 7-seater family SUV which has no business being as quick as it is.

The best part is, even beyond those speeds, all you need to do is flex your foot ever so slightly for the car to drop a gear or two, and make that high-speed overtake without any planning. You won’t be doing more than 120kmph in India, legally at least, but this car can definitely do speeds of well over that effortlessly if required. 

In Dynamic mode, the gearbox sharpens its reactions and responses. It feels quicker and sharper which makes the drive experience feel sporty. And given that you can set Individual modes for the suspension, engine and transmission performance, you don’t necessarily have to compromise on ride comfort while extracting the maximum out of the powertrain.

On highways, you can expect the Audi Q7 to deliver around 10kmpl.

Ride Comfort

The Audi Q7 gets air suspension, that means, all potholes and imperfections are soaked up really well. It handles its weight well over rough roads and Comfort mode seems to be the best option for optimum cushioning in the city. It also gobbles up the sharp potholes and ditches with ease, without letting any jerk creep inside. On inconsistently built roads though, allroad mode is excellent. It allows the suspension to absorb bumps without being bouncy on the recovery while also being suitable for high speed driving or even cornering.

While ground clearance isn’t an issue at all, you can increase the ride height using the main touchscreen in case you need to clear that one oddly-shaped speedbreaker or need a better breakover angle.

On the highway, I found it best to switch to the Auto drive mode. It adapts to the driving style and road surface to provide maximum possible comfort. 

Handling

Driving the Q7 in the city in comfort mode is easy. The steering doesn’t feel heavy and even at highway high-speeds, you won’t have an issue with it. Now, this is a family-first SUV, but if you want more engagement, the Dynamic mode delivers with a heavier steering weight. It feels even more reassuring when you’re making lane changes at fast speeds and keeps the body roll in check as well.

The Audi Q7 is available in two variants: Premium and Technology.

If Audi Q7 was an ice-cream flavour, it would be Vanilla - safe, dependable, familiarly comfortable but not remarkable. It doesn’t do anything in particular that will blow your socks right off, but it doesn’t do anything wrong either and just gets the job done. It might miss on some of the equipment you’d expect from a luxury family SUV, but the fact that you’re getting such a big, comfortable and powerful German SUV with 7-seats for under Rs 1 crore (ex-showroom) just makes the deal even sweeter. And that’s even before you  account for the dealer discounts.

BMW X5

Reasons to consider

• Sharper styling looks sportier

• Diesel engine option

• Much more thrilling to drive

Reasons to ignore

• No 7-seater option

• Rear seat experience is better in the Q7

Mercedes-GLE

Reasons to consider

• Diesel engine option

• Overall package feels more modern and luxurious

Reasons to ignore

• No 7-seater option

Volvo XC90

Reasons to consider

• More features like ventilated and heated seats

• Design looks more premium

Reasons to ignore

• Not as quick or dynamic

• Third row space is limited