2017 Audi Q7 - Review

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►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

► PRICE : 

Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI quattro® Premium $54,800

Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI quattro® Premium Plus $58,800

Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI quattro® Prestige $64,300

The all-new 2017 Audi Q7 is one of the most luxurious and fun-to-drive midsize SUVs you can buy, though it also has a premium price tag. According to our analysis of professional reviews and data, the Q7 comes with a muscular V6 engine that's well-complemented by its automatic transmission, delivering power as soon as you hit the accelerator. Despite its large size, the Q7 is nimble around corners, with precise steering and strong brakes to help you enjoy twisty roads.

Inside, you'll find high-end materials, comfortable seats, and lots of high-tech features to keep you informed, entertained, and safe. The first two rows of seats offer generous room for adults and are comfortable for long drives. The third row is cramped, though, which is typical for 3-row SUVs. Many rivals offer more cargo room than the Q7, so you may want to look elsewhere if you need to do lots of hauling.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

EXTERIOR

Design-wise, the all-new Q7 proves that Audi can use more than just a few nips and tucks while redesigning a vehicle. The SUV’s body lines are now sharper, blending more squared-off surfaces front to rear. At the same time, the Q7 blends in with the rest of the Audi lineup, featuring headlamps, a singleframe grille and massive bumper intakes similar to those seen on many 2015 model year updates. On the other hand, the Q7’s huge grille connects to the headlights for a unique appearance.

Changes are more subdued around back, where the new Q7 boasts a similar tailgate and a nearly identical bumper. Still, there are a lot of new features, including reshaped, narrower taillights and trapezoidal exhaust pipes. On the sides, the Q7’s trademark character line has been repositioned closer to the sills, while the waistline has been redesigned for a crisper look.

If you find the all-new Q7 less bulky, then you eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. The rebuilt SUV is 1.5 inches shorter and 0.6 inches narrower, while its height remained virtually unchanged. More importantly, the new Q7 is a lot lighter, with certain trims weighing up to 716 pounds less when compared to the previous model. That’s a massive 26-percent drop from the first-gen Q7’s curb weight. Impressive! Most of the weight was dropped from the chassis, which is 220 pounds lighter, and the body structure, which weights 156 pounds less thanks to a new design.

Customers get to choose between 11 exterior colors, four of which are new. An S line exterior package changes the standard bumpers, air inlets, side sills, roof spoiler the diffuser with sportier units, while the grille gets a dark gray, high-gloss finish instead of the standard high-gloss black.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

INTERIOR

Although the new Q7 is shorter and narrower, the cabin is actually longer and offers more head room and boasts an additional 0.8 inches between the first and second row of seats. Head room has increased by 1.6 inches up front and 0.9 inches in the second row. Cargo capacity has also increased. The seven-seat version offers 10.4 cubic feet of storage room that increases to 27.2 with the third-row seats folded. The five-seat comes with 31.4 cubic feet, which increases to 73.3 cubes with the second row folded flat.

Design-wise, the redesigned interior is a massive departure compared to the first-generation’s cabin. Gone is the bulky center stack with its ancient A/C vents, knobs and display, now replaced by a taller center console. As a result, the A/C controls have been repositioned to the same level as the instrument cluster, while the display now resides on the dashboard. The latter also features a unitary design that stretches from the driver’s to the passenger’s side. A brand-new, three-spoke steering wheel replaces the previous unit, while the instrument cluster is all digital.

Naturally, the new Q7’s cabin is packed with the finest materials we can expect from an automaker such as Audi. The seats can be wrapped in either Cricket or Valcona leather combined with Alcantara and there are seven different color combos to choose from. The high-grade leather is complemented by a host of aluminum and wood trims, including Beaufort walnut.

There’s also a brand-new air conditioning system that uses fewer buttons and controls, with most options displayed on the TFT screen. The MMI system is also new, featuring intelligent suggestions for different tasks, including searching for specific song titles or navigation destinations. As far as entertainment goes, the Q7 comes with one or optionally two 10.1-inch tablets as rear seat monitors. The tablet is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 4 processors, is temperature-resistant and connected to the MMI navigation. What’s more, it provides access to the radio, media, navigation and several car functions via WiFi.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

SPECIFICATION

► Year:2017

► Make:Audi

► Model:Q7

► Price:$ 54800

► Engine:V6

► Horsepower @ RPM:333

► Torque @ RPM:324

► Displacement:3.0 L

► 0-60 time:6.1 sec. (Est.)

► Top Speed:155 mph (Est.)

FEATURES

While the 2017 Audi Q7 appears, at first blush, to knock all of the basics of a luxury SUV out of the park, there’s a whole other side to this Audi: it’s a high-tech wonderland. From the consumer-geek side of Audi's newest Multi-Media Interface (MMI) to the engineer-in-a-white-coat aspect of the driver assistance systems, the new Q7 places Audi back among the head of the class when it comes to in-car tech.

That's why we give it a 10. There's no sensual stone left unturned in this luxury SUV.

While Audi hasn’t finalized all of the assistance systems that will be available for American consumption, the Q7’s smorgasbord is ample. It offers everything from adaptive cruise control and stop-and-go traffic jam assist, to a “predictive efficiency assistant” that reads the terrain (drawing on its navigation data, even when route guidance isn’t being used) to suggest slowing down in advance of sharp turns, low speed limits, or other reasons to lighten up on the throttle and save some fuel.

There’s also a lane-keeping system, collision avoidance, left-turn assist monitoring, as well as a city assistance package that includes low-speed lane-change assistance and blind-spot monitoring, a rear "Pre Sense" collision system which takes proactive measures if it senses an impending rear-end collision, cross-traffic assist, and a new trailer maneuvering assist, which takes the steering control and places it on the MMI knob—much like the system Ford recently announced in the new F-150.

Other high-tech features available in the new Q7 include a parking assistance package, which bundles automatic parallel and perpendicular parking and departure, using surround-view cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors, which can also be used by the driver for precise views when parking manually.

A night vision option uses long-range infrared cameras to detect objects up to 984 feet away, as well as detecting people and larger animals at distances up to 328 feet, highlighting the people or animals with yellow markings on the display screen.

The Q7 is offered in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige models. While surfaces and trims get upgraded on those upper-level models, stepping up to them isn't something you'd do as much for the additional features as for the potential options. For instance, some of the best tech features (like the Adaptive Chassis package and its four-wheel steering and adaptive suspension), and the 23-speaker, 1,920-watt Bang & Olufsen BeoCore sound system, are only available on the Prestige. But option up a Q7 Prestige with those items plus the Luxury Package with its power-closing doors and contour seats, plus a few other extras, and you can end up pushing the price toward $85,000—quite a distance from the $56,000 base price for a Q7 Premium 3.0T. (SEE ALL PHOTOS)

DRIVETRAIN

Despite a curb weight of almost 5,000 pounds, the 2017 Audi Q7 is surprisingly maneuverable and nimble. Especially if the optional adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering are specified, the Q7 drives as if it's actually a size smaller, like Audi's Q5. Even without the Adaptive Chassis option, though, the Q7 is sure-footed around turns and instills driver confidence thanks to strong, consistent brakes. This athleticism doesn't come at the expense of ride quality, either. Rough pavement is effortlessly smoothed over and the cabin remains blissfully quiet. Accelerating to highway speeds or passing is easy thanks to the strong V6 and responsive eight-speed transmission.

Just as significant as what the driver can draw from the Q7 is what the car can do on its own. Combining existing technologies like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, forward-looking cameras and navigation information, the Q7 can help drivers considerably during congested freeway commutes or vast, unpopulated highway stretches by doing much of the driving on its own.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

STYLING

The 2017 Audi Q7 is a seven-passenger full-size SUV that is available in three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige.

Standard features for the Premium trim include 19-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, automatic wipers, LED running lights and taillights, power-folding heated mirrors, a panoramic sunroof, roof rails, front and rear parking sensors, frontal collision warnings with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, and a power liftgate.

On the inside, you get cruise control, selectable drive modes, three-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a 7-inch color driver information display, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with wheel-mounted shift paddles, leather upholstery, heated eight-way power front seats (with driver four-way power lumbar), driver memory settings, 35/30/35-split second-row folding seats and 50/50-split power folding third-row seats. Standard tech features include a rearview camera, Audi's MMI infotainment system, a 7-inch central display, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity and a 10-speaker sound system with a CD player, HD and satellite radio, and two USB ports.

A navigation system option is available and is paired with voice control, a handwriting recognition controller pad, a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, emergency telematics and smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Premium Plus includes the navigation system and adds keyless entry and ignition (with hands-free tailgate access), auto-dimming side mirrors, a power-adjustable steering wheel and interior ambient lighting. Options include the Vision package (LED headlights, a configurable gauge-cluster display and a surround-view camera system) and the Cold Weather package (four-zone automatic climate control, ventilated 12-way power front seats and manual rear window sunshades).

The Prestige includes the above listed Premium Plus options along with 20-inch wheels, a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alerts, side exit warnings, a head-up display, additional interior lighting, a high-resolution 8.3-inch central display and a 19-speaker Bose surround-sound audio system.

All Q7 trims are eligible for the Cold weather package (heated steering wheel and rear seats), a tow hitch and a rear-seat entertainment system. Premium Plus and Prestige trims are eligible for the Driver Assistance package (traffic sign recognition, automatic high beams, lane-departure intervention and adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist).

Options reserved solely for the Prestige trim include the Luxury package (18-way power front seats with massage functions, power door closers, a faux-suede headliner and upgraded leather upholstery), Adaptive Chassis package (all-wheel steering and an adaptive air suspension), a night vision camera and a 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

ENGINE

While Audi admits a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder and a 3.0-liter TDI turbodiesel are slated to put in an appearance at some future date, initially the new Q7 comes with the existing supercharged 3.0-liter gas-fired V6 that continues to make 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a responsive, paddle-shiftable 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission teamed with Audi’s Quattro AWD system, the engine takes this handsome and notably lighter hauler from 0-60 mph in a claimed 5.7 seconds, gives it a stellar 7,700-pound towing capability, and earns 19 mpg city/25 mpg highway fuel economy numbers from the EPA compared to the 16/22 comparative stats of the previous-generation Q7 with the same powertrain. 

► 3.0-liter supercharged V6 

333 horsepower @ 5,500-6,500 rpm 

325 lb-ft of torque @ 2,900-5,300 rpm 

EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/25 mpg (8-speed automatic)

SAFETY

Standard safety features for the 2017 Q7 include antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera and frontal collision warning with automatic braking. Also included is Audi's Pre-Sense basic system that senses if the driver is attempting to avoid a collision and automatically tensions the seatbelts, primes the braking system and closes windows and the sunroof. Available Audi Connect services also include emergency assistance, automatic crash notification, remote door locking and curfew, speed and valet alerts.

The Prestige trim gets a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and intervention, and side exit alerts (notifies exiting occupants if a car or bicyclist is approaching from behind). Rear seat side airbags are optional on all Q7 trims.

In Edmunds brake testing, the Q7 Prestige with the Adaptive Chassis package came to a stop from 60 mph in 112 feet, which is a very good result for an SUV in this class.

FUEL ECONOMY

As we're still waiting for the arrival of the 2017 Audi Q7 in 2.0T form, and the TDI model likely won't return until next year, that leaves only a single powertrain combination for the U.S. at this point.

The 2017 Audi Q7 isn't leading in its efficiency, but there are some higher-mileage models on the way.

Official EPA ratings for the 3.0-liter supercharged V-6, paired with the 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive are 19 mpg city, 25 highway, 21 combined.

That's not segment-leading, in any way, but we've seen some evidence that real-world numbers are impressive. Over around 250 miles of pretty rapid twisty-road driving, over several vehicles, we saw an average around 20 mpg.(SEE ALL PHOTOS)

VIDEO

By : KBB


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►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

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