Can Audi, one of the finest luxury and performance car brands in the world, really make a full-size SUV that delivers all that the automaker is known for?
You bet.
A sexier, more fun-to-drive car.
The Q7 is a seven-passenger package of great technology, comfort and style.
When it comes to driving, the innovative adaptive air suspension lets you choose from different height and damping settings. If you choose the highest setting, the ride is silky smooth. Switch into the lowest setting, and you'll still get a great quality ride, but you'll feel more of the driving surface.
Even when you take corners, you don't get that rolling feeling that you get with most SUVs, thanks, presumably, to Audi's superb engineering.
Steering is precise and provides more than adequate feedback.
Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system comes standard on the Q7, so if you wanted to do some mild off-roading, you'd probably be just fine.
The test drive model had a 350 horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8 engine, but a V-6 is also available.
There's a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission that functions similarly to a manual without a clutch.
It's a smooth-shifter that seems to take full advantage of the engine's power.
However, as you might expect with a full-size SUV, gas mileage is nothing to write home about with the Q7. The tester's EPA numbers were 12 mpg city, 17 highway.
But the power from the engine comes in handy.
When it was time to merge onto a crowded Downtown Connector in Atlanta, the Q7 did so without missing a beat, easily flowing in and leaving a nice space cushion ahead of an onrushing pickup truck.
The Q7's exterior design makes no apologies for this being a large vehicle, as many SUVs seem to do today. But that doesn't mean there is no luxury. It looks ritzy enough to show up at any chi-chi affair you might be headed to.
The interior design is unmistakably Audi, from the dashboard to the seats. The lighting on the dash is understated but clear. The seats provide good lumbar support and are wide enough to be comfortable for long stretches.
The third row seating is for only the smallest folks, though.
Cargo capacity is terrific, especially if you fold down the second and third rows of seats.
Overall, for driving experience, comfort and luxury, the Q7 is a tough competitor in the full-size SUV category.
The tester carried a price tag of $66,775.
