AUDI Q7 LOOKS LARGE, DRIVES SMALL
The all-new Audi Q7 is the master of the grand illusion. I’m not sure if it shows up in pictures, but the darned thing is huge. Oh, it’s a couple of inches shorter than the previous version, but the first impression of everyone who had the pleasure of riding in Audi’s latest top-flight sport brute was of size outlandish. My dad was surprised it fit into his garage; my girlfriend thought it would be a pig to drive.
It’s a Kreskin-like deception. From behind the wheel, the Q7 feels almost RAV4-like — or more appropriately, Q5-like — in its lightness of steering and fleetness of foot. It’s quite impressive because, having just driven Mercedes-Benz’s similarly sized GL 450, I felt I had moved down a segment and lost about a half ton of unwanted metal. In actual weight loss, it’s more like 115 kilograms.
Yes, I know you’ve read elsewhere that the Q7, miracle of miracles, has dropped some 320 kg. That’s true … if you’re driving a European version, which doesn’t come standard, as our Canadian versions do, with third-row seating and panoramic sunroof. Both features add a significant amount of weight, although 205 kg does seem a lot for just a sunroof, no matter how large, and one row of seats, even if they are electrically powered. Nonetheless, Audi Canada insists that the new Canadian Q7 is but 115 kg lighter than its predecessor.
Nonetheless, our new Q7 does “feel” like it’s shed 320 kilos and, most impressively, this lightness has been accomplished without resorting to its costly — and difficult to repair — aluminum spaceframe technology. Oh, to be sure there’s plenty of Al to be found in the Q7’s superstructure, but most of the credit has to go to plain old-fashioned good engineering and the use of copious amounts of high-strength — and therefore thinner — steel. As well, Audi says the axles and the suspension bits are a large part of the weight drop, and both are big contributors to how heavily — or lightly — a vehicle handles.
Whatever magic formula Audi has conjured, it works. Were one not aware of its sheer girth — the old blind-folded-before-getting-behind-the-wheel trick — I could have been fooled into thinking I was driving Volkswagen’s much smaller Tiguan. Or perhaps even Lexus’s little NX, a car I had tested just a few weeks before. That’s how responsive the Q7 is to steering inputs and how easily it changes direction.
If it seems like I am overstating the Q7’s transformation from plodding Clydesdale to sprinting thoroughbred, understand that I have been driving the Q7 for three weeks now — an eon in my roadtest schedule — and I am still amazed by its litheness every time I get behind the wheel. That said, I am not quite as impressed with the ride. With all that weight loss, especially in the axles, I expected a much-improved ride. Instead, it feels similar to that of the previous model — not particularly harsh, but hardly cosy-comfy. What the reduced unsprung weight — that’s the wheels and the axles together — and the adjustable suspension giveth, the lowprofile run-flat tires taketh away.
The reduced avoirdupois has spruced up the performance slightly as well, rendering what was once lethargic almost sprightly, despite the new version soldiering on with the same 333-horsepower, 3.0-litre supercharged V6 (there was also supposed to be a 3.0-L TDI on offer, but we all know what happened there). Acceleration is brisk, jumps from stop signs are sprightly and the Q7 passes semis like, well, a lighter car.
Despite all this talk of lightness and weight reduction, the chassis is noticeably stiffer. There is absolutely no “judder” through the frame, even when the adjustable suspension is jacked up to full Dynamic. It also makes for a quieter ride; Audi was obviously able to add more sound-deadening material because it had saved so much weight in the chassis.
The result is that Audi’s top-ofthe-line Bang & Olufsen audio system (the base versions get a Bose system) may sound even more splendorous in the Q7 than in the A8. Many pretenders — Bowers & Wilkins, Lexicon, etc. — have sought to displace B& O as the audiophile’s choice in automobiles, but while some can match Dutch bass, none I have listened to can replicate B& O’s pop-up tweeters and unmatched mid-range voice reproduction. Listening to Let It Rain is to know Amanda Marshall’s pain first-hand.
The rest of the interior is, as per Audi’s reputation, exquisite. The Q7, of course, gets the company’s latest TFT-screen gauge set that we first saw on the TT. Wonderfully versatile, it allows customization focusing on the traditional gauges, the navigation system or some combination thereof. Others are catching up to Audi’s lead in gauges customization, but no one has surpassed it yet.
There’s still another pop-up screen to handle audio system and phone controls. Audi has cleaned up its MMI interface, making it easier to navigate. That said, use of the alphanumeric keypad that lets you write requests is a hit-and-miss affair. My significant other loved it; I could never get it to work. And because MMI is now dependent on the keypad to put street addresses into the navi system, I was easily frustrated.
Thankfully, the Q7 now features Apple CarPlay. One quick Siri of my destination and, presto, the screen plotted my route. That said, even CarPlay — no fault of Audi’s — can be frustrating. Using the cellphone app depends completely on your address book. Voice-activate CarPlay to call a name back from your missed call list and it ignores you. I ended up plugging in my iPhone 6 when I needed to navigate and disconnecting it when I wanted to use the phone. No matter how hightech these interfaces get, they’re never completely seamless.
Lastly, we need to address the Q7’s minivan pretender abilities. The company, after all, was willing to sacrifice fuel economy-enhancing — very important these days — weight reduction to boast three rows of seats as standard equipment. In fact, thanks to its girth, there’s plenty of room aft of the front row, especially in the second range of seats, which are positively expansive. The third row, of course, is for toddlers and gymnasts only, but once ensconced, they have adequate legroom for a trip to the grocery store. The secondrow seats are not as easily folded down as some in the segment to gain access to the rear perches. So, yes, the Q7 is seven-passenger capable, but anyone thinking of a long trip with extended family would be better served by a Grand Caravan. Unless, of course, you particularly dislike your extended family.
Of course, no Grand Caravan can offer the luxury, build quality and sheer fun of driving that the new Q7 does. That something so large drives so small is perhaps the highest compliment one can pay to a full-size SUV.
Overview: A technological marvel of a luxury sedan. Pros: Excellent handling, incredible roominess, yet drives “small,” luxurious interior. Cons: Not as great a weight saving as European models. Value for money: On par with everything in this segment. What I would change: Lose the panoramic sunroof and save the weight. How I would spec it: Opt for the Bang & Olufsen audio system, of course, and the Driver Assistance package, with active lane assist, adaptive cruise control, head-up display with traffic sign recognition, high-beam assistant and Pre-sense safety device. I’d pass on the Luxury package, though.