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The new slimline Audi Q7 has ditched its flaws to race ahead of its rivals

Who would have imagined that Audi would go and make an admirable and likeable Q7? Miracles, evidently, do happen.

The unveiling of the first Q7 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005 was a moment of dismay for Audi lovers. That gargantuan, ugly lump – more like a Mack truck than a conveyance for civilised humans – destroyed a lifetime’s expectations that an Audi should be svelte, elegant and effortlessly stylish.

Audi had made a speciality out of fourwheel-drive cars for decades, with its unsurpassed Quattro system; but the Q7 was its first attempt at an SUV. It made you wish the company hadn’t bothered. Clumsy on the road and not much use off it, that Q7 was expensive and pretentious in equal measure.

Now along comes a Q7 so new from every angle that it erases that earlier disappointment. Not only has it been redesigned from bumper to bumper, but Audi has spared no expense to give it a new platform, chassis, powertrain and set-up for satnav/audio/information.

A determination to eliminate excess has reduced the weight of this new car by 300kg (roughly equal to the weight of four adults) compared to its predecessor. That change alone contributes to a transformation in the Q7’s performance and handling. Instead of feeling like a lumbering mobile home, this sevenseater is alert and responsive.

Even though the dimensions aren’t all that different, this Q7 looks far less bulky. The rear has been tucked across its middle like a BMW X5 and fitted with slender, rectangular twin exhaust tailpipes. Long swage lines along the sides give the body a trimmer shape, and Below: The new Audi Q7 has shed its excess weight, resulting in vastly improved handling and performance. equally strong horizontal lines across the nose emphasise the integrity of its design purpose.

Audi’s 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine with 268bhp driving all four wheels through an eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox gives this Q7 stonking powers. Acceleration from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds is a startling figure for a car that weighs two tons, but more significant – when joining motorways, for instance – is the fact that the same figure applies to acceleration from 30-70mph. My average fuel consumption over a week’s driving that was far from sedate was 32.6mpg – far from the officially claimed figures in excess of 50mpg, but broadly in line with the competition.

To give it a more respectable performance off-road, this Q7 gets a centre differential together with a limited-slip differential between the rear wheels. Combining those trappings with height-adjustable air suspension should make the car more than capable of coping with a Scottish winter.

Volvo’s sublime XC90 has set a new standard in interior design for this class, but the Q7 comes a close second. The new information/ satnav/audio system can’t match the Volvo’s big, central tablet display and operation, but its combination of heads-up display and steeringwheel operation are readily comprehensible and fully domesticated. As always in an Audi, the standards of fit and finish for upholstery and panels are unbeaten.

There is, of course, a price to pay for perfection. The brushed aluminium and oak-effect inlays are an optional extra that costs £900. That was only one item in a list of extras on my test car that added up to almost £10,000 on top of the basic asking price of £49,475. Unlike its predecessor, however, this Q7 might almost be counted as reasonable

value for money at £50,000.

‘ Acceleration from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds is a startling figure for a car that weighs two tons’