WE DRIVE AUDI’S NEW Q7 IN THE ICY ALPS
SOUTH African motoring journalists, it seems, carry their own automotive karma. The day before and the day after the SA contingent were to drive the all-new Audi Q7, the famous Alpine resort of Verbier enjoyed perfect earlysummer weather, with temperatures in the middle twenties and clear skies.
The day we got there, it snowed; not just a warning sprinkle but a solid 10 centimetres. The unseasonal weather played havoc with our travel plans, but it gave us an invaluable opportunity to drive Audi’s new flagship SUV in the conditions it was designed for.
Let’s face it, nobody is going to go expeditioneering in a fully leathertrimmed luxury bus with low-profile sports tyres on 21-inch alloys, Bang & Olufsen surround sound and the plushest floor-mats I’ve seen this side of a Rolls-Royce.
Which is not to say you couldn’t, but Audi’s quattro permanent allwheel drive is really all about keeping your family safe in the treacherous conditions Northern Europeans have to deal with every winter.
And it does so, magnificently. By the time we drove the 53km of narrow, twisty, hairpin-bestrewn but superbly engineered mountain road from the Sion valley to Verbier village, 1 531 metres higher up in real Heidi country, the snow had been churned up by passing traffic into almost-knee-deep islands of slush, in all the wrong places on streaming wet roads. But all we did was to put the Q7 into Drive, point it in the right direction and apply whichever pedal was appropriate. Never once, even braking with three wheels in slush and one on wet tarmac, did it understeer, step out or scrabble for grip.
I’m sure the centre differential – which defaults 40:60 front to rear but can now push as much as 75 percent of torque to the front wheels, or 80 percent to the rear – as well as the selective torque control (braking the inside wheels in a corner to ensure neutral steering) and traction control (preventing wheelspin on individual wheels coming out of corners) were working overtime, but their interventions were undetectable.
At 5 050mm long, the second-generation Q7 is slightly shorter and narrower than its predecessor, and about the same height.
Yet, depending on the model, it’s as much as 325kg lighter, thanks to a mostly-aluminium bodyshell, allnew five-link suspension and obsessive attention to detail.
Even the heaviest standard variant weighs less than two tons ready to go.
The Q7 will be released in South Africa in September 2015 with a much-revised version of Audi’s superb three-litre V6 TDI, rated for 200kW with 600Nm on tap. That’ll launch it from 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds, according to the maker, and on to a top speed of 234km/h, while fuel-consumption is quoted at 5.7 litres per 100km.
We were able to stretch the TDI’s legs in a brief freeway blast on the beautiful second day. Its mid-range torque is monumental, accompanied by an authoritative but very un-diesel-like growl, while it’s uncannily smooth and quiet at cruising speeds, thanks to adaptive engine mounts.
In January 2016 the 3.0 TDI will be joined in South Africa by a new two-litre turbopetrol for which Audi quotes 185kW and 370Nm. It wasn’t available to drive in Switzerland.
In each case the quattro drive is provided by a new eight-speed ZF paddle-shift auto transmission. Left to its own devices it’s very nearly seamless in operation; quite often I didn’t feel or hear the changes at all. Up-shifts on demand with the right paddle were just as good; downshifts, as usual with Audi, were delayed for a heartbeat while the ’box decided whether or not the shift was allowable.
The electromechanical power steering, with optional rear-wheel steering to reduce the turning circle at low speed and improve stability at higher speeds, is light but precise on mountain hairpins and pleasantly weighted at cruising speeds.
The interior is well up to the usual standard set by Ingolstadt, and better styled than most, with sweeping horizontal trim lines in tan and dark grey with brushed-alloy trim elements making the most of the spacious cabin.
The instrument cluster, as in the new Audi TT, is in fact a “virtual cockpit”, based on a 12.3-inch colour display. In the classical mode, the rev-counter and speedometer dominate the display much as they do on traditional analog panels, while, in “Infotainment” mode there’s a big screen between two smaller dials, offering display space for navigation or infotainment menus, controlled from the multifunction steering wheel.
There’s no centre stack as such; instead a seven-inch display rises from a slot in the fascia on start-up. It’s operated by a simplified version of Audi’s MMI controller, with a touchpad that reads taps, pinches and sweeps like a smartphone, as well as by voice control, or input via Bluetooth from a variety of devices.
The standard drive select control offers six modes: Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Off-Road and Individual, reprogramming up to 12 parameters for each one, including the optional self-levelling air suspension and rear-steering, if fitted.
Five seats are standard, with luggage capacity that increases from 890 litres with the second row of seats in use to 2 075 litres with them folded, accessed by a power-operated tailgate. Or you can ask for a third row of seats, giving you a total of seven. PRICES 3.0 TDI (available September 2015) - R890 000 2.0 TFSI (available January 2016) - R840 000