NEW CAR ROAD TEST:

AUDI Q7

Audi’s Q7 seven-seat luxury SUV has always made a big impact.

The styling theme is evolutionary, although the car seems to sit low on its springs, almost like a beefed-up Audi super-estate than a typical SUV, an impression added to by the aggressively raked windscreen.

The chassis on which the Q7 sits is also used by the current Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg luxury SUVs, plus the Lamborghini Urus and the Bentley Bentayga.

An increased reliance on aluminium has shed weight – 100kg off the suspension, 71kg off the body and a massive 24kg off the doors alone.

Despite being 370mm shorter, Audi has only reduced the wheelbase of this MK2 model Q7 by 10mm, so the amount of room for passengers is still vast.

And with all seven seats occupied, you still get 295-litres of boot space. In five-seat mode there’s even more room; fully 890-litres to the tonneau cover.

Most customers choose one of the efficient turbocharged 3.0-litre TDI units, these developing either 231PS in the 45 TDI or 286PS in the 50 TDI.

The alternative is the flagship SQ7 model that uses a 4.0-litre V8 TDI diesel, while the 3.0 TDI diesel’s going to be the one getting the most play with UK buyers – and it’s a good ‘un.

In fact, 7.3 seconds to 62mph wouldn’t be bad for a mildly hot hatch.

And it manages 49.6mpg and emissions of 149g/km.

A very different Q7 then. We can’t help but have a sneaking admiration for what Audi has done here.