The Audi Q7
Audi’s first SUV was the Q7 which launched around 2006 and I remember it being quite a popular vehicle on the road when I was growing up.
Fast forward 20 years, and Audi has expanded its SUV lineup dramatically, but the Q7 and SQ7 are still the only models that are still seven-seater family SUVs.
The Q7 has however become less popular or rather extremely unaffordable.
Priced between R 1 958 000 and R1 987 900, it dawned on me that it was definitely the price that takes the attention away from this vehicle, but is it for good reason?
From the outside, it doesn’t have that same sporty feel as the Q8. While it’s not dull at all, the Q7 lets you know that it is a tamer and more family oriented vehicle.
But once you get into it, the Audi Q7 offers a premium feel that you don’t get everywhere. From the quilted leather seats to the extremely spacious first and second row, the Audi begins justifying its price tag — as most Audis tend to do — with a well-crafted and stylish interior.
However, the lack of a standard 360 degree camera and the quality of the reverse camera troubled me, since I was driving a R2 million vehicle. I’ve been in cars that are a quarter of the price with better quality reverse cameras.
It just didn’t sit right with me that for a brand that takes so much pride in its vehicles, something as simple as the quality of a reverse camera was not taken care of.
But if you are looking for more bad things about the Audi Q7, that’s about where it ends.
Once you get to driving, this is a vehicle that weighs almost 2.5 tonnes, but because Audi has executed everything correctly, it just doesn’t feel like it.
By no means does it feel like you are driving an A3, but you could be forgiven for forgetting that you have two rows of additional seating behind you.
It puts you in a comfort zone that many other vehicles fail to do. This is mostly down to the adaptive air suspension, which offers adjustable ride height and comfort by reading road conditions for a blend of sporty handling and plush comfort.
I mean, it also has Audi’s Quattro system (its all-wheel-drive system) which gives this vehicle great stability even in tricky conditions. The week I had it, the rain did not stop me from experiencing this car to the best of its ability, thanks to all of this.
The Audi Q7 might be a family-first vehicle, but it doesn’t hold back when it comes to power.
Powered by a 3 litre V6 petrol engine, the vehicle delivers an enormous 250kW of power and 500Nm of torque. This engine also takes this heavy vehicle from 0-100km/h in just 5.6 seconds.
This meant that overtaking was very easy with this car. Even when I had all seven seats filled, it didn’t feel like the extra weight made any impact on the vehicle. It was flawless in terms of its driving capabilities.
But there is just one downside to this. The fuel consumption is ridiculous.
I drove this car in sport mode once and that was it, because I saw figures of around 14 litres/100km. Even if you drive in efficiency mode, the fuel consumption still does not fall below 11 litres/100km.
But I suppose that if you have R2 million for a car, you are not really thinking about fuel figures.
Verdict
The Audi Q7 is well worth the price tag, but it is also that price tag that has contributed to its popularity or lack of it.
It has become a rich dad’s car, but for what you are getting, it deserves to be.