Audi Q7 2014 Review

The current Audi Q7 is no spring chicken. The luxury SUV has been in active service for more than seven years now, first arriving in Australia in September 2006.

Audi says the next-generation Q7 will emerge in 2015, based on a brand-new, light-weight aluminium and carbon-fibre platform, which will no doubt improve the luxury SUV's fuel economy, and enhance its competitiveness against newer models like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML-Class.

But until then the current Q7 will solider on, and despite its age Audi largest SUV is still a diligent and comfortable family hauler. It's got plenty of mod cons, a willing engine, and after putting a rapid-fire 2500km on the odometer booting around Germany and Austria, I came away from the test somewhat surprised at how graciously the vehicle has aged.

Powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine, this particular Q7 produces more than adequate power and torque, shifting the vehicle's considerable 2375kg bulk with a pumping 180kW and 550Nm.

It's enough mumbo to get the big machine moving away from the traffic lights post-haste, and came in handy when running late for a flight. Audi reckons it'll go from standstill to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds.

Acceleration is smooth and strong, but impresses the most from higher speeds. Driving on the autobahns in Germany, the big Audi guns from 120km/h to 200km/h with effortless ease, the V6 purring along contentedly as its stump-pulling peak torque comes to bear.

Honking along the autobahn at 200km/h saw the engine ticking over at 3100rpm in eighth gear, and its high riding position made it easy to see over traffic and into the distance, a boon for safety at high speeds.

Despite its chunky front end, the Q7 felt planted and predictable at high speed but chewed through diesel rapidly. After the novelty of high velocity 200km/h driving wore off I found cruising at 155km/h was a good compromise, the engine revving at 2400rpm.

Overall fuel economy at the end of the 2500km five-day test was 10.2L/100km according to the trip computer. About 80 per cent of driving was on the highway, but considering the car was loaded with two week's worth of luggage and two other six-foot-plus blokes, that's decent economy.

That I travelled almost 600km from Munich to Berlin in four hours and used just over half a tank of diesel is none too shabby either.

It stands to reason the next-generation Q7 will be even thriftier.

The eight-speed transmission is a proven performer and was smooth and proactive at both ends of speed spectrum; on the freeway and around town. Steering was light and direct and the car always felt easy to point, whether changing lanes at 180km/h or avoiding pedestrians while navigating Dresden's centuries-old cobblestone streets.

The radar cruise control was an excellent feature and got a good workout. It's not until you're bombing along a two-lane autobahn at a dollar ninety and a Fiat Punto pulls out in front of you at half the speed that you realise active cruise control's reason for being. I've never found it particularly useful back home in Oz, but at higher speeds it's tremendous, automatically braking the big SUV progressively but exceptionally forcefully when required.

It says a lot about the strength of the brakes, too.

The sat nav was a blessing, concise and assertive, informing of directions via voice and on-screen commands when and where to turn (and in English, thankfully).

Because of its gargantuan size, the Q7 can be a headache to park, but proximity sensors and cameras front and rear take some of the stress out.

Measuring more than five metres long (5089mm) and almost two metres wide (1983mm) the Q7 is a big Bertha, make no mistake, but there's bags of room inside for adult passengers. The big, and cushy leather seats with plenty of adjustment made long journeys comfortable, and cranking out 900km in a day wasn't an arduous task; even the rear seats reclined which was a nice touch.

There scads of room in the boot, plenty of storage cubbies (including great big bottle holders in the door pockets) and this test vehicle even had separate climate controls for rear seat passengers.

But look closer and the Q7 does show signs of ageing.

The centre console is typically busy in the early to mid 2000s fashion and the deeply inset (and rather small) central screen looks dated, as do the HVAC controls. The latter are also clumsy to operate, so much so that frustration at using them meant I ended up only ever hitting the 'auto' button, better leaving it to its own devices.

Apart from a handful of ergonomic issues and car's exceedingly heavy kerb weight, the Q7 could be doing a lot worse. In mechanical terms, from Berlin to the Austrian Alps, it didn't miss a beat. On-road and off, up mountain, down dale, through snow, mud, gravel and asphalt, it's breadth of capability was commendable.

It's not as sophisticated or wieldy as some of its rivals, in particular the new BMW X5, but considering it'll be almost a decade old by the time it's replaced it's doing a good job holding the fort.

Although there's a strong argument in favour of waiting for the second-generation Q7, there's also a strong case for investigating the current model -- particularly as it's now entering its 'run-out' phase. This means savvy shoppers will be able to negotiate a good deal on this capable and comfortable luxury SUV.

2014 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI pricing and specifications:
Price: $90,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 180kW/550Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 195g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (EuroNCAP)