Audi’s this new Q7 has been powered by a new version of old Q7’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine which, is now capable of producing more power i.e 183 Kw at 2910 to 4500 rpm and 600 Nm of torque at 1500 to 3000 rpm. As for the 1st time I drove the Audi Q7 and luckily got my hands on this new one so as per my observation the new Q7’s engine is evidently more powerful and was extremely silent. You won’t be able to listen to the noise of the engine inside the cabin and even may think that the car hasn’t been started if you are idling it. The superb in-cabin insulation and under-hood insulation provide negligible noise levels and enhance drive experience. Talking about the low-end torque i.e the pulling power, with lesser weight the new Q7 pulls well enough without much effort and at legal speed limits i.e 60-70 km/h as a driver, I did not feel much turbo lag. Coming to the AT Box, new Q7 is powered by the 8-speed tiptronic AT Box. If I compare it with the 9 Speed AT of JLR then I feel, this 8 Speed AT is relatively agile but again where in Delhi or even otherwise in city drive do we get to see all the 8 gears in operation? The power is transmitted to all four wheels through Audi’s permanent Quattro all-wheel drive system. So, being a 1st for me, with reduced weight, improved V6 Diesel mill, the overall engine performance was sleek, fast, and silent. Mr. Javed, the TD coordinator, told me that with the new Q7 one can go from 0-100 in flat 7 seconds. However, I am of those lazy sorts who never drive beyond 70-80 km/h and to enhance the drive experience especially for the driver, let me tell you, there is a whole bunch of assisting aids to ensure a safe drive. For eg. The new Q7 SUV gets a Park Assist feature that ensures to automatically steer the giant SUV into a proper parking space.
Ride and Handling of New Q7 Audi: Indian roads at large baring a few (Mumbai’s Sea Link, NICE Road and the DND Flyway New Delhi) always ensure that no matter how well tuned car/suv one may drive, the ride and handling eventually at some point certainly goes for a royal toss so even this Hulk of an SUV was no different and after going ga-ga over the beauty of interiors and silence of the engine et al my perceptions changed. Talking of the ride, the Q7 comes with following drive modes; Lift/off-road, Comfort, Dynamic, All-road, Individual and Auto. The ride of this big SUV is highly unstable on rough roads and the jerks are truly evident. I get pissed off by the fact that I always get to drive such cars on pot-holed roads. At some smoother stretches on which I drove it today it appeared quite smooth but rough roads are its biggest enemies. As I mainly drove on comfort and dynamic modes so in particular the Dynamic mode suited the best as it provides lot less body roll, improves the suspension performance to a good extent but still as an enthusiast, you’ll certainly be left asking for more. So, in its class, this for many might not be the most exciting SUV but yes manages to give a reasonable performance.
It will be injustice I know if I do not speak of the off-roading capabilities of the Q7 Audi but in Delhi the only way you go off-road is by taking your car over a ½ Feet divider. Atleast for me that marks my territory for off-roading. See I am not an off-road enthusiast so be it any car I simply like to drive it on the road itself. Moreover, a expensive SUV like Q7 going off-road give me chills. So, as mentioned, it is a reasonable performer and not a pure enthusiast oriented premium SUV in terms of adventurous driving. The most evident short-fall of the new Q7 in my view was unstable ride of the SUV.
Steering and Braking: The Steering was equipped with multi function buttons including paddle shifters and is electrically adjustable. The steering while driving at 50-70 km/h range did not feel light and held on nicely. Talking of the brakes, the SUV had precise and responsive brakes and the halting time of this SUV was quite nice. The accuracy of the steering and brakes instilled my faith in the fact that it is not as difficult as I thought to control and maneuver such big SUVs.