Audi Q7 4.2

Historically, Audi has always been synonymous with great performance when the weather turns bad. After all, if you look at their history in WRC Rally racing in Europe, where the conditions are way more treacherous than a Hollywood starlet being chased by paparazzi, Audis usually emerge victorious. Curiously, the vehicle manufacturer has never offered an SUV for American-sized large-vehicle tastes. Previously, Audi did not make an SUV or minivan––about the closest thing was the Audi Allroad which was basically a station wagon on stilts. Now the automaker has entered into the SUV arena and wanted to combine performance, luxury, a third-row seat option for the kiddies, and a host of technological toys into one vehicle. The third-row seating penalty box is de rigeur for today’s SUVs, and even some small models are making rumble seats for the kiddies to take away from the minivan stigma that some drivers suffer. Audi’s answer is the Q7––especially if you are in the market for a larger SUV without necessarily going for a mastodon-sized Tahoe, Expedition, or Suburban. Heck, the fuel economy is even somewhat reasonable for its size and ability!

Let’s start off with the biggest positive of this vehicle. My version had the Limestone Gray interior (Audi does not do leather colors; they do ‘interiors’) that would also do just fine in an Architectural Digest photo shoot. No one does an interior like Audi. Every button has the same haptic feel, from the window switches to the buttons surrounding the MMI, or Multi Media Interface. The MMI is a chunky billet aluminum puck that acts as a mouse-like controller similar to Mercedes COMAND or BMW’s much-maligned iDrive systems. It is generally agreed that MMI is among the easiest of the systems to master, but it still takes some time to get into the submenus. The Cricket leather smells like you are sitting inside of a Hermes clutch, and the medium-gloss woodgrain would not look out of place on a piece of furniture that would shock the person who brought it in for show-and-tell on Antiques Roadshow. Glancing upwards is probably the coolest use of a sunroof ever developed. The Panoramic Sunroof on the Q7 is HUGE! I mean, it spans from the front seats to the middle row. To keep the sun out of your face on a hot day, a power-activated roller blind looks like something out of a high-tech Hunter-Douglass catalog. It truly is a feat of engineering and one would not think of a large SUV as the ultimate tanning machine. Even the third-row passengers in steerage do not get neglected––a small sunroof is there for the kiddies in the back and they get their own controls to play with. Moreover, you don’t feel like Lieutenant Dan when you are sitting back there––it is relatively roomy.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty on MMI. Happily, most people using it (including me) do find it easier to use than BMW’s iDrive system, but there is still a learning curve. The billet aluminum control knob puck can be turned clockwise or counter-clockwise and then depressed when you find the selection on the Q7’s 7-inch TFT front monitor. Flanking the control knob are four buttons that align with choices on the screen. So, if you enter the navigation mode, the screen will give you a choice in each corner: Memory, Route, Map, and Nav-Info. These line up with the four buttons surrounding the control knob. So to easily get to a previous destination, you would click the button for memory, then scroll down using the control knob to Previous Destinations and click. The only problem is that some features, such as tuning into an infrequently used AM radio station, take a few too many clicks and can lead to driver distraction if you are not careful. There is a cell phone interface with Bluetooth capability, but dialing a phone number not on your contact list means using the control knob to dial in numbers like you are operating the torpedo launch bearings on a Khrushchev-era Soviet submarine. Obviously, everyone you probably want to talk to is in your contact list, but sometimes technology can work backwards. Give us a touchscreen keypad!

One thing for sure is that all of your passengers will remain comfortable in the Q7 with one of the most sophisticated climate control systems to date. A four-zone climate control system lets four passengers choose with their own controls their personal comfort level. A separate rear-mounted A/C unit keeps the very rear cool on hot days. Ten temperature sensors and (get this) NINETEEN electric motors keep the air moving and more comfortable than a sea-breezed beach-front villa. The Bose 14-speaker sound system is pretty good (although not among the best in the business), and the Audi Music Interface allows you to plug in any iPod Generation 4 or higher and docks right in the glove compartment. The main iPod menu is stored on the MMI screen.

Getting the Q7 going is easy thanks to Audi’s Advanced Key. It looks just like a regular vehicle key, but when you get close to the vehicle, you don’t have to remove the key from your pocket. Pulling the doorhandle will automatically release the lock. There is a ‘Start’ button on the center console––just press it and go without fumbling for the key. Of course, the key still works like a regular key and there is a key cylinder in the dashboard so valet parkers will not lose their minds struggling to learn the vehicle’s electronics (a big weakness for other manufacturers’ Smart Key technology).

To give you an idea of some of the well-thought out ideas employed in this SUV, just check out something as mundane as the windshield wipers. When not working, the wiper blades hide themselves underneath the cowl and are invisible to the driver, so they cannot produce any unpleasant air flow noise. To keep the wiper blades good for as long as possible, they are placed in a slightly different direction after each use to promote even wear. When it gets cold out, the motors lift the blades slightly so they are heated by the air vents in the interior and do not become frozen to the windshield.

The Q7 has Adaptive Cruise Control with four user-selectable driving programs to keep you closer or farther away from the ‘chase vehicle.’ Audi tucks the radar sensor for the unit in the license plate trim. If the system sees a major hazard approaching fast, the system will jolt the steering wheel and prepare the brakes for maximum effort. This way full braking performance happens instantaneously as soon as the driver touches the pedal. Speaking of safety, something even cooler than the adaptive cruise control is Audi Side Assist. This new feature uses radar sensors mounted to the sides of the vehicle. If someone is casually strolling right into your lane of traffic, yellow LEDs light up on the side view mirror alerting you and potentially the driver in the other lane without a clue. If they keep creeping over, the LEDs become brighter and then start to flash to try and get everyone’s attention. Clearly the best method of safety is accident avoidance; the Q7 does its best to keep its occupants out of harm’s way by warning wandering vehicles through technology.

Parking a large SUV can be a chore, but the Audi parking system incorporates a rear-view camera and warning signals. If you put the vehicle in reverse, the system shows the driver the way with the help of a screen overlay that shows where the vehicle will wind up if you continue in that direction. Although it can’t perform the tricks of the magical Lexus LS430 (the car that parks itself), it is still a great rear-view camera that gives a clear picture of what is happening in hindsight. SUVs are meant to be able to tow large things, and the Q7’s parking assist has a wide enough scope to even show the rear bumper and extended tow hitch. You can now easily move the trailer ball with precision onto the drawbar of a boat, horse trailer, or U-Haul. If you ever tow anything, this feature rocks! The Q7 can even tow 5,500 pounds and the direct-injected V8 is a willing partner in that chore.

Audi’s tech-laden SUV may drink more gas than comparative sedans, but even with a honkin’ V8, it is EPA rated at 14 city, 19 highway and I achieved mileage better than that (around 20 MPG on a long trip). Although a little smaller, it still fits a similar niche of a Ford Expedition or Chevrolet Tahoe. Think of the Q7 as their brainy cousin––it might not be doing keg stands after the football game, but it is on the honor roll for getting straight A’s.yy