Road Test & Video: 2012 Audi Q7 TDI Quattro

Story, photos and video by John LeBlanc If there are still such institutions as libraries in the year 3012, when readers go looking for books about the history of the luxury sport-utility vehicle genre, the first few chapters will no doubt be filled with such SUV pioneers from the 1960s such as the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and the original Land Rover Range Rover. Flip a few chapters forward, though, and Audi’s current Q7 deserves some pages of its own. While some rivals are quicker or roomier or more capable off-road, the three-row Audi has gained a deserved reputation as a have-it-all and do-it-all vehicle — particularly when equipped with my Q7 3.0 TDI quattro’s turbocharged diesel engine, the type of powertrain that’s more about the future of SUVs than the past. By the time the first Q7 started rolling out of Audi’s Slovakian factory in 2005 (where it’s built alongside its Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne platform-mates), the luxury SUV market had migrated in-town. Instead of chasing sheep or cattle through muddy fields, most of these ritzy rides were now being used to shuttle offspring to violin lessons or clients to the golf course. While becoming immensely popular with customers — and highly profitable for their makers — luxury SUVs ran into a bit of a snag a few years back. With fuel prices going through the roof about the same time the Great Recession hit in 2008, even rich folks started to assess their transportation needs. Within a year, all three German luxury brands — Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz — started offering six-cylinder turbocharged diesel mills in their big-ass lux SUVs as fuel-efficient alternatives to fuel-inefficient gas eight-cylinder engines. Four years on, turbo-diesels rule the segment — to the point where you can’t get an eight-cylinder Q7 anymore. A 280-horsepower 3.0-litre supercharged six is the sole Q7 gas engine offering. And that’s a good thing. Because the diesel is the engine to get in Audi’s three-row, all-wheel-drive SUV. Along with the dropping of the eight-cylinder for last year, Audi introduced an eight-speed automatic gearbox as the lone Q7 transmission choice. It aids the diesel motor to score impressive ratings of 12.3 litres per 100  kilometres in the city and 7.7 L/100 km on the highway — handily beating the supercharged six’s respective 13.6 and 9.3 numbers. The swift-shifting autobox also helps the Q7 TDI’s forward motion. It takes only 7.9 seconds to get from rest to 100 km/h. The diesel may have 55 less horsepower than the gas six, but its prodigious 406 pound-feet of torque (111 more than the gas mill) is what gets this large and roomy luxury SUV out of its own way in such a hurry. Savings at the pump are mitigated by the Q7 TDI’s price premium over the gas model. For the 2013 model year, the diesel adds $5,000 to the gas Q7’s $58,200 starting price. But the Audi’s cost is competitive with seven-seat diesel-engine rivals such as the $63,900 BMW X5 35d and $73,700 Mercedes-Benz GL 350 BlueTec. And despite an all-new version due in a few years, the Q7 arguably still leads this Teutonic trio when it comes to its exterior looks and interior accommodations. As the production version of the 2003 Pike Peaks concept, the Q7 has always been a looker. And with the $2,500 S-Line package, which  includes the two-inch-larger 20-inch rims, the Audi appears less utilitarian than the BMW or ’Benz. Like many of it rivals, the Audi SUV strives to offer a luxury sedan interior. And it succeeds. With excellent ergonomics, tight shut lines and expensive-feeling materials, the Q7 comes across as a taller Audi A8 wagon, albeit one that can handle some light off-roading at a flick of the optional air suspension and its 100-millimetre range in height. With a 150-mm-longer wheelbase than its five-seat VW and Porsche siblings, the Audi’s third row is reasonably comfortable, even for those who have graduated from elementary school. And with all the seats up, there’s 308 litres of cargo space available. On the road, though, the Audi crossover’s height and weight mean it’s still no TT sports car. Yet the Q7 is still one of the better-driving large crossovers available. It tends not to roll as much in tight corners as a Volvo XC90 or Land Rover. The Audi’s steering has a modicum of feel, and it is quite composed and hushed at highway speeds. As a modern update of the original do-it-all SUVs, the Audi Q7 TDI quattro is wonderful transportation. Compared with the higher-revving gas engine version (that’s much better suited for sedans such as the A4 and A6 in which it’s also found), the fuel economy and torque advantages make the turbo-diesel the Q7’s default powerplant. History will confirm it.

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