Mary Poppin’s carpet bag, you may remember, was small on the outside but big enough inside to carry a standard lamp. The Audi Q7 is quite the reverse. This used to be a major issue for me. Principally because, until last week, I had mainly been a passenger. But in being a passenger I had completely overlooked the point of the Audi Q7.
I still hold the view that the back seat environment is cramped for a car this size – and I am not even talking about the 3rd row of fold-up children’s seats – the high floor makes it no more comfortable for an adult passenger than a much smaller hatchback or saloon. But frankly, I don’t care anymore.
The back seats are for the peasants, or children, as you probably refer to them. Who don’t contribute to the household bills, so should be grateful for the lift. But upfront, well that’s different.
It’s only fair that it should be more sumptuous – after all even if you buy a 3 year old one, it’s cost £25,000. So you’ve paid for first class travel up front, does the Q7 deliver it?
The test-car’s S-Line specification sports seats ergonomically wrap round your body all the way up from the extendable base to the sculpted shoulder supports. I’m 6”3’ and almost as wide, but the front seats feel like a throne to me. So they must feel like a small room to someone of more normal build.
From the thrones, everything is within easy-reach and Audi have done all they can to ensure that you can’t even break a finger nail let alone strain a muscle. For example, a gentle press on a button to the left of the Sat Nav and multi-media screen results in the glove box gently gliding open. No more struggling with a stiff latch, that once released, sees your chilled chocolate and soft drinks fall into your lap. Did I mention that the glovebox is chilled so that your refreshments can be served at the correct temperature?
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My only concern about all this luxury and attention to detail is whether it is actually good for you. For example the parking brake is a small pedal that you press down hard when you park and release with a lever on the dashboard – like many Mercedes. And it makes this appallingly cheap noise when you release it; a metallic spring extending followed by some plastic thudding into some metal. Does that matter? I’m sure it shouldn’t, but the rest of the Q7 has made a rod for it’s own back. By the end of the week I found myself sighing slightly as I let the brake off – another week and it would have become a tut.
Letting the 3.0 TDI engine pull me easily up the hill of the M4 slip road at Windsor, I was not concerned, nor did I feel any guilt that the poor chap in a Peugeot 107 was so scared by the big Q7 (even though we were both in our own lanes) that he felt he needed to pip his horn to tell me he was there. I just looked down nonchalantly, feeling a slight awareness of how the Queen feels when someone made a rude gesture at her from the crowds.
Pulling slightly at the beautifully weighted steering, I moved over a little more (but the car’s width is such that it made no real difference to the poor Frenchman in the left hand lane). Which is really the only criticism of the driving experience. Its size makes it hard to park. But it is the most car-like 4x4 to drive and cruises motorways silently.
In terms of practicality, it manages 31 mpg, and the boot takes 775 litres of luggage, which is more than ample for most standard lamps.
What’s the market like?
There are around 500 Q7s on the used market at any one time. The popular engine is the 3.0 TDI because the big petrol 4.2 litre unit is – taking a two year old example - £15,000 more and only manages 22 mpg to the diesel’s 31. The 4.2 litre is really just for Rappers.
The depreciation on the 3.0 TDI is heavy at first, but slows down from 3 years on, so that’s the time to buy.
What else can this budget buy?
The Range Rover Sport and BMW X5 are the closest competitors. The 2.7 TDCI Range Range Sport can feel sluggish by comparison, but the rear accommodation is fractionally better. But they have almost exactly the same average mileage pattern and price points. Two year old cars have 26-28,000 miles and are £30,000.
Whereas the BMW X5 is £3,000 more, but again with almost the same mileage.
Summary
A driver’s 4x4, with status, presence and power. Practical as a family wagon too.
Words: Matthew Tumbridge