Long-Term Test: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
03-13-2007, 12:17 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Long-Term Test: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
Current Odometer: 3,291
Best Fuel Economy: 18.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 14.3 mpg
Luxury SUV buyers want three things. They want comfort, utility and safety. Audi's first attempt in this segment offers all of these. The 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium is a family hauler in a luxury package, and a great fit beside our long-term Mercedes R500.
What we bought
When we first placed the order for an Audi Q7, the only available models were the base 4.2 and the 4.2 Premium. We took a deep breath, forked over an extra $10,000 for the uplevel trim, and signed on the dotted line.
As the name implies, the Audi Q7 4.2 is a Quattro (all-wheel-drive) seven-passenger SUV. Under the hood is a 4.2-liter V8 generating 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Mated to the engine is a six-speed automatic transmission with a Tiptronic manual-shift mode.
Our newest addition arrived loaded with standard features.
Comfort is standard on the Q7. Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) with a 7-inch screen is easily read whether changing bands from FM to Sirius, following the navigation system, programming its four-zone climate control or cranking up the Q7's 14-speaker Bose stereo. Rounding out the more notable comfort features are front- and rear-seat heaters, fold-flat rear seats and a power tailgate.
Safety is also standard on the Q7. ABS brakes and a tire-pressure monitoring system are only the beginning. Premium models also include electronic stability control (ESP) with rollover-sensing Hill Descent Assist, heated adjustable side mirrors, and front, side and curtain airbags. NHTSA considers this good enough for a five-star front-passenger safety rating and a four-star rating for rollover safety.
A $59,900 base MSRP on our Q7 4.2 Premium included so many standard features, we chose to go light on the options. We were eager to test Audi's $500 Side Assist blind-spot warning system, so that went on first. We also added the $550 towing package, which increases tow capability to 6,600 pounds. Photography is always a thought when Inside Line chooses color schemes. The $750 Sycamore Green Metallic paint job looked so good with the Q7's Cardamom Beige leather interior that we couldn't pass up the combination.
We hoped for good fuel economy to offset our Q7's total cost of $62,420. With EPA estimations of 14 mpg/city and 19 mpg/highway, we had no such luck. As of 3,291 miles, our average is a mere 14.3 mpg. Best and worst tanks range from 18.6 to 12.8 mpg, respectively. Even worse, the Q7 requires premium fuel.
Why we bought it
Audi arrived late to the party, but it brought an entourage. The Q7 is Audi's first entry into a luxury SUV market already bustling with the likes of the BMW X5, Cadillac SRX, and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and R-Class. Following the Q7 4.2 are three other variations, proving the significance of the Q7 to the Audi brass.
Shortly after we ordered a 4.2-liter V8, Audi introduced a 3.6-liter V6 version of the Q7. Meanwhile, a 6.0-liter V12 diesel has been recently announced for sale in European markets, and there's talk of a hybrid model for 2008. The Q7 is an important vehicle for Audi.
In case we needed another reason to add a Q7 to our long-term fleet, there is the Mercedes R500. Also new for this year and already a member of the Inside Line garage, the Mercedes offers a perfect basis for side-by-side comparison. Both are similarly equipped, priced within $300 of each other and representative samples of the luxury SUV market.
Track test and impressions
An early comparison of the Q7 and R500 shows that the three-pointed star is easily the more nimble of the two. Audi's optional $2,600 adjustable suspension might have helped, but ours was not so equipped.
From zero to 60 mph, the Audi takes 8.0 seconds, a full second longer than the Mercedes. Its quarter-mile best of 15.9 seconds at 89.1 mph is also slower. Braking tests told the same story. Q7 stopped from 60 mph in 143 feet, some 15 feet longer than the R-Class. It didn't help that the Audi had only 1,077 miles on the brakes at the time.
Dynamic testing was limited by an intrusive ESP system and results again favored the R-Class. A 60.3-mph slalom speed for the Q7 is expectedly slow and nearly 5 mph behind the Mercedes. An SUV-like 0.79g around the skid pad seemed on par, considering the optional 19-inch Goodyear Eagle LS2 rubber.
There is one test where the Audi outperformed the Mercedes hands down — on the scales. The 5,420-pound Audi is more than 600 pounds heavier than its Mercedes rival. This unwanted ballast accounted for its 2nd-place standing in all performance categories.
Luxury SUVs aren't built for performance. Comfort, utility and safety are the name of the game. We will spend the next 12 months testing the Q7 in day-to-day life. Piling kids into the third row, assessing the Audi Side Assist feature and all adventures in between will be reported on the blog pages. Check in regularly for updates.
Best Fuel Economy: 18.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 14.3 mpg
Luxury SUV buyers want three things. They want comfort, utility and safety. Audi's first attempt in this segment offers all of these. The 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium is a family hauler in a luxury package, and a great fit beside our long-term Mercedes R500.
What we bought
When we first placed the order for an Audi Q7, the only available models were the base 4.2 and the 4.2 Premium. We took a deep breath, forked over an extra $10,000 for the uplevel trim, and signed on the dotted line.
As the name implies, the Audi Q7 4.2 is a Quattro (all-wheel-drive) seven-passenger SUV. Under the hood is a 4.2-liter V8 generating 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Mated to the engine is a six-speed automatic transmission with a Tiptronic manual-shift mode.
Our newest addition arrived loaded with standard features.
Comfort is standard on the Q7. Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) with a 7-inch screen is easily read whether changing bands from FM to Sirius, following the navigation system, programming its four-zone climate control or cranking up the Q7's 14-speaker Bose stereo. Rounding out the more notable comfort features are front- and rear-seat heaters, fold-flat rear seats and a power tailgate.
Safety is also standard on the Q7. ABS brakes and a tire-pressure monitoring system are only the beginning. Premium models also include electronic stability control (ESP) with rollover-sensing Hill Descent Assist, heated adjustable side mirrors, and front, side and curtain airbags. NHTSA considers this good enough for a five-star front-passenger safety rating and a four-star rating for rollover safety.
A $59,900 base MSRP on our Q7 4.2 Premium included so many standard features, we chose to go light on the options. We were eager to test Audi's $500 Side Assist blind-spot warning system, so that went on first. We also added the $550 towing package, which increases tow capability to 6,600 pounds. Photography is always a thought when Inside Line chooses color schemes. The $750 Sycamore Green Metallic paint job looked so good with the Q7's Cardamom Beige leather interior that we couldn't pass up the combination.
We hoped for good fuel economy to offset our Q7's total cost of $62,420. With EPA estimations of 14 mpg/city and 19 mpg/highway, we had no such luck. As of 3,291 miles, our average is a mere 14.3 mpg. Best and worst tanks range from 18.6 to 12.8 mpg, respectively. Even worse, the Q7 requires premium fuel.
Why we bought it
Audi arrived late to the party, but it brought an entourage. The Q7 is Audi's first entry into a luxury SUV market already bustling with the likes of the BMW X5, Cadillac SRX, and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and R-Class. Following the Q7 4.2 are three other variations, proving the significance of the Q7 to the Audi brass.
Shortly after we ordered a 4.2-liter V8, Audi introduced a 3.6-liter V6 version of the Q7. Meanwhile, a 6.0-liter V12 diesel has been recently announced for sale in European markets, and there's talk of a hybrid model for 2008. The Q7 is an important vehicle for Audi.
In case we needed another reason to add a Q7 to our long-term fleet, there is the Mercedes R500. Also new for this year and already a member of the Inside Line garage, the Mercedes offers a perfect basis for side-by-side comparison. Both are similarly equipped, priced within $300 of each other and representative samples of the luxury SUV market.
Track test and impressions
An early comparison of the Q7 and R500 shows that the three-pointed star is easily the more nimble of the two. Audi's optional $2,600 adjustable suspension might have helped, but ours was not so equipped.
From zero to 60 mph, the Audi takes 8.0 seconds, a full second longer than the Mercedes. Its quarter-mile best of 15.9 seconds at 89.1 mph is also slower. Braking tests told the same story. Q7 stopped from 60 mph in 143 feet, some 15 feet longer than the R-Class. It didn't help that the Audi had only 1,077 miles on the brakes at the time.
Dynamic testing was limited by an intrusive ESP system and results again favored the R-Class. A 60.3-mph slalom speed for the Q7 is expectedly slow and nearly 5 mph behind the Mercedes. An SUV-like 0.79g around the skid pad seemed on par, considering the optional 19-inch Goodyear Eagle LS2 rubber.
There is one test where the Audi outperformed the Mercedes hands down — on the scales. The 5,420-pound Audi is more than 600 pounds heavier than its Mercedes rival. This unwanted ballast accounted for its 2nd-place standing in all performance categories.
Luxury SUVs aren't built for performance. Comfort, utility and safety are the name of the game. We will spend the next 12 months testing the Q7 in day-to-day life. Piling kids into the third row, assessing the Audi Side Assist feature and all adventures in between will be reported on the blog pages. Check in regularly for updates.
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