[ WATCH ] New Audi Q7 2017.Opting for a crossover utility vehicle with a third row of seats usually means dialing back the driving enjoyment. That isn’t the case with the new 2017 Audi Q7, however, thanks to significant weight savings over its predecessor and a heaping portion of advanced technology. We’ve already explored the second-gen Q7’s plethora of features and had our first experience behind the steering wheel. But now we’ve finally strapped our test gear to one and can confirm that Audi’s formula works. Big time.
The Q7 rides on the Volkswagen Group’s latest MLB II architecture and is said to be significantly lighter than before. Contributions to the diet include a high-strength steel structure largely skinned with aluminum panels, copious amounts of aluminum in the revised front and rear multilink suspension, and a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox that integrates the Quattro all-wheel-drive system’s transfer case. Audi claims weight savings in excess of 700 pounds, but our scales told a more modest story—our 3.0T Prestige test car was only 270 pounds lighter than the previous 2011 model we tested. Still, the resulting improvements are significant.Fleet Footed
Powering our Q7 was Audi’s familiar supercharged 3.0-liter gasoline V-6 developing 333 horsepower and a meaty 325 lb-ft of torque, the latter from just 2900 rpm. The gas V-6 is a fantastic engine, with excellent response and an aggressive snarl. Despite the still-hefty 5080 pounds it had to move, the 3.0T dashed to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.2 at 99 mph—1.1 and 0.8 seconds quicker than before, and speedier than the BMW X5 xDrive35i and the new 2016 Volvo XC90. Aided by chunky 285/45 Goodyear Eagle Sport all-season tires on 20-inch wheels, the Q7 circled the skidpad with an impressive 0.85 g of lateral grip and chopped eight feet from the previous model’s stopping performance, now registering a 70-to-0-mph stop of 166 feet.
Although the second-gen Q7 is about the same overall height as the original, it’s slightly tidier in other dimensions, and its proportions look positively wagonlike on the street. The carlike impression carries over to its driving behavior, with little pitch or roll from the body and a nimbleness that belies its considerable mass. Along with Quattro all-wheel drive and a brake-based torque-vectoring system, our test car also had the $4000 Adaptive Chassis package, which adds true four-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension with five different ride heights. Audi’s Drive Select also is included and adjusts the suspension, engine, transmission, and more via Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Allroad, Off-Road, and Individual mode settings.
Clever, Too
Whereas many large crossovers teeter and understeer through transitions, the Q7 dives into corners and stays low, flat, and composed. Even when hustled through the tight mountain roads of our Southern California test route, the big Audi could be aggressively flung into switchbacks without getting flustered, the four-wheel steering and chassis technology sorting out the various forces acting upon the car. Outward visibility is good, thanks to the relatively low cowl and thin pillars. And the electric power steering is precise and well balanced, albeit short on feedback. But this is still a 2.5-ton family hauler we’re talking about.
The Q7 will even do some of the dynamic work for you via its trick adaptive cruise control, which pairs with the navigation system and Google Maps to brake and accelerate through upcoming corners and even add slight steering inputs. This being an Audi, there’s a bold, new trapezoidal grille flanked by the latest adaptive LED headlights, which absolutely flood the road ahead with searing white light. Equally important, switching from Dynamic to Auto or Comfort mode relaxes everything and makes for plush long-distance cruising.
Backsound credit by bensound.com
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