By Date By Make
 New price guide  From £39,000 - as tested £48,495
 Engine  2936cc, V6-cylinder, 24-valve, DOHC, common rail direct injection.
 Transmission  Four-wheel drive, 6-speed tiptronic with dynamic shift and sport programmes.
 Brakes  Ventilated front and rear discs with ABS/EBD.
 Steering  Maintenance-free, power assis.

Suspension

  Front, independent.
 Dimensions
 Length 5,086mm; w 2,170mm h 1,737mm.

 Weight

  Approx 2,325-3120kg..
 Fuel capacity  72 litres (15.83 gallons) range approx 480 miles.
 Summary

Audi has made it clear that it is aiming for the top of the prestige class sector in all shapes and sizes of car.

A substantiated claim, I would add, after experiencing a wide variety of new models bearing the famous four-ring insignia in the past 12 months.
 
 Styling

Evidence of Audi’s growing challenge comes in the form of the Audi Q7 4x4, the company’s first foray into the big 4x4 jungle, where there are dozens of predators — Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, VW, Porsche, Nissan, Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, and so on — to snap up customers in what might become a tighter market after the recent budget changes.

Late they might be in entering this market, but this fast moving car-maker, though drawing on some of the development of the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, has managed to find a number of stand-alone qualities that are probably more easily recognisable by existing Audi owners.
 
 Performance

For instance, Audi has incorporated its own quattro four-wheel-drive transmission system, developed primarily for road use and without the lower set of ratios common with most 4x4 off-road rivals.

It’s made by using an automatic-locking central differential that distributes up to 65% of the power front or rear, depending on which wheels are slipping.

Whether drivers tackling serious offroad terrain with this Audi will lose out is questionable. I can’t think many Q7 owners would risk the exposed exhaust system over unknown territory.

But it’s just the job I would suggest, for pulling that double horse box out of a watery meadow.

As I expected, road driving qualities of the Q7 are near class-leading. The vehicle deals easily with wet and slippery road surfaces, that unexpected patch of mud, and sudden cross winds on an exposed motorway.

Admittedly, even with the aid of the speed-related power-assisted steering, the work effort on winding roads gets a bit harder, but for a long motorway journey, this is one of the few big 4x4’s I would chose.
 
 Interior

The reason it is called a Q7 is that it is one of the few in its class to provide seven-seater capacity.
Well that’s the theory. My long test with six adults and luggage on board did not make me popular with the person delegated to use one of the rearmost seats.

Kids yes, adults no.
 
 Ride and Comfort

The driving position is excellent, the controls so logical, and cabin ambience is in the luxury class. What is more, it is one of the quietest big 4x4’s by far.

You can have either the excellent 3.0- litre V6 turbo diesel engine, or a 4.2-litre petrol unit.
I tested the V6 to good effect. Its 230 bhp output does a fair job propelling a vehicle topping the scales at around 21⁄2 tons.

It has to work, though, and in doing so it can drink the juice at a rate that can drop as low as 20mpg.
 
 Overall

So take my tip. Use this 130mph-plus Audi 4x4 as a hugely comfortable tourer, and there’s definitely no arguments about luggage — apart from what’s going on the roof rack, because it did not come with one.

The most obvious stand-alone qualities, with the Audi Q7 are the class-leading standard of finish, equipment packaging, and the now taken for granted, high standards of engineering.

On these qualities alone the Audi Q7 will earn more than its corn.