By: New Car Test Drive Staff
Photo Credit: Audi

Overview

The Audi Q7 offers strength and refinement in a large, luxurious SUV. It is a paragon of driving elegance and interior refinement.

The Q7 shares its solid architecture with the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne. The Audi rides on a longer wheelbase, however, and the Q7 has a more compliant ride than the Volkswagen and Porsche. The Q7 is the longest of the three, and thus is the only one to offer three-row seating. To make its cabin more luxurious and inviting, Audi has equipped the Q7 with features not found on the Touareg or Cayenne. And when the weather turns sour, the Q7 benefits from Audi's decades of experience with Quattro all-wheel drive.

With a base price of considerably less than $50,000, the Q7 is priced close to others in the luxury SUV segment, which also includes the Cadillac SRX, Lexus GX 470, and Mercedes-Benz M-Class. With all-wheel drive, a choice of powerful V6 and V8 engines and arguably the classiest interior in the segment, the Q7 deserves serious consideration when shopping for a luxury SUV.

For 2008, its second year, the Q7 gets only minor changes. The model lineup has been streamlined and the base model gets more standard equipment. New wheel designs are available, and optional equipment is shuffled. The Q7 was launched as a 2007 model.