The flagship of Luxury SUVs in India, the Audi Q7 is back. It has captured the imagination of the rich and famous in our country for more than a decade and now the German carmaker has launched the facelift of the car which comes with many design changes, new features and a new engine. It is the first time in the BS6 era that the Q7 is on sale in India and Audi has launched the car in 2 variants – Premium Plus and Technology.
Audi Q7 cabin.
The New Audi Q7.
DESIGN
There are many design changes on the exterior of the new Audi Q7. It gets a new front bumper and higher air inlets with a strong 3-D effect. A flat, wider looking Single frame grille with vertical slats gets an octagonal outline and a new sill trim can also be seen here. The car also gets Audi’s famed Matrix LED headlamps with signature daytime running lights. Adaptive windshield wipers with integrated washer nozzles also find a place on the SUV. On the rear you get LED tail lamps with dynamic turn indicators. The car gets 19-inch 5-arm star style design alloy wheels which add to the overall stance. In all there are 5 exterior colours to choose from – carrara white, mythos black, navarra blue, samurai grey and floret silver.
INTERIORS
There are two interior colors on offer – saiga beige and okapi brown. You get a driver oriented wraparound cockpit design for easy ergonomics and intuitive hand movements. The ambient lighting package plus is customizable with 30 colors each for surface and contour lighting. The new Q7 is equipped with smart features such as the Audi virtual cockpit and the Audi smartphone interface which works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A big highlight are the dual touchscreens where the bigger 10.1-inch unit comes with MMI Navigation Plus with MMI Touch Response while the smaller 8.6-inch screen displays the control the air conditioning, favourites and shortcuts.
The Q7 gets a Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D sound system with 19 speakers including 3D speakers, center speaker and subwoofer, a 16-channel amplifier with a total power output of 730 watts. Additionally, you can also choose to install entertainment screens on the second row of the car. The 2nd row luxury is enhanced with 4-zone climate control with air ionizer and aromatization and a big panoramic sunroof. The 7-seater comes with electrically foldable 3rd row seats for easy operation while the electric boot lid also gets gesture-based operation.
ENGINE
Unlike earlier, the Q7 now misses on a Diesel engine and has instead arrived with just one Petrol option. Its 3.0 litre V6 TFSI motor with a 48V mild-hybrid system, churns out 340 hp and 500 Nm torque. With a top speed of 250 km/hr, the Audi Q7 accelerates from 0-100 km/hr in a quick 5.9 seconds. The mild hybrid comprises of a 48-volt electrical system that provides power to the Belt Alternator Starter (BAS). This system enables the engine to be turned off for up to 40 seconds when coasting. The SUV also gets quattro all-wheel drive, paddle shifts, adaptive air suspension and Audi drive select with seven drive modes, namely Auto, Comfort, Dynamic, Efficiency, Off-Road, All-Road and Individual.
SAFETY
There’s no dearth of safety features on the Q7 as you will expect from a big, luxury SUV. It gets Cruise control with speed limiter and Park Assist Plus with 360-degree camera where this big car parks by itself even in tight spaces. Another great safety tech added to the SUV is the lane departure warning with steering assist which offers the driver assistance as well as convenience. And yes, the car comes with as many as 8 airbags for utmost safety.
PRICES
The Audi Q7 has been launched at an introductory price of Rs. 79.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Premium Plus while the higher Technology trim will set you back by Rs. 88.33 lakh. Audi is offering the SUV with a 2-Year standard warranty that can be extended up to 7 years. A 5-year roadside assistance is also on offer which can be extended up to 10 years.
The writer is Senior Editor at carandbike.com