Audi Q7 45 TDI quattro: New for old

What is it?

After a week in the futuristic Audi Q4 EV, the diesel-powered Q7 marked an almost welcome return to normalcy.

We were headed out west for a few days, to visit friends and taste some wine and it meant not having to worry about when and where to charge the car.

Country folk know all about diesel and support the technology.

Dating back to 2015, the updated Q7 is currently Audi’s third most successful model, behind its smaller and cheaper siblings the Q5 and Q3, and offers the same kind of utility, but with extra seats and space to burn.

Now in its 10th year of production, this is probably the last hurrah for this model which will almost certainly be replaced by an all-new, fully electric model.

Then again, Audi says Q7 has recently undergone a “considerate” mid-life cycle update — which suggests it’s going to stick around for another 10 years?

What’s it cost?

Built in Slovakia and updated towards the end of last year, the second generation Q7 comes in five grades, with a choice of turbocharged petrol, hybrid turbocharged petrol or diesel or twin-turbo V8 petrol powertrains.

Entry to the range is the 2.0-litre turbocharged Q7 45 TFSI quattro, priced from $108,000 plus on-road costs.

It is followed by the hybrid, diesel-electric Q7 45 TDI priced from $117,000, then the hybrid petrol/diesel Q7 55 TFSI/Q7 50 TDI S-Line, both priced from the same $136,000 and finally top of the range twin turbo V8 SQ7 TFSI priced from $174,000.

The more you pay, obviously the more performance and equipment you get — although you might like to weigh up whether the extra cost is justified.

More of a cosmetic and tech makeover than a mechanical upgrade, it might not be as fast or flash as the others, but our test vehicle, the Q7 45 TDI, was a comfy place in which to spend a few days on the road and light on fuel as a bonus.

It was optioned with the gloss black exterior package ($1850), metallic paint ($2400), and panoramic glass sunroof ($4000), bringing the total price to $125,534 plus on-roads.

Standard equipment includes leather appointed upholstery, three-zone climate air, electric front seats with heating and driver seat memory, leather three-spoke steering wheel with multifunction plus and shift paddles, electric luggage compartment cover and a power-operated tailgate.

There’s also 20-inch wheels, adaptive air suspension, automatic parking assistance, auto-dimming interior mirror, auto lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, LED matrix headlights, auto high beam, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control (with stop & go, distance indicator, traffic jam assist and lane guidance system).

An enhanced MMI infotainment system lets you download and use apps like Spotify without the need for a phone.

But the system follows Audi’s tried and tested approach with separate screens devoted to different functions.

There’s a 10.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment, with a second smaller 8.6-inch screen below this one to primarily control the air conditioning.

A third 12.3-inch screen acts as a traditional instrument binnacle, but in digital form with limited customisation available.

Simple things like the reset for the trip computer can be increDibly hard to find (once upon a time there was a simple button).

Sound comes from an in-house 10 speaker audio system that includes a subwoofer, with Bluetooth, voice recognition built-in navigation, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless capability.

There’s also wireless phone charging, two USB ports in the front and another pair in the back plus three 12 volt outlets (one in the boot).

Buyers get complimentary three-year access to connected services, but Emergency call and Audi service request remain valid for 10 years.

Q7 earns a full five stars for safety with eight airbags, 360 degree cameras and front and rear autonomous emergency braking (AEB), but the third row lacks side, chest protection.

AEB (City, Interurban & Vulnerable Road User) works from 10-85 km/h for pedestrians and cyclists, and up to 250 km/h for vehicles.

There’s also lane keep assist (LKA) with lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK) are standard, as well as blind spot warnings.

Intersection assist monitors the area in front of and to the side of the vehicle at junctions and exit roads up to 30 km/h.

Turn assist monitors oncoming traffic when turning right at low speeds.

Exit warning detects vehicles and cyclists when opening doors.

There are ISOFix and top tether Child seat anchors for the second and third row seats.

However, head-up display remains a $3200 option.

Q7 is covered by a 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

What’s it go like?

At more than five metres in length and weighing in at 2255kg, and with a 3005mm wheelbase, Q7 is no shrinking violet.

A refreshed bolder face, incorporates a redesigned single frame radiator grille with vertical inlays, that gives the vehicle a more assertive look.

At the rear, the bumper and diffuser have also been reworked.

The model variant can be found etched into the B-pillars.

Inside there’s room for seven and the third row of seats fold at the touch of a button, making it easier to get in and out of the back.

But it’s fit for small children only.

Luggage space is 295 litres with the third row in use, rising to an impressive 780 litres with the third row folded.

Although Q7 is an SUV with all-wheel drive, it’s not a car we would really consider taking off road to any large degree, not with 200mm of ground clearance and low profile 285/45 series rubber.

Dirt roads are fine, beaches to a point, but fire trails — no way.

This particular SUV is built for cruising, with an 85-litre tank and maximum range of more than 1400km.

The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel and 48 volt mild hybrid deliver 170 kW of power at 3500 rpm and 500Nm of torque from 1500-3000 rpm, and you can hardly hear it.

The mild hybrid boosts fuel efficiency, using a lithium-ion battery and a belt alternator starter that supplies power to the main electrical system.

It’s paired with an eight speed ZF auto with drive to all four wheels on demand, auto engine stop-start and a self-locking centre differential.

The auto includes gear change paddles and six different drive modes.

The dash from 0-100km/h takes 7.1 seconds and it has a top speed of 226km.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.0L/100km and it produces 184 g/km of CO2.

The trip computer in our test vehicle showed 7.5L/100km after more than 1800km of driving.

In some ways the Q7 reminds us of our old VW Beetle, because the doors kept only half closing. A shove was needed to do the trick.

Despite its size it’s an easy car to drive and steer, but suffers from the occasional spot of turbo lag and the suspension can become slappy on country roads.

We assumed the electric motor would have taken care of the lag, with its torque down low.

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Sometimes we found finding forward or reverse gear more difficult than it should be.

The instrument screen feels dated, cluttered and difficult to read in the larger mode.

The additional screen for the air-conditioning seems unnecessary and takes up quite a bit of console space.

It’s easy to brush the panel and change the temperature or activate seat heating without being aware of doing so.

There’s a wireless charge pad buried in the console box, which puts it out of reach when you’re driving — perhaps a good thing?

Pairing our late model Pixel phone was easy, but the phone refused to reconnect upon re-entering the vehicle, and we needed to delete it and go through the whole pairing process over again.

There’s built-in navigation, but Android Auto works flawlessly.

The car comes with a first aid kit, warning triangle and high visibility vests in case of trouble, but a tyre repair kit is supplied in lieu of a spare tyre.

In case you’re wondering, Q7 can tow a 3500kg braked load.