Audi's Q7 Hits The Road

Form an orderly Q at your local Audi dealer now - the firm's first-ever SUV is nearly ready for the showroom. Exclusive spy shots in this week's mag give us our best view yet of the Q7, which bosses hope will tempt buyers away from the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90.

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By Chris Thorp

12th April 2005

The prototype version shown in the mag is virtually undisguised and reveals what customers have to look forward to. The front end wears Audi's chrome-finished, four-sided grille, while the rear features distinctive tail-lights, taking inspiration from the Pikes Peak concept first seen at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show.

Inside, the Q7 will get a luxurious six-seater cabin, arranged in three rows of two chairs. The rearmost bench folds flat into the floor, giving a level load bay with estate-rivalling carrying capacity.

Sharing some of its underpinnings with the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, the Q7 will be available with petrol and diesel engines taken from the A6. The 3.0-litre TDI V6 is likely to be a popular choice, while a high-performance FSI petrol version is expected to rival the supercharged Range Rover Sport.

The quattro all-wheel-drive transmission will be tuned to provide the Q7 with immense grip and agility on the road. However, hi-tech air-suspension means the car will be capable off-tarmac, too.

While the newcomer won't officially be unveiled until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, it has already been revealed to a select group of customers who have put down deposits early in Germany. UK deliveries start next year.