![]() So no, this is not a car with an instinctive appetite for the open, twisting road. The rest of the time this is a smooth and comfortable car and one whose ride quality varies impressively little from empty to fully laden. It’s true that if you drop one of its massive wheels into a particularly vicious pot-hole the car’s composure will be briefly dropped but by no more than you’d expect of any car with that much unsprung weight hanging off each of its corners. All told and despite the V8’s wonderful smoothness, you’re almost certain to be better off with a V6. The real reason you might think twice before selecting it is that while it turns the Q7 from moderately capable performer into a genuinely quite quick car, if you’re going to pay that much for it, you want massive performance in return, and this it lacks.Ī 0-62mph time of 6.4sec for a seven seat, diesel-powered SUV is impressive indeed, but the lighter and even more powerful Porsche requires just 5.7sec to do the same and costs very little more to buy. The problem is not just the five figure premium the engine commands nor the disastrous effect on fuel consumption and range that results, nor even the horrendous tax consequences of its 242g/km CO2 output. Of course the engine we’d all like in our Q7 is the mighty 4.2-litre V8 diesel, a motor strong enough to serve not only in the A8 limousine but also in mildly modified form under the bonnet of the Porsche Cayenne Diesel S, currently the most powerful diesel car on sale. If that doesn’t trouble you because you’re happy to knock along with the rest of the traffic then it remains worth a look, although you should bear in mind that not only is it actually very little cheaper to buy than the high output engine, the small fuel consumption advantage it holds on paper would probably be entirely negated by the extra effort it must make to provide decent performance. With barely 200bhp to its name, the problem with the entry level engine is not that it’s inadequate for the Q7 but rather it must be worked quite hard to provide the kind of performance you might these days think should be taken for granted in such a car. Nor is there any hybrid powerplant available, at least as yet. What the Q7 lacks is a smaller capacity four cylinder diesel that even with a 2-litre displacement could easily match the power and torque of the entry level V6 but provide better performance and handling through reduced weight not to mention wildly improved fuel consumption. This should be enough to do anything this side of reversing the rotation of the earth. Of course if you want your Q7 to provide performance commensurate with its stately surrounds, there’s also a 334bhp, 4.2-litre V8 diesel closely related to that in the flagship A8 limousine and if you thought the 405lb ft of torque of the more powerful 3-litre engine sounded impressive, be advised the V8 comes to market with 589lb ft. Actually while the step up in power is easily noticed, it’s the additional 73lb of torque of the stronger engine that you’ll both notice and appreciate more. Instead there is a choice of two versions of the same 3-litre V6 diesel, one offering 201bhp the other 241bhp. Sensibly Audi has long since seen the light regarding the combination of petrol engines and a 2.3 tonne kerbweight and none is offered for sale, at least in the UK. ![]()
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