The new Audi Q7 has received its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show.
13 Jan 2015 | 2692 Views | By Greg Kable, Autocar UK
The new Audi Q7 has received its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show.
The German carmaker says the big seven-seat SUV has shed a significant 325kg in weight over its predecessor in 328bhp supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine form, at 1970kg.
The enormous drop in kerb weight is credited ...
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The new Audi Q7 has received its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show.
The German carmaker says the big seven-seat SUV has shed a significant 325kg in weight over its predecessor in 328bhp supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine form, at 1970kg.
The enormous drop in kerb weight is credited to a detailed weight reduction program that has seen 100kg cut from the Q7’s suspension and an additional 71kg taken out of the body – some 24kg of which has been achieved through the adoption of aluminium doors alone.
Further reductions in weight have also been made possible by a new electric architecture and refinements to the floorplan, which now uses a greater amount of hot-formed high-strength steel and aluminium.
Ingolstadt’s flagship SUV boasts an evolutionary appearance, with a bold new single-frame grille similar in design to that recently brought to the facelifted Q3, more heavily defined wheel arches, tauter surfacing treatment, a more prominent shoulder and numerous crease lines within the flanks to help reduce its visual bulk.
A series of newly adopted aerodynamic refinements, including the extensive use of underbody cladding and, on selected models, elements within the grille that automatically close to reduce wind turbulence when engine bay cooling is not required, has netted the new Q7 a drag coefficient of 0.32.
At 5050mm in length, 1970mm in width and 1740mm in height, the new Audi is 370mm shorter and 15mm narrower than its predecessor when underpinned by its standard steel-sprung suspension. The wheelbase has also been reduced, but only by 10mm at 2990mm.
Despite the reduction in external dimensions, Audi says the interior of the new Q7 offers greater accommodation than the model it replaces. While continuing to offer seating for up to seven occupants, the interior has been significantly altered.
Improved packaging is claimed to have liberated an added 21mm between the first and second rows of seats, together with a respective 41mm and 23mm of headroom. The third row of seats also offer 24mm more headroom and 20mm more shoulder room than before.
As part of Audi’s efforts to provide the Q7 with a more upmarket positioning, the new models adopts a highly contemporary styled dashboard with minimal switchgear, free-standing infotainment monitor, digital instrument binnacle similar to that unveiled on the latest TT and a prominent centre console with a newly designed MMI controller and gear selector.
Among the EU6-compliant engines planned from the outset of Q7 sales in the UK is a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel producing 268bhp and 442lb ft of torque in the 3.0 TDI and a supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 with 328bhp and 324lb ft in the 3.0 TFSI.
Both engines come mated to a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox and Audi’s torque-sensing quattro four-wheel-drive system – the latter providing a nominal 40/60 apportioning of drive front to rear.
The 3.0 TDI possesses a claimed 0-100kph time of 6.3sec and a 142mph/227kph top speed, along with combined fuel economy of 49.6mpg/17.55kpl and CO2 emissions of just 149g/km.
The 3.0 TFSI offers greater performance, with a 0-100kph time of 6.1sec and a 155mph/248kph top speed, but predictably it can’t match the diesel for outright economy and emissions, with a claimed 36.7mpg/12.99kpl and 179g/km.
The maximum towing capacity for both models is put at 3500kg.
Also planned is a less powerful 3.0 TDI Ultra model. It runs a less highly tuned version of the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine with 215bhp and 369lb ft.
For selected markets, including China and North America, Audi has also developed a 2.0 TFSI model that uses a longitudinally mounted version of the firm's widely used turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with 249bhp and 273lb ft of torque.
The second-generation Q7 is based on a heavily modified version of Audi’s MLB platform, which uses a combination of hot-formed high-strength steel and aluminium as part of its weight reduction program.
The same platform is also planned to underpin successors to the second-generation Volkswagen Touareg, second-generation Porsche Cayenne, upcoming Bentley Falcon and, possibly, a production version of the Lamborghini Urus.
The new Audi rides on a standard steel suspension, although buyers can specify option air suspension. Also standard are 18-inch wheels with 235/55 tyres.
In a move aimed at providing the Q7 with added agility, the new model also gains an optional rear wheel steer function. It counter steers the rear wheels at lower speeds for greater maneuverability and a reduced turning circle in city driving.
At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn parallel to those at the front at an angle of up to five degrees for added sharpness and handling prowess.