Review of the new Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Range

Audi's effortlessly cool brand image might jar slightly with the unbridled extravagance of the luxury 4x4 sector but in no way can the company's Q7 offering be considered a shrinking violet. With over five meters of length, the capacity to seat seven and tipping the scales at nearly 2,300kg, it isn't small. Just be thankful there are 3.0-litre TDI engine options to keep the running costs reasonably inconspicuous. And clean diesel technology to ensure that this car is actually greener than you might think.

If the green lobby is to be believed, luxury 4x4s are devils incarnate, devouring the planet's virgin resources, trailing an acrid plume of toxic emissions and running over domestic pets for the hell of it. It's true that big offroaders like Audi's Q7 don't do the environment many favours but neither do many other kinds of motorcar and if you opt for this model in 3.0 TDI Clean Diesel form, you can drive it with a relatively clear conscience. There's a premium of around £1,500 for the Clean Diesel option rather than the standard 3.0 TDI and going this route doesn't offer you much improvement in CO2 (234g/km down from 239g/km), while fuel consumption stays about the same at around 31mpg on the combined cycle. So why would you go the 'Clean Diesel' route?

The answer is that, contrary to popular opinion, going 'green' isn't just about lowering CO2. Instead, Audi's Clean Diesel technology concentrates on reducing Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions, regarded by many as being dramatically more harmful to humans than Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The suppression of NOx is widely regarded by experts as being as crucial to our wellbeing as the reduction of CO2 because on contact with sunlight it can form photochemical smog, a form of air pollution which can cause damage to lung tissue and a reduction in lung function. Capable of removing up to 90 per cent of NOx particles from exhaust gases, this Audi's ultra-low emission technology already meets proposed EU6 emissions limits that are not due to come into force in Europe until 2014.

All this is crucially important for Audi's Q7 range, for nearly all Q7s sold in the UK are 3.0 TDI diesel models. Diesel itself is big news in the luxury 4x4 sector. It fuelled 42% of all models sold in 2000, by 2004 this had increased to 67% and the trend has continued. It's not difficult to see why either. Compare the Q7 3.0 TDI's 31mpg return to the 22.2mpg you'll get in the 4.2-litre V8 petrol version. For the record, a humble Ford Mondeo 2.5T saloon can only return 30mpg while a BMW 650Ci coupe gets 22mpg, so big 4x4s do not have a monopoly on hefty fuel bills.

"It was Audi who popularised 4x4 transmissions in road cars back in the early 80s"

Both of the 3.0-litreTDI diesels in the Q7 produce a 240PS maximum power output at 4,000rpm but the headline figure is the 500Nm of torque that's produced at just 1,750rpm. Thanks to this, the Q7 responds to throttle inputs at low speeds in a manner that defies its bulk. Floor it, and the engine, along with its 6-speed tiptronic gearbox, will contrive to get you to 60mph in 8.5s. If conditions allow, there's also a 134mph top speed to be explored. The 3.0 TDI engine is noticeably noisier than the petrol alternatives but it's still very refined in the grand scheme of things. At 70mph it's the rustling of the wind around the Q7's A-pillars that provides the acoustic accompaniment but it's at a muted level that means the Q7 is virtually as refined as an A6 executive saloon.

Audi engineers never knowingly pass up a chance to remind us that it was they who popularised 4x4 transmissions in road cars back in the early 80s and the Q7 features the latest version of the quattro system. It's designed more for on-road handling than extreme all-terrain action but the Q7 will still do far more offroad than most owners will want to do in their £40,000 SUVs. Torque is split 40:60 between the front and rear wheels via a Torsen centre differential. If slip is detected by the ESP stability control system, power can then be diverted with as much as 65% channelled to the front or 85% to the rear. Audi's adaptive air suspension system is standard on all Q7 models and this can be jacked-up to offer different degrees of ground clearance. 'Offroad' mode is 35mm higher than standard and 'Lift' mode is 25mm higher than that, giving a total clearance of 240mm. There's even hill descent assist and a trailer stabilisation system for owners looking to tow.

The Q7 handles very well on the tarmac with the weighty steering doing much to inspire confidence and no small amount of composure in corners considering the vehicle's formidable bulk. In fact, it's easy to forget you're piloting something quite so large until you glance in the rear view mirror and see the expanse of seating stretching out behind you.

The latest models display the results of a mild facelift with the key changes being more shapely bumpers incorporating under-body protectors and LED rear light clusters. Inside, the instrument cluster and the controls have been redesigned and nudged up market. Seven seats is the standard interior configuration for the Q7. Set-up in this way, the seating provides copious amounts of space for the front and middle row occupants but the rear seating is suitable only for small children or adults on short journeys. There's 330 litres of luggage space when the rearmost seats are folded into the floor and if they're likely to spend all their time in this position, you might like to consider the 5-seat version. Here the third row is deleted which means the load floor is lower and there's 775 litres of luggage space. It's also possible to specify a middle row of two 'comfort' seats comprised of a pair of separate chairs with an armrest come storage box in between. This in conjunction with the 3rd row delete option, opens up the possibility of four or five-seater versions of the Q7.

It's indicative of the moneyed target market Audi have identified for the Q7 that the plushest S-Line trim level is accounting for over 70% of sales. The entry level 3.0TDI model costs under £40,000 but the extra £2,800 it takes to upgrade to SE is mere pocket change to this car's affluent customer base and the £1,600 on top that's needed for the 3.0TDI S-Line is unlikely to be missed from their voluminous bank accounts. The standard Q7 looks fairly well-equipped with 18" alloys, rain sensing wipers, dark sensing headlamps, a CD stereo, cruise control, rear parking sensors and two-zone climate control. If you want leather, and most Q7 customers probably will, you'll have to step up to the SE where there's also 19" alloy wheels and Bluetooth mobile phone technology.

The 3.0-litre TDI engine makes a lot of sense in the Audi Q7. It has more than enough grunt to move this substantial vehicle around the place and it keeps fuel economy at reasonable levels, with the Clean Diesel version massaging emissions. Despite the Q7's impressive on-road dynamics, you don't come away from driving the 3.0TDI version wishing for the extra power of the V8. Which says it all really.

TOP 5 Q7 DEALS

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Audi Q7 3.0 TDI 245 Quattro 5dr Tip Auto Diesel Estate
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Audi Q7 3.0 TDI 245 Quattro S Line Plus 5dr Tip Auto Estate Special Edition
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Audi Q7 3.0 TDI 204 Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Diesel Estate
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