It's long been something of a mystery as to why Audi haven't committed to the sports utility vehicle market. With an all-wheel drive pedigree to be proud of, and enough badge equity in the tank to drive premium sales, Audi have seen rivals such as BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volvo clean up. Even sister company Volkswagen have brought the Touareg to market while Audi twiddled their thumbs. The twiddling stopped a while back, when Audi started work on a secret project. The results of that development were unveiled in the shape of the Q7.

Whether or not you see the Q7, priced from £38,075, as a big step forward for Audi really rather depends on your view of big 4x4s. I always liked the Allroad, a pragmatic vehicle that was more competent than most would require off road and had a reassuringly car-like feel on the tarmac. The air suspension system could turn your suave estate car into a mud plugger in a matter of seconds without the negative social connotations of larger 4x4s. The Allroad was a clever distillation of Audi's brand image - cool, well built and ever so slightly self effacing.

The Q7 is a little brasher, although it's still hardly in the military surplus mould. It is certainly big though. It runs on a stretched version of the Volkswagen Touareg chassis and features a seven seat configuration, making it ideal for bigger families. If you can get away from the rugged mud plugging mentality and instead think of it as a multi-purpose estate car on growth hormone, you'll bond with the Q7 a whole lot quicker. Even its styling seems to distance it from off-roaders.

The coupe-like dipping roofline isn't standard 4x4 fare, nor are the resolutely horizontal shoulders. Audi even offer contrasting body colours in a bid to emphasise the car's shapely profile. One can't really underestimate the importance of this vehicle to Audi, a company that looks set to belatedly diversify into some previously profitable market niches. The Q7 is rumoured to be spawning a Q5, a smaller and less expensive model that will bring the theme and the MPV-style interior trickery to a wider audience.

"In not tackling BMW and Mercedes head on, Audi have played a rather smart card with the Q7"

Audi claim 28 seating and loading configurations are available in the Q7 and the seats in the second row are adjustable for fore/aft movement. This allows Audi to not only lay claim to the most generous second row legroom in the class but also - with the second row slid forward and the rear folded - to also pinch first prize for luggage capacity, a huge 775 litres.

With a length of 5,086mm and a wheelbase of 3,002mm, the Q7 isn't the most nimble rock hopper, but it does feature variable ground clearance (from 180 to 240mm), hill descent assist and an off-road mode whereby the ESP stability control system backs off to allow for loose surfaces. There's also a trailer stabilisation system which reduces the risk of fishtailing via targeted brake intervention.

Let's not kid ourselves here though. The Q7's off-road aspirations aren't anything much greater than muddy tracks and wet grass. This is a car which has a sensibly tarmac-biased set-up, from its 60:40 torque split to its 18-inch alloy wheels. If you really want to bring the bling, 19 or 20-inch rims are also offered. Another option that's sure to be popular among Q7 buyers is air suspension.

Four engines are available. The entry-level petrol unit is the six cylinder 3.6 FSI, developing 280bhp. This sits below a powerful 4.2-litre V8 petrol unit also featuring FSI direct injection which cranks out a healthy 350bhp with a peak torque figure pitched at 440Nm. Of perhaps greater relevance to the UK market is the 3.0-litre TDI diesel. This features a state-of-the-art common rail injection system with piezo inline injectors helping it to a peak power figure of 240bhp, a substantial torque rating of 500Nm and reasonable fuel economy. At the top of the range sits the 322bhp 4.2-litre V8 TDI powerplant currently found in the A8.

The Q7 is equipped as standard with quattro permanent four-wheel drive. Its Torsen centre differential directs power to all four wheels, on-road and off-road, which means fast-reacting power to whichever wheel can best deploy it and excellent lateral stability - the prerequisites for optimum driving dynamics and safety. The driver benefits - also thanks to virtually balanced axle load distribution - from even better agility and steering precision that remains practically free of torque steer. The chassis of the Audi Q7 contains numerous aluminium components - independent wheel suspension with double wishbones at the front and rear - also excels with its all-round qualities. Steel spring suspension and twin-tube shock absorbers are designed for sporty driving and superior comfort, even off-road. The tilted position of the rear spring and shock absorber unit reduces overall height and creates more room at the rear.

Although some may point to the fact that Audi have arrived at the 4x4 party just as the richest pickings have thinned, there's still a massive demand for 'sports utes' in the USA and besides, the Q7 may be long but it isn't as in-your-face as many 4x4s. It's actually rather a clever move, taking the constituent parts of an Allroad and scaling them up a little. If you had to design what an Audi 4x4 would look like, chances are it wouldn't be too far off how the Q7 has turned out. That's usually a recipe for incipient success.

TOP 5 Q7 DEALS

The results below show the top Q7 deals on buyacar

	Audi Q7 3.6 FSI Quattro SE 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £663	Saving £2,907	Price £38,518
	Audi Q7 3.6 FSI Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £658	Saving £2,907	Price £38,518
	Audi Q7 4.2 TDI Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £806	Saving £3,648	Price £47,042
	Audi Q7 4.2 FSI Quattro SE 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £808	Saving £3,519	Price £45,556
	Audi Q7 4.2 FSI Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £803	Saving £3,519	Price £45,556

typical 9.56% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000