The redesigned 2020 Audi Q7 looks smaller than it is. Unless you’re sitting inside, and then it feels larger than you’d imagine. It’s the Mary Poppins magic bag of crossovers, but less garish. It is still an Audi, after all. There’s no floral tapestry here, just a new shiny-toothed grille, slim LED headlights and taillights, and a trimmed and tucked rear valance.
The updated Q7 continues in that vein. Its swept-back roofline and rounded nose are car-like enough to make you look for a rear-facing third row, as you’d find in a Mercedes E-class wagon. For drivers hoping to bridge the gap in three-row transport between wedged minivans and truck-like building blocks, the Q7 presents a tall-car alternative.
In photos, with nothing for scale, the Q7 looks tiny. In the real world, it fills a parking spot line to line. Thank goodness for standard front and rear parking sensors. If you want the bird’s eye 360-degree camera, though, you’ll have to upgrade from the Premium trim to Premium Plus, about a $3000 jump from the base model.
New V-6, Greater Thirst
2020 Audi Q7 Gets New V-6 for America
40,000 Miles: Our Audi Q7 Long-Term Test Is Over
In the top-level Prestige version, the only option is a new 335-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 in place of the previous supercharged V-6 of similar displacement. While the new V-6 brings only a 2-hp bump, its 369 lb-ft of torque marks a gain of 44 lb-ft over the outgoing mill. Sadly, as we’ve noticed in other new Audi’s with this turbo-six, it is not as sonorous in tone nor as characterful in its power delivery as the supercharged V-6. The new engine also features a 48-volt hybrid system that hastens the V-6’s stop-start time when you lift off the brake at a stoplight, but it doesn’t do much for fuel efficiency. Surprisingly, the Q7 gets slightly worse fuel economy with the new turbocharged six than it did with the previous supercharged V-6. The EPA’s estimates are 18 mpg combined, 17 city, and 21 highway. That combined rating is 3 mpg fewer compared to the outgoing model. A 248-hp turbo 2.0-liter inline-four continues as the standard powerplant, with both engines backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Our initial drive in the latest Q7 took us out of one California desert, over the mountains, and back down into a different desert. In the turns, the Q7 delivers on its promise to feel more like a car than an SUV. It stays planted and stable, with none of the rolling, ship-at-sea motion common to many SUVs. The throttle response is crisp when in the Comfort drive mode, although the pedal itself is unusually stiff. Switching to Sport mode enhances the accelerator’s responses, and if there is a slight increase in steering feel, it’s difficult to detect. Sport mode proved a subtle enough change that we’d probably just choose it as the general drive-around mode.
High-Tech Accommodations
In Idyllwild, California, we stopped for coffee, which wouldn’t be noteworthy but for two things: The town has a dog for mayor, and we got our coffee to go, which led to an unexpected complaint: the Q7’s cupholders are freakishly small. Unless you’re getting espresso or soda in a shot glass, an average to-go cup is going to be a tight fit. If you’re thinking of getting a Big Gulp, well, just don’t. Aside from the cupholders, the Q7’s interior is airy, spacious, and remains stylishly restrained.
This Audi’s front seats are wide, and if you’ve splurged for some options, they’re not only covered in leather as soft as your favorite recliner’s, but they’ll massage you, too. The second row is suitably spacious as well. There are another two chairs in the third row. They’re a bit cramped for adults, but the third row does fold to create 72 cubic feet of space, or enough cargo room for two canine mayors in their mayor crates.
When the Q7’s power is off, its new 10.1-inch touchscreen interface blends into a seamless block of glassy black dash. Say goodbye to Audi’s previous MMI central control knob. As with all gloss-black finishes (and all touchscreens), it will immediately attract an impossible number of fingerprints. The Q7 might attract more than most, since the functions of Audi’s touchscreen system require longer, firmer presses than other infotainment displays. The setup is supposed to be easier to use while driving, and it is quick to respond with optional haptic and audible feedback. But there’s a learning curve to getting all the control locations fixed in your fingertip memory. Glossy digital goodies continue with a customizable 12.3-inch gauge cluster, and a smaller 8.6-inch touchscreen below the main screen, which houses all the climate and seat controls.
For when you bring your own technology into the car, the Q7 supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, including wireless connectivity for the latter. Android users still have to plug in, but both can make use of the in-car Wi-Fi hotspot and wireless charging pad in the console. Audi offers all the expected active safety tech along with a few newer options, such as rear cross-traffic assist, which warns you if you’re reversing into moving traffic, as well as safe exit, which looks for cars and bicycles coming up on the side door.
Even in its lower-level trims, the latest Audi Q7 remains an attractive luxury SUV option and one of the sportier driving three-rows available, albeit one that is now a bit thirstier at the pump if you opt for its new V-6. We’ll miss its old supercharged V-6, but this is still much the same well-sorted SUV that has won multiple 10Best awards and comparison tests in the past.
Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
