Transformed in its second generation from a bulky-looking premium seven-seater to a sharper, more modern and even more capable all-roader, the new Audi Q7 elevates the experience of refined luxury mobility for seven. We’ve tested it right here.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar & Aditya Dhiwar
Fundamentally, when the roots are the same, the values and signature elements retained along with the character and size, it’s hard to believe that there’s something all-new, only told apart by the exterior. That too, not entirely as it may first seem. Some things look all-new, but as you process the details, they’re rather similar, but not the same. In fact, if the predecessor was close to being flawless in terms of all the parameters that matter; how much better can the new one be?
The Q7 is the car that single-handedly turned the fortunes of the four-ringed Ingolstadt brand in India. It’s the size, the stance, the feel and the road presence of the thing that made many folk — urban, suburban and rural — reach for their chequebooks to give this, at that time, new brand a chance. That was a long time ago. The Q7 underwent a facelift, gained LED signatures, new engines and even switched from decimal points to double-digit designations that had no reference to displacement. That apart, even as recently as before this issue was printed, the Q7 35 TDI with the 3.0-litre V6 motor still was a magnificent all-rounder of a car. Large, yes, but infinitely capable, many would agree.
So what of the all-new car? The new big Q gets a more pronounced chrome grille, complete with headlamp anchors. The headlamps themselves are of the full-LED variety. The more chiselled lines may make it look like a larger A7 Allroad, but in truth it’s just as large as the old Q7, with a slight easing-off of the curves. Not that it’s estate-like, rather it’s more sinewy, effectively hiding its mammoth proportions at first glance. The silver roof-rails and bold LED tail-lamps with twin large rectangular exhaust finishers look sharp and add more edgy shapes to the picture.
