Date Published: 17th December 2010
Is this a posh family wagon or an up-yours executive car? That was one tester’s first question when faced with a vehicle that aims to blend seven-seat practicality with the character of a fast-lane charger.
Others have done similar things, of course, but none are as overt as the Q7. And few are as impressively lavish inside. Ours felt particularly special thanks to a light grey colour scheme which emphasised the cabin’s clear, uncluttered lines – Audi’s Multi Media Interface, basically an all-powerful selector system controlling the stereo, nav, ventilation and so on, removes the need for lots of dash buttons, making it much simpler. The system itself needs to be learnt, but with that done it makes sense – at least, none of our testers moaned about it, which is some feat.
In terms of materials, the interior is generally very good, though some of the dash plastics could be from anything. Oddment stowage isn’t great, but cargo capacity is exactly that thanks to a simple one-shot folding second row of seats which disappears to leave a long and completely flat floor.
There’s a third row, too, which could take adults at a push but is really only for kids. In fact, legroom in the second row isn’t that great if you’re behind a tall driver, though the seats do slide to create extra space.
Next - To Drive Jump: 1. To Live With 2. To Drive 3. Verdict
