First Drive Review
At the tail end of our first drive experience of Audi's mouth-watering A5 and S5 coupes, we were thrust into the driver's seat of something entirely different in pretty much every conceivable way: the newly minted Q7 4.2 TDI. Some of us rolled our eyes at this, since this particular oil burner, positioned as the current flagship of the Q7 line in Europe (until the V-12 TDI launches), won't be making it stateside any time soon. Furthermore, Audi didn't bring any 3.0 TDIs-which we will get late next year as an '09 model-for comparison. But we set out to learn a thing or two anyway, as the Q7 4.2 TDI represents the interesting combination of a diesel SUV with a performance bent, and where better to explore the limits of this torquiest of all Audis than on the German autobahn? And so we did.
No Surprises
Driving the big diesel Q7 offered absolutely zero surprises. With 561 pound-feet of torque available between 1800 and 2500 rpm, the 4134cc (yes, that rounds to 4.1 liters-don't ask) turbo-diesel V-8 pulls the Q7's three tons of metal, glass, rubber, and fattened-up passengers as if tethered to a Lufthansa 747. Audi says the big beast shoots from 0 to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds-entirely believable, if a bit cautious. The Quattro system's 40/60 front-to-rear torque split makes for predictable, tractable acceleration in a straight line as well as in turns, and the Tiptronic six-speed is fitted with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, not that we desperately needed them with all that torque.
At high speeds, there is no drop-off in the fun factor. With 326 horsepower, the Q7 4.2 TDI has no problem maintaining speed and stability while the speedo climbs into the 140-mph range (gotta love autobahns), offering plenty of passing power when called on to take to the left lane. (The Q7 4.2 TDI's top speed is 240 km/h, or about 145 mph.) All the while, the interior remains remarkably quiet-not exactly silent as in an A8, but comfortable and conversation friendly.
