Sunday, May 17, 2015

Audi Q7 V12 TDI Review!



I had the pleasure of encountering this rare beast last week and simply had to pen a review of it. The Q7 V12 TDI is the epitome of "A wolf in sheeps clothing". Most would think it another well heeled soccer mothers SUV....they would be oh so wrong. The heart of this vehicle is a sulphurous hell god wrangled into compliance by German engineers and strapped into a family SUV.



What this concoction results in is a Bahn-storming Panzer tank that can be as discreet as a Toyota Camry or as aggressive and intimidating on the highway as a Mercedes 600 Grosser charging behind you. The V12 TDI was a world first and adapted from Audi's Lemans TDI engine. It boasts a blistering 1000 newton meters of torque and being diesel returns staggering fuel economy of around 12-13L/100kms around town. When driving the Audi, I was sceptical as to wether the car would be an ally or try and consume me, I took it on a refuel run and it was clear that the car was in allegiance with me. The torque delivery is very linear and endless. Their is no power band as it is wholly encompassing and just wants to charge. Fortunately massive brakes reel it in with little drama, how many pistons the calibres on the cross drilled rotors contain....I do not know.



This vehicles clearly wants to consume other cars as if it had a furnace lurking beneath the enormous grill. Weighing only 300 kilos shy of 3 tonnes you would think such a large SUV would be unruly on the road but with so much power it was a breeze to drive, although it did keep me aware that is was a large car.



The queue's informing people as to what this vehicle is are a few subtle V12 badges on the side of the fenders and the tailgate. Other than these indicators it looks like most any other Q7 with an S-line package. If you recall about 10 years ago VW released it's Touareg V10TDI with accompanying advertisement of it towing a Boeing 747 Jet airliner to boast it's power and torque. This would be the replacement in my opinion.



Interior wise a few things set the V12 apart from it's run of the mill siblings. The fact that everything is wrapped in leather including the entire dash with accompanying carbon fibre inserts. A an audiophiles dream Bang and Olufsen sound system with gimmicky pop up tweeters, which sound superb, the metal speaker covers are a nice high finish too. Probably the largest panoramic sunroof I have ever seen surrounded by Alcantara headlining really finishes the cabin off. The media interface is beginning to look a little dated though as it first saw introduction in 2006.

 
 
 If you are after a vehicle for intimidation tactics, skirmishes or black ops, short of the JK Wrangler this would have to check the box. Picking the kids up from school in this however would seem a little ridiculous. The Q7 is about to be completely relaunched with a new model, this however is a better looking vehicle IMHO and does not apologise for it's size. With so few worldwide, I doubt I will ever encounter another of these, it was a pleasure.



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