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Audi Q7 Gallery
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The Q7 is Audi's answer to the likes of the BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Volvo XC90 and other large 4x4s bought for their on-road driving performance - and most importantly, their image - rather than out-and-out off-roading ability. Audi has been late to offer such a model, and the Q7 doesn't really offer anything new or unique in this sector. However, it's very well-engineered, beautifully put together and finished with the requisite aggressive front end and rakishly slanted tailgate: add the 20-inch alloy wheels and it looks ready for some serious action, even if this is only on the school run.
Though the Q7 does feel a lot like the Volkswagen Touareg in its driving characteristics, and the two cars have a similarly laid-out dashboard, they're not as closely related as, say, the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf, or the A4 and Passat. The Q7, Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, also on a version of the same platform, all share a number of basic components, but the Q7 is the longest car of the three with the most interior space, and it also has a different four-wheel drive system. Whereas the Touareg and Cayenne have full-time four-wheel drive with a low-ratio gear set and lockable differentials, the Q7 has Audi's quattro system as in its conventional road cars. This does give full-time four-wheel drive as well, with a 40:60 torque-split to the front:rear axles under normal driving conditions, but there are no low-ratio gears; instead, it uses an auto-locking torque-sensing centre differential to send up to 65percent of power to the front or up to 85percent to the rear if one of the wheels starts to slip. It's a system designed more for sporty on-road driving than hardcore mud-plugging, though it's going to be more than capable of coping with most conditions: pulling a boat/pony trailer or reaching the ski resort, no problem.
Three engines are on offer: the direct-injection 4.2 V8 FSI (350bhp) and 3.6 V6 FSI (280bhp) petrol units and, from summer 2006, a 3.0 V6 TDI diesel (233bhp). A petrol-electric hybrid is scheduled for early 2008. Six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission is standard.
Prices start from £37,285 (3.0 TDI) with the 4.2 FSI from £47,680; prices for the entry-level 3.6 V6 FSI will be announced later in the year. Deliveries start in July 2006.
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