Audi Q7

Excellent car with some quirks

By Mr. Practical (Houston, TX) on Friday, January 11, 2008

"My previous car was a Honda Odyssey, my wifes car is a BMW 530. This was pushing the bounds for me to drop 58 large on a vehicle, but I decided to splurge. I got was the 4.2. The car handles excellent despite it's size and weight. The Q7 is as long as my minivan was, which I suppose is necessary to make the 3rd row usable, which it is, even for small adults (something the X5 can not claim). The major drawback to this car is the mileage. Thus far I am averaging a paltry 14.6 mpg (albeit mostly via city driving). Now the quirks: 1. The rear lift hatch opens so high that my wife 5' was unable to close the door, this is partly why I went with the 4.2 - whereby opening height is a controllable feature. 2. There is a buttom on the drivers door to open the rear hatch but that's all it does is open, it does not close. I find this strange as a button on the rear hatch itself does exist to close it automatically. To add a button up front could only cost $20 to add so why was this not done?? Also, the open hatch button on the remote should also close the door as well. 3. When I drive long distances (using cruise control) I sometimes like to tuck my heel under the seat. There is no space to do this on this car - a bit annoying. 4. It seems there should be storage space under the second row, but none exists. It would be nice if there were some drawers there for items such as the DVD player remote, headphones, etc. Actually, given the size of this vehicle, there is not much storage space - between a pair of sunglasses, a radar detector, a few CD's there is not room for much else. 5. Cupholder arrangement is odd. The ones up front are strange and the ones in the rear are at an angle in the door - not very functional and requires that the drinks be in capped bottles. 6. Recalling contacts from the phone interface requires too many steps - especially if you have a full phone book. 7. German cars are renowned for brake dust, but this one produces this big time. Nice suprises: 1. Cruise control works, even at 15 mph. This is very nice for long school zones. 2. Berber carpet hides dirt extremely well. 3. Cruising at 100mph is smooth as silk 4. MMI computer interface is way more intuitive than BMW's I drive. I didn't even find myself using the manual. 5. 20" wheels look great and do not make the car overly stiff. (I was fearful of this during the purchase). 6. Stereo sound is amazing - interior noise levels when cruising are low (it growls a lot under heavy accelleration however)."

60 people out of 60 found this review helpful

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2007 3.6 Premium

By DMK (northern IL) on Sunday, December 14, 2008

"This vehicle serves as our heavy duty runabout, replacing a Dakota Quad Cab. Our 3rd Audi (also A4 3.0 cab and A4 1.8T). Considered MB R350, Honda Oddysey, Toyota Highlander/Lexus RX. The MB was nice but wouldn't tow. The Honda and Toyota were perfectly fine and are likely more trouble free than Audi, but after looking a the Audi they subjectively don't measure up. The 3.6 has plenty of power and torque for suburban use and in the hills around my home. No need for the 4.2 unless running in mountains or regularly carrying full loads or towing. Decent mileage, about 18 average in mostly rural driving, have seen up to 21 on highway. Had some trouble with oil check valve which caused low oil light on startup; fixed under warranty. Also parking brake indicator light/alarm acted up, fixed under warranty. Shed wiper blades early due to improper fasteners, fixed with upgraded fasteners. Rides kind of rough on 19" tires. Stock Goodyear tires are lousy and not good for much more than 20K. Just put on Blizzaks for winter. Can't beat the quattro for winter. Come spring I'm replacing the Goodyears with some summer tires."

10 people out of 10 found this review helpful

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Have a savings account

By Swasser on Wednesday, June 24, 2009

"This bar far is the best SUV I have ever owned. Pound for pound (5200) this car out preforms any other SUV I have owned. Quite ride with air suspention interior lights galore and a car that demands praise. Only draw back is repairs that arent covered. IE: Brakes Batteries. The brakes are good for 25,000-30,000 miles. The 2007 and 2008 came with racing brakes that wore out fast the 2009 now comes with better brakes. the cost to change the brakes at Audi is around $1500.OO The battery went out at 22,000 and cost $585.00 $200 for battery the rest because the battery is under the drivers seat. If you want the power like a BMW sport car and the ride of a super lexurey car the Q 7 is for you. I know the thought of a V8 with todays gas is nuts but you wont be sorry for going that extra mile"

9 people out of 9 found this review helpful

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