The Big Audi Is Back

The Q7 seven-seater SUV, the model that got the ball rolling for Audi India, is back again in its new global avatar.Does it still have what it takes to hang with the big boys?

- Jim Gorde

AUDI HIT IT OFF IN THE INDIAN MARKET in a big way with a big offering back in 2007, the huge Q7. The premium crossover SUV of the time combined a high-riding body, seven seats, a potent selection of engines, and the brand's signature quattro intelligent all-wheel drive. It worked well. Very well.

The Q7 was originally introduced with a 280-hp 3.6 FSI V6 petrol, a more powerful 345-hp 4.2 FSI V8 petrol, and, the most popular choice of the lot, the 240-hp 3.0 TDI V6 diesel. It sold like hot cakes and, soon, Mercedes-Benz, the luxury segment leaders by a huge margin, were seeing their share of the pie diminishing. “Audi” became a new name in the premium luxury space and for good reason. The Q7 was robust, powerful, refined, and spacious. Traits that the new one abides by as well, with a load of technological updates coming in for good measure.

The new Q7 55 TFSI quattro is the sole iteration here. No creamy, screamy V8 and, *sighs in European*, no diesel either. The 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, turbo-petrol has 340 hp and 500 Nm V8-level output, for sure — and it's extremely quiet. It adopts a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to help with things including stop/ start, energy recuperation, and coasting, all in a quest to maximize efficiency. Does it work? We'll get to that soon enough.