Audi Q7 Magistral SUV
On the highway or on uneven terrain, the Q7 is all about performance…
On the highway, it handles like a sports car. On uneven terrain, it becomes a real SUV. In fact, the Q7 is all about performance…
It’s completely at ease in all situations, especially the most difficult ones. In terms of looks, it’s unmistakably an Audi : a very rounded profile, a sleek structure synonymous with dynamism for the front and a powerful rear, contrasting two-tone paintwork (optional) for a more distinctive personality. In the passenger compartment, expect originality and versatility. This SUV boasts 28 different configurations for seating and stowing. The three rows of seats accommodate up to seven passengers ; they can be moved separately lengthwise in the second row and can be folded down flat in the third row. Passengers thus benefit from the most generous leg space in this category and the trunk area attains 2,035 litres before the seats are even touched. Furthermore, the standard Q7 offers three seats with adaptable backs on the second row and a ski carrier with ski bag. Worth knowing : you can order a third row of seats for passengers up to 1 metre 60 tall, seats that are easily accessed thanks to the Easy Entry function.
Safe and good-looking
The Audi Q7 hasn’t been built on a classic chassis ; its frameless bodywork is made of light construction steel. On board safety meets the highest demands. Deformation zones in all the vehicle’s various parts divert in targetted manner the energy generated by any collision impacting the high-resistance passenger compartment. For example, in the case of a head-on collision, captors at the front, installed behind the grill, register the collision and just a few milli-seconds suffice for the seat-belt pre-tensioners to compensate for any slackness in the belt. Beyond a certain degree of sollicitation, an effort limiter gives way by lengthening the belt, thus enabling the passenger to be held back by the airbag. Here again, two high-volume frontal airbags with two trigger threshholds are deployed. The Q7 also benefits from lateral airbags at the front, and a sideguard system of airbags to protect the head as far back as the third row of seats.
As for the driver’s comfort, nothing has been left to chance. Better still : the engine has been positioned longitudinal fashion and a Torsen differential automatically manages optimal distribution of the torque between the four wheels. Thanks to the direct servotronic steering (standard on all Q7s), the driver benefits from both steering precision and extreme precision in road holding. An important detail concerns the vehicle’s distance from the ground, which varies from a dynamic level of at least 165 millimetres to 240 millimetres at most (in Lift mode), so that obstacles of a respectable size can be cleared. Designed to be a tractor vehicle for towing caravans or boats etc., the Q7 was pre-destined for this purpose and and can tow a load of up to 3,500 kilos. It is, in fact, equipped for towing stabilisation, which is readjusted (in the event of swaying) by effective use of the braking system.
By Cécile Olivéro - photos : press
