Saving weight was a big priority for Audi with the new Q7 and overall a substantial 325kg has been trimmed from the outgoing model – the base Q7 weighs 1995kg. The body in white is 75kg lighter, the aluminium doors are 24kg lighter and the front and rear five-link suspension saves a further 67kg.
The result is that the powertrain, at least in 267bhp state of tune, is well suited to the task of propelling the Q7 down the road. 62mph arrives in 6.5-seconds and it will top 145mph while returning 47.9mpg. The 443lb ft of torque delivered at 1500rpm goes a long way to making the Q7 quicker than Porsche’s entry level Cayenne Diesel.
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In 215bhp form, performance is still strong – the 0-62mph dash takes 7.3 seconds and Autobahn performance drops a little to 134mph.
The SQ7, as it should be, is in another league in terms of performance compared to the rest of the range. Despite it having more bulk to shift, it weighs 2330kg, it reaches 62mph in 4.9 seconds.
Power comes in the form of 429bhp and 664lb ft of torque, generated via a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel. Despite its weight, the SQ7 is half a second quicker than an F Type convertible
