Keep in mind highschool? When issues had been in or out, individuals had been cool or uncool, and nothing mattered greater than how a lot others preferred you? Think about for those who’d carried that determined have to be preferred effectively into maturity, till it clawed your very sense of self away and turned you into somebody who exists just for others. Take into consideration the individual you’d develop as much as be.
You’d maintain doorways for everybody, regardless of what number of. You’d be taught to be good at karaoke, however not so good that individuals don’t wish to go together with you. You’d have flash and sparkle, methods to attract all eyes to you, and not using a single shred of that means beneath to make these individuals wish to keep. You’d find yourself a individuals pleaser, very similar to the Audi Q7.
Full Disclosure: Audi shipped me out to Utah to drive 4 crossovers (and journey one mountain bike) unexpectedly. The Q7, SQ7, Q8, and SQ8 have all been frivolously up to date, and between the smaller adjustments and shorter drives these opinions seemingly received’t be the 1,600-word epics you’ve come to count on from my byline. Audi paid for my transportation, lodging, and meals.
The Audi Q7 desperately desires to be all issues to all individuals. It desires to supply the area of an X7, the driving dynamics of an X5, and the consolation of a GLE — all for much less value than any of them, with a beginning MSRP of $60,500. It’s an admirable aim, and one which stands an excellent likelihood of creating the final word dad or mum automotive. All of the room on this planet, with not one of the drawbacks.
In its people-pleasing, nonetheless, the Q7 doesn’t cease there. The inside is a superb place to be: Each rear seat will get little one seat anchors, whereas the fronts (within the topmost Status trim) get massagers. The optionally available Bang & Olufsen stereo sings, the infotainment will get any variety of Audi-supplied themes full with inside accent lighting, and the acoustic glass prevents wind noise from ever rattling your poor ears. The Audi Q7, on the within, ought to be improbable.
The outside, with regard to styling, is within the eye of the beholder. We’re approaching the tenth 12 months of the Q7’s second era, which suggests among the aesthetic selections are both displaying their age or slowly reentering vogue with the cycles of style. The entrance and rear ends, nonetheless, have been labored over for this newest facelift. A brand new fascia, new (actual) exhaust pipes, and Audi’s favourite: Fancy lights.
Audi loves its Matrix Design lights, and is all too pleased to let you know all of the capabilities and signatures they’re able to — if solely American legal guidelines would change to really permit them. Because it stands, the lights can show every kind of fancy animations when the automotive is unlocked, however aren’t functionally completely different when driving.
That, there, is the crux of people-pleasing — all of the floor stage likability, not one of the substance under that. The Q7, in its desperation to be every thing for everybody, by no means forges its personal id as a car. Not as luxurious as a Mercedes, not as performance-oriented as a BMW, simply there within the center.
The Q7’s fancy, flashy lights are restricted by American highway legal guidelines. Its infotainment themes, supposedly an illustration of Audi’s dedication to development by means of expertise, aren’t included within the buy value — they’re $13 JPEGs with matching inside accent gentle colours, or $18 if you would like one on your favourite soccer crew.
The Q7 does many issues effectively, significantly when you think about its value level, however it does few issues uniquely. It lacks a killer app, one thing to make it actually value looking for out over the competitors. The 335-horsepower V6 in my tester was highly effective sufficient, the transmission shifted effectively sufficient, the steering had sufficient really feel and precision, however there’s nothing exemplary within the driving expertise that you simply received’t get from Bavaria. Equally, amongst all these inside luxuries like lights and little one seat anchors, there’s nothing that beats out the consolation of a extra singlemindedly luxury-oriented competitor.
Audi, it appears, is in these highschool years itself. It desires tech to be its differentiator, its killer app, however tech is affordable — including software-based options to a automotive that’s already loaded with computer systems is trivial in comparison with including, say, a much bigger engine or plusher suspension. With out a strong core id for the model, it acts like a youngster by doing no matter it may possibly to please whoever will give it the time of day. And, like that top schooler, the Q7 is completely nice and good to work together with. It simply doesn’t provide you with a lot cause to stay round.
