Test drive Audi Q7 against Range Rover Sport
The new Mercedes GLE and BMW X5 sport smart assistants, unusual designs and powerful engines. But Audi Q7 and Range Rover Sport do not even think to give up their positions - at least with charisma and dynamics here is complete order.
I was so keen on 22-inch wheels that at the right moment I forgot to raise the pneuma from the "Sport" position. In the parking lot at the bank, I had to perform the reverse "snake" in a very limited space, but instead of rubber cones, there were evil concrete hemispheres. Even the smallest damage is a real shock. Well, how could it be otherwise? The infinitely charismatic Q7 in navy Navarra Blue with the S line package should always look flawless.
In general, the 22nd discs are still fun, especially in winter. They are great for training visual memory, responsiveness and parking skills. But the wheels that are dangerous for our roads are not at all a desire to achieve the best appearance. The thing is that the test Q7 has the most powerful braking system available on the market. Carbon-ceramic brakes with ten-piston calipers simply don't fit into discs less than 21 inches in diameter.
I had to get used to such evil brakes: the Q7 reacts slightly nervously to pressing the pedal, regardless of speed. At first, you either hang on belts on the verge of activating ABS, or you have brake lights constantly on. A sense of proportion comes only with the first ten kilometers, and after that - complete delight.
The Audi Q7 has a unique pedigree: the large crossover from Ingolstadt was built on the same MLB Evo platform as the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. Q7 in this company is the younger brother, but this does not mean at all that he is inferior to his relatives in some way. On the contrary, if Porsche and Lamborghini tried to make the most sporty crossovers, and Bentley engineers focused on comfort, then Audi was looking for the perfect balance.
Alas, the Q7 on pneuma does not know how to turn from a measured crossover into a sports car by pressing just one button. That is why I put the Drive Select system in the "Auto" position throughout most of the test. Here Audi subtly senses what is required of it right now: to accelerate at lightning speed, to defile along the Moscow Ring Road or to push in a traffic jam.
The top-of-the-line 3,0-liter supercharged petrol engine matches the Q7's superb handling. The engine produces 333 hp. from. and 440 Nm of torque, and this is enough to gain the first "hundred" in 6,1 seconds. The first is because the top speed of the Q7 in the 55TFSI version is electronically limited to 250 km / h. The tuning studio is removed from these engines at Stage 1 up to 450 hp. pp., but, it seems, this is superfluous: for several weeks the Q7 did not give a single reason to think about the lack of power.
Amazingly, over the course of four years, the interior of the Audi Q7 has become very different from what we saw in the A6, A7, A8 and e-tron. Instead of two huge displays in the center (one is responsible for multimedia, and the other for the climate), there is one large tablet that slides out at startup. But this does not mean that the Q7 requires immediate restyling - it was drawn with such a huge margin that the designers from Ingolstadt managed to anticipate the trends.
And yet, very soon, Audi will present an updated Q7 - with a new 340-horsepower supercharged engine and advanced multimedia, as in the e-tron, and an autopilot will certainly appear here. And although the second generation Q7 has been produced for four years, the crossover has not become obsolete in anything: it is ready to compete on equal terms with the newest BMW X5 and Mercedes GLE, and, of course, with the restyled Range Rover Sport.
We met on the roof of the Aviapark when it was still dark. No, it was not a date, but a shooting of Range Rover Sport and Audi Q7. While our photographer was setting up lights and other equipment in the bitter frost, Roman and I sat in his car and (no need to laugh here) greeted the dawn. At that moment, I realized why I would defend the English car.
Okay, for many, Great Britain is an uncomplicated "fish and chips" as the top of the skill of local chefs, cockney-speaking rednecks, which you have exactly zero chance to understand, and crazy football fans. But what about the English style, gentlemen, tweed jackets, oxfords, The Beatles - something eternal, always up-to-date ?!
Here is the Range Rover for me - the same. It has not changed, it seems, for 50 years and has not grown old, has changed - and is still relevant for almost six years. Now take a look at the Audi Q7. It only appeared in 2015, but against the background of the ultra-ultra-e-tron, A6 and A7, the crossover may seem slightly outdated.
Sport, however, has problems, or rather - in my opinion, one problem, too. This is a multimedia system - the main, by the way, an element that has changed after restyling. The same is, for example, on Velar. I drove it for three months, and there were no problems. On "Sport" the multimedia system turned off without permission, hung up and refused to recognize the connected external device.
When I gave the car away, I was assured that this was a special case: there was a bug in the firmware, it was fixed long ago, and now everything is okay. The question is: yes, I would still buy myself even this separate copy. The 306-horsepower diesel engine is an ideal combination of dynamics (7,3 seconds to 100 km / h) and modest consumption (about 10 liters in the city). Plus a nimble 8-speed gearbox.
Despite the seeming sluggishness, Sport fits perfectly even on narrow city streets, but it is also able to quickly maneuver in the stream, without falling into sharp turns. A separate round of applause for the Meridian audio system: the sound is chilling.
In general, I began to stare at Sport. And it was with this engine that he would probably just ditch the Autobiography package in favor of a simpler HSE, saving almost a million rubles on this: $ 97 versus $ 187. Still, I wonder what the next generation Range Rover will be like? I'd like to take a look at another timeless design.
| Body type | Universal | Universal |
| dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4879/1983/1802 | 5052/1968/1741 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2923 | 2994 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2178 | 2045 |
| engine's type | Diesel | Petrol |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 2993 | 2995 |
| Max. power, l. with. | 306 (at 4000 rpm) | 333 (at 5500-6500 rpm) |
| Max twist. moment, Nm | 700 (at 1500-1700 rpm) | 440 (at 2900-5300 rpm) |
| Drive type, transmission | Full, 8-speed automatic | Full, 8-speed automatic |
| Max. speed km / h | 209 | 250 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 7,3 | 6,1 |
| Fuel consumption (mixed cycle), l / 100 km | 7 | 7,7 |
| Price from, $. | 86 453 | 61 724 |
