
First Drive: 2007 Audi Q7
Take Audi's word for it. We tried off-ramps fast enough to experience the Q7's cornering stability, and it felt good. This is a big-shouldered crossover, bigger than anything before it to wear the four-ring badge. The height and serious off-roading capability keeps the big Audi from devolving into a lux minivan, like the Mercedes R-Class, which is the only new entry in this category that's bigger than the Q7.
So you can have it all: an off-roadable luxury vehicle you may never find the need to take off-road, one that flirts with many genres without becoming an amorphous, indefinable mess. If you want more economy and a lower price, a 280-horse, 3.6-liter, FSI V-6 version will be available by the fall for about $40,000. A much-anticipated hybrid is probably a year off. And somewhere off in the near distance is an S-Line model, with the RS4's 40/60-torque split and possibly a twin-turbo V-8 or even the 5.2-liter V-10.
| 2007 Audi Q7 |
| Base price | $50,620 |
| Vehicle Layout | Front engine, AWD5-7 pass, 4-door SUV |
| Engine | 4.2L/350-hp/325 lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Curb weight | 5000 lb (mfr est) |
| Wheelbase | 118.2 in |
| Length x Width x Height | 200.7 x 78.1 x 68.4 in |
| 0-60 mph | 7.4 sec (mfr est) |
| EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 17/22 mpg (est) |
| On Sale in U.S. | June 2006 |