ON THE ROAD: AUDI Q7 V12 TDI

Isn’t this car rather pointless?

I wouldn’t say so at all. We often define performance cars in a certain way; small, two doors, powerful engine, handles like a Rovos Rail train on rails etc. This Audi does most of this too. See, thing is, not everyone is a single carefree bachelor with no significant space demands on his car. Some of us still like the thrill of winning a robot-to-robot battle while

carrying those monthly groceries at the back. Off-road ability is something else.

Explain the last comment please.

When Audi launched the Q7 it insisted that over 1 million kilometers were covered in testing, including off the beaten road, on ice, in snow and over mountains. Motoring journalists hear such words and start imagining long excursions in Tanzania and Algeria, cross-country journeys via the Nile and fun exercises on the dunes of the Namib. Unfortunately the Q7 is not for any of these. Yes there is a programme that electronically adjusts the ride height to almost bus-level (jokes), but the quattro system can’t cope too well with the stresses involved in tackling challenging off-road courses. As far as SUVs go, you either have on-road comfort or off-road intelligence. The Q7 has the latter.

What an engine though!

Never did I think when it was first touted, that Audi would build it. I’ve since learnt that more often than not the Ingolstadt company does not just show off; it delivers too. This V12 TDI displaces 5.9-litres and kicks out 368kW at 4000rpm. Those 1000Nm of torques are seriously impressive, to such an extent that if you launch the car from standstill you are bound to get a time of under 6 seconds to 100km/h. We got 5.6 seconds, which is bloody amazing. That makes the Q7 V12 TDI the quickest SUV we’ve ever tested in almost two years of IN4RIDE’s existence.

That’s almost as quick as the BMW 335i and Audi S4 you tested!

Yes, we got 5.5 seconds for both those cars in a shoot-out last year. But of course because of its shape and size the Q7 V12 TDI will not handle nearly as well as them. Quattro AWD helps for grip but it’s not the sort of help one would rely upon to go from Cape to Cairo.

Is it all speed though?

Q7 is a premium SUV, which means sweet stuff like MMI, satellite navigation, a powerful sound system with an SD card slot, electrically adjustable leather seats, a multifunction sports steering wheel and paddles behind it. The adaptive air suspension system adjusts to all driving situations and can be configured via the MMI system. At its sportiest it changes the character of the powertrain to be more responsive, while at its highest it literally stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best off-roaders, if only as a boastful stance.

Visually it gets the better of its lesser Q7 brothers by sporting a different, more imposing front grille, massive multispoke wheels, wider wheel arches and two oval tailpipes (like RS models) among others. A V12 TDI badge makes its presence felt on the sides as well as the rear end. As if you could miss this car anyway.

Where does the Q7 V12 TDI fit it in?

Audi likes being quirky about things, and instead of providing a powerful petrol V12 for its top of the range Q7, they went for the turbo diesel. It gives them brownie points in terms of being environmentally friendlier than its natural rivals (see quick stats), while giving them a good run for their money.

QUICK STATS

AUDI Q7 V12 TDI

ENGINE: 5.9-litre (5934 cc) V12 turbo diesel

GEARBOX: 6-speed automatic

POWER: 368kW at 4000rpm

TORQUE: 1000Nm at 1750rpm

0 – 100KM/H: 5.6 seconds

TOP SPEED: 250km/h

FUEL AVERAGE: 16.0 l/100km

FUEL RANGE: 563km (combined)

CO2 e: 380 g/km

PRICE STANDARD: R1 426 000

NATURAL RIVALS: BMW X5 M, Land Rover Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 Supercharged, Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

*PRICE RIVALS: Audi R8 4.2 V8, Mercedes-Benz SL 500

BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: Very High

*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.