Automotive review: Audi Q7

Have you ever cleaned out the pockets of an old pair of pants and found a couple of twenty dollar bills all crumpled up, just waiting to be spent? Sometimes you can get the same feeling by receiving an unexpected email. For instance, a few weeks ago someone from Audi USA sent an email to ask if I'd like to test drive the new Q7 SUV for a few weeks.

Does a bear shiitake in the forest?

One of my goals with my blog is that people will never know what to expect when you come here. I'll cover stuff from adoption to VOIP to the lies of VCs. This is a first: an automotive review.

I feel a kinship with Audi because it is the Apple of car manufacturers: great products, small market share, and a history marred by irrational scares ("unintended acceleration" and "Apple's going to die"). Buying some German cars shows how much you make. Buying some computers shows...well, let's not go there.  Buying an Audi or a Macintosh shows how much you know.

I'm not an automotive journalist--nor an automotive photographer as you shall see. But, I do love good engineering and design. Here are my top ten favorite features of the Q7.

1. I've owned several SUVs. They all felt tippy--seeing some flip over in news programs certainly didn't help. It's physics, right? The Q7 decouples sitting high and feeling like you're going to tip over. And it's also got permanent all-wheel drive ("Quattro"). If I were in charge of Audi's marketing, I would focus on the concept that Audi is the German car manufacturer with all-wheel drive. Very reassuring.

2. Most SUVs make one of two kinds of engine sounds: whining as in "I'm about to get a hernia" or choking as in "I'm going to asphyxiate." Not a Q7. This thing growls. I guess a 4.2 liter V8 will do that. I guarantee that no one is going to hear a Q7 and think, "Soccer mom." Very macho.

3. It has a grille/front end design that is menacing--"animalistic" is another good word to describe it. No one is going to see you in the rear view mirror and wonder if he should let you pass. This is the best external view of the Q7, and it sets the Q7 apart from it's relatives: the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.  Very macho again.

4. Let's review: we are sitting high in an SUV that isn't tipping over with an engine that growls like a sports car with a grille that would scare an enforcer. To this mix, you now add the fact that it can hold six or seven people. And everyone has a real seat. Six as in husband, wife, plus four kids. Very necessary.

5. The Q7 has a key that doesn't have to be inserted into the ignition to start the engine. Nor do you have to press the alarm button in the remote to unlock it. The car senses when the key is close by and unlocks the doors. To start the engine, you push the "Engine Start" button. I know that even a Prius has this, but it's the first car I've driven with this feature, and I just loved it. I'm going to truly miss this feature when I give the Q7 back. Very thoughtful.

6. The Q7 has a relatively intuitive user interface for accessing the features of the car like ride height, tire pressure checker, radio, seat heater, etc. (I once rode a 7 series BMW for forty five minutes and couldn't figure out how to increase the volume of the radio. Admittedly, this was a while ago and apparently the UI is much better these days.) Very easy.

6a. By the way, you can integrate a Bluetooth cell phone into the sound system. Very nice.

7. When you put the Q7 in reverse, there's a camera that shows what's behind--e.g., one of your four kids. No big deal: our Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna both have this. But the Q7 shows where you'd go based on how the front wheels are turned. This makes you want to drive in reverse more. Very cool.

8. You can separately control child locking on each side of the car. So if your teenager sits on the right side and your nine-year old sits on the left side, you can child lock just the left side. This lock controls doors, windows, and rear air-conditioning controls. Very flexible.

9. There are two visors each for the driver and front passenger. This means you can block the glare in front of you and on the side of you. I must admit that there have been times when the road is switching back and forth so two visors would have been a good thing. Very thoughtful again.

10. There's a "side assist" radar system. When there is a car in or rapidly approaching your blind spot on either side, yellow LEDs in the black trapezoidal area turn on to warn you. I don't know, though, if one should break the habit of actually looking behind before switching lanes. Very useful.

11. We can fold down the third row of seats in order to increase storage space in both our minivans. However, one must manually lower or remove the headrests. The Q7's headrests automatically fold down when they make contact with the seat back in front of them. Very clever.

12. I doubt that Audi planned it this way, but the color of the wheels is approximately the color of brake dust. I know: "Guy, you should be so lucky that that's your biggest problem," but I hate dusty looking wheels. Very unplanned.

I said this is would be a top ten list, and I have also not mentioned any negatives. So here are two:

-1. As far as I can tell, you can't get a factory-installed DVD player for the back seat passengers. The first thing my son asked when he got in the Q7 was whether it had a DVD player. This is a serious omission for drivers with kids. Very unfortunate.

5/1/06–Audi told me that there will be a DVD option by the third quarter of 2006.

-2. I have come to love the XM satellite radio in our Odyssey. (It's like having an iPod in the sky except the RIAA won't sue you for using it.) The Q7 has Sirius. For where I live, I guess XM reception is much better than Sirius. To wit, the second question my son asked was, "Our Odyssey has satellite radio too--why doesn't it cut out all the time like this?" Very nothing--I guess it depends on satellite coverage where you live.

Basic price and specs

• Q7 4.2: Premium $59,900 starting price. (This is the one with all the cool stuff.)
• 350 horsepower, six-speed transmission, Quattro all-wheel drive.
• Seats six with second row center console or seven without.
• Curb weight: 5,467 pounds
• Fuel tank capacity: 26.4 gallons

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Comments

[Tim Meyer]

One feature that I think is a first in any car, but hardly ever mentioned by Audi, is the forward looking radar (180 ft) that works with cruise control and goes throgh a series of audible and visual warnings when detecting an obstacle. Apparently it then applies the brakes as a last resort.

As I am shopping for an SUV I asked the Audi salesman who had to ask a couple of others before he confirmed it. Seems like a missed opportunity, or perhaps some legal issue.

[Mike Young]

Yeah, but could it pull our 7,000 pound Airstream like our little old Dodge Durango can?

And why does the Audi weigh so much? 5,500 pounds versus 5,200 pounds for the Dodge Durango 5.7 liter Hemi. Poor engineering I'd say. Either that or far too many non-automotive dodads in an attempt to justify the $59,000 price tag, which is more than twice what we paid for the Dodge.

[Dimitar Vesselinov]

As oil peaks, role of virtuality and travel
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2006/05/as_oil_peaks_ro.html

[Brian]

Psst. It's a station wagon. Trust me. They've raised the chassis and made the cabin slightly taller, but it's essentially a station wagon with 1,500 bonus vanity pounds.

That said, traditionally Audi has made some screaming station wagons—usually tuned by Porsche.

But yeah, most "traditional" looking SUVs are built like station wagons now because lovely as a truck frame is for hauling/towing, it's particularly bad at protecting passengers (no, really, exceptionally bad). That, and of course, because people by them for station wagons.

[Maria Palma]

Guy,

Your post sparked the energy I needed to start something I've always wanted to do. Thanks for the review and as always, giving me the inspiration to keep on blogging :)

[Vidar]

Thank you for the review; it was very refreshing to get a non-"automotive journalist" view of a car. I would love to get one of these, except that here in Norway, it costs the equivalent of $140,000...

[Stuart]

Geez Guy who would have thought that a simple review of a motor vehicle would uncover so many readers with so many issues.

I'm not big fan of SUVs either but this isn't the place to whine and complain about them.

Perhaps they were all a bit envious that you got to drive it and they didn't :)

[Marc James]

Couldn't help but notice the comment on not being able to adjust the volume in a 7-Series. We have a new one in my family and there is a volume knob to adjust volume and turn the stereo on/off, just like any car. Same thing for temperature, too. Hmm... I roll my eyes whenever I see this criticism of iDrive. It's brilliant, and I have extensive experience with it. Without it, there'd be more buttons than an airplane cockpit. Owners who get used to it love it, while people who test drive it for five minutes hate it. Who should the company aim to please? The owners!

And regarding the post about the Land Rover LR3 ... I disagree. I sat in one in the showroom and it's a step down in terms of interior quality (obviously, parent company Ford is supplying a lot of plastic in there). Step up to the Range Rover and it's a different story, but the Q7 is much nicer than any LR3.

Regarding people complaining over this type of off-topic post, here's my suggestion: do the usual tech/entrepreneur content during the week, and save the fun/off-topic posts like this for the weekend. People know what to expect and it gives Guy some flexibility. BTW, I have your book ("Art of the Start") and plan on reading it soon!

**************************

Marc,

I stand corrected. Admittedly, it was a while ago that I had my BMW 7 series experience. But it made quite a lasting impression on me. I'll change the blog posting too.

I don't have the discipline to stay "on topic" during the week. When I get inspired, I write and then I post. Inspiration is hard to schedule. :-)

Thanks!

Guy

[W.P. Wily]

I really had a laugh at the comment that Guy needs to stay on topic in his personal blog. The topic IS "stuff Guy wants to talk about", duh.

Its also very sad to see all the "Guy you should..." posts, as if Guy must be the advocate for all of your personal causes.

Guy just "is". This blog reflects a small part of the essence of Guy. If you change him to be more like you, he's not Guy anymore. And I want to read HIS blog , not yours.

********************

Thank you, WP. You said it better than I could have.

Guy

[Karsten]

Your article is an other proof of the importance of customer perception. I, being German, would never compare Audi with Apple.

Audi is a division of Volkswagen, Germans biggest car manufacturer - similar to Lexus being part of Toyota. They pretend to be an independent company, but this is just marketing. Volkswagen has a very clear brand strategy: VW is mainstream, Skoda is economy, SEAT is emotion and sportivity and Audi is high-end. Audi is not the underdog, they are mainstream in Europe.

And yes, Audi does great engineering - especially when compared to US cars - but there is very little difference to other Volkswagen brands. And Audi has one drawback - elegance.

Ever tried a LandRover LR3 with leather interior ? Elegance, comfort, power, even more space and a lot easier to finance at $39.000.

[geof]

The vehicle is "macho" and "menacing". Do you like being a menace ? What is the advantage of being anti-social ? You might want to read 'High and mighty : SUVs--the world's most dangerous vehicles and how they got that way' to learn about the insecure people that these vehicles are marketed to.

[Brad Hutchings]

Dear Guy,

I support your right to drive whatever you can afford or whatever a surprise e-mailer will loan you! If you are looking for something "environmentally responsible" like a hybrid SUV, may I suggest a 2007 Chevy Tahoe?

http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/images/fact_sheets/chevy_tahoe.html

For all the critics, may I suggest a recent episode of South Park?

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewVideo?id=138767880&p=135510236&s=143441

[Josh]

I'm another Guy blog fan worried about the blog's recently drifting focus.

I value this blog for its clear, compelling advice to tech entrepreneurs.

Suggestions:

1. Perhaps you can do a second blog where you put off-topic posts?

2. Create a 2nd RSS feed that with 'only the good stuff' (posts relevant to tech business)?

You've got a good thing going Guy - keep it up!

[Michael G. Richard]

Big gas-guzzling SUV? Blergh.

[GuyKawasaki]

There are lots of issues in these comments! Some thoughts/responses:

- If Toyota sends me a Prius, I'll be happy to review it. Or, better yet, a Lexus GS which has all the goodies.

http://lexus.com/models/gs_hybrid/450hrwd_specifications.html

This car has Bluetooth support which would be very nice. No DVD entertainment system, but there four kids won't be in it at one time. :-)

The HUGE advantage of this Lexus is that in CA you can drive a hybrid in the car pool lane with only one person in the car.

- Would I buy a Q7? Tough question. I really "need" a DVD entertainment system. Anyone who says "kids watch too much TV" doesn't have four kids.

The Q7 is a great compromise car where you get macho looks, performance, and holds 6-7. If you had to have only one car, then it's a very good solution.

However, the ideal solution is two cars: one for "the family" and one for "yourself." In this scenario, I would get a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.

I'm half way there--unfortunately, the minivan half. :-) Maybe a 911 would be a good gift to myself for cracking the top ten, but I seem to be stuck in the 40s.

Guy

[TB]

Great review, thanks Guy. In fact, I think I'll go test drive one today. And Jonathon, I'll be thinking of you when I do.

[Eric Risley]

Guy, you forgot the most important part, are you taking the plunge and buying that shiny new machine?

[Dustin]

It's really too bad to see you advertise for this SUV. You should be evangelizing bicycles, or public transportation instead. Save the world Guy!

[alex]

Guy, two questions:
Would you buy one?
and
Does owing of the car like this (i.e. expensive) help doing business? I'm sure you could spare some good thoughts on that.

I'am a resident of Russia. Lots of people here are buying very expensive cars while not being able to afford it. It is like purchasing a crashed mercedes s300 for cheap, getting it repaired in a local shop with used parts and putting an s600 badge on the trunk - here lot's of people think it works, and i suppose it does work for some.

[Guillaume]

Audi is far from being "the" german car manufacturer with all-wheel drive. The xDrive from BMW is really cool.

And an audi is far from being a Jetta with nice options. Audi as one of the best engineering department, most of the car are only sharing some elements with the VW models, but it's usual for all car manufacturers this days. The Q7 was made from the common plateform shared with the cayenne from porsche, the touareg from VW and the XC90 from volvo. And they all have some pretty different caracteristic

[Steven Pam]

P.S. If you can afford one of these, who cares about the mileage?!

[Steven Pam]

Guy,
From a professional photographer: There's nothing wrong with your pictures!

Jonathan,
Interesting comments. Look, we all know SUVs are generaly evil and unneccesary (note I say 'generally', not 'always')... but to be fair to Guy, this is *an SUV review* - so the piece is concerned with fitness for purpose, and is hardly the place for a diatribe on the evils of SUVs :-)
Cheers,
Steven

[John Nguyen]

Very cool gagets. The side mirror thing is awesome. Hrmm I wonder if Muth mirrors will make something similar.

[Ray]

John...

Hear Hear

[Jonathan]

Heaven knows how families with four kids ever got around before SUVs. I suppose we must have sat around waiting for someone to invent them...
Oh no, wait, we didn't. Therefore an SUV is not 'very necessary' seeing as the world still carried on okay before they were invented. ('Very necessary'? A rare lapse into tautology for you, there :-)

The SUV 'growls'? Cool. So does the one owned by the woman next door to me. When it growls I can't hear the TV or the radio, and when she decides to let it growl for ten minutes while she's pressing more buttons than Apollo 11 needed to get to the moon, my life rapidly becomes a misery. Especially now when I have my windows open. If I don't leap and close them the moment I hear her, my home smells like petrol for the whole day. It's inconsiderate and anti-social.
All that money, I'd expect that a little bit of sound proofing would be standard. It reminds me of the days when computers would come with bricks in them to make them feel like they were worth the tens of thousands of pounds you paid.
There's no need for an engine to be noisy and it's a sure sign of inefficiency somewhere. Start demanding silent engines before you demand in-car entertainment.

You're right to question the benefits of side assist and while the 'reverse view' display sounds great, there's a good deal of evidence that suggests drivers are becoming less skilled and too reliant on such features. Sure soccer mums feel safer, but nobody else does.

Where do cyclists feature on the radar?

It has a 'menacing' front end? Hurray! What a selling point.
Even more menacing if you're standing in front of it when it crashes in to you. In the UK, while SUVs appear to protect passengers in accidents, they certainly don't protect anyone else. Does this one crumple on impact, or is it left to the skull of the other party to absorb the energy?
Still, at least anyone foolish enough to be in the way gets an instant lesson in physics, (and their last moments will give them an opportunity to hear that 'growl' so much better) so don't forget the educational benefits of this beast.

No DVD? Oh dear...
Kids watch far too much TV anyway - why not take the opportunity of being in a car with them to, oh I don't know, talk to them, maybe? Or play games that involve looking at the scenery around them, improving numeracy and communication skills? I mean, given the car seems to do the driving for you, you'll have a lot more time on your hands ;-)
A family that cocoons together, stays together..?

It's still not a very efficient means of transport is it? How many trees will you have to plant to offset the true economic and environmental cost of driving this beast? There are far more environmentally friendly ways to get around and far more pleasurable ones too.
Presumably this car comes with extra wide seats to accommodate the girth of all those people who forgot what exercise was? Oh that's right - you can fold the seats down. That's a start.

Oh dear.
At the end of the day it's still a tin box with wheels that costs a fortune to buy, a fortune to run, and makes the world a much worse place for the rest of us.