Road friction

I found the Audi Q7 pushing itself in between and slightly ahead of other luxury car-based SUVs, and that's a tough job with all the muscle from Detroit, Tokyo, and even German cousins, already in place.

For one it is incredibly stable; and two, it is actually designed for the insane speeds we see other not-so-capable SUVs being driven at.

This might be a pet peeve of mine, but I cringe every time a heavy SUV on over-inflated sand tyres zooms past me on the highway!

Yes, you didn't know? You over-inflate the sand tyres so that the contact patch is reduced to the width of a motorcycle tyre, which results in less friction and therefore higher speeds... naturally, braking or swerving capabilities are not a factor in the mind of such a driver.

I'm sorry, my friend, if you are driving a heavy SUV at 180 km/h (and I'm being conservative here!) I don't care how good your driving skills are, that SUV is simply not designed for it, and if a sudden emergency braking/swerving manoeuvre is called for, the first tree/road divider has your name on it.

Not so with the Audi Q7.

This is an Autobahn-inspired car. It is wide, it wears high-performance tyres, and it has a sports suspension – this baby is designed for sustained high speed, and it feels just right for the highway.

In fact, the Q7 utilises a modified version of the Volkswagen Group 7L platform, the 4L. Based on the Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept car, the Q7 is designed more for on-road use, and was not meant for serious off-road use where a transfer case is needed.

Still, in an off-road test through the Australian Outback it fared well for a "soft roader", and I can vouch that on dry wadi tracks the Q7 performs like a rally car!

Although it lacks a low-range transfer case, it has a quattro permanent four-wheel drive system with a central differential lock, and an adjustable-height air suspension which helps in off-road situations. I had no trouble on the dunes, either, mainly because the engine gives plenty of power to keep those 2,404 kg from sinking down.

If you did stop in deep sand, that's when you'd wish you had LO range to engage. However, I found that the self-locking centre differential, featured on the Audi Q7, works very nicely with a standard torque split of 40:60 (front:rear) to make sure power is evenly spread. But the Q7 excels on the tarmac, where it will spend 99 per cent of its working life anyway.

The quality and luxury that buyers have come to expect from this respected German marque is present throughout. The Q7's bloodlines are evident in its incredibly smooth interior and streamlined exterior, with a low drag co-efficient of 0.34.

Craftsmanship is first-rate throughout, and the big SUV is decked out with a wide array of sophisticated luxury and safety features. However, despite its multiple airbags and safety electronics, such as ESP, Q7 scored only four stars out of five in a 2006 Euro NCAP crash test.

According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, which has since been fixed in cars manufactured after the test, and that should now lead to a five-star rating.

In fact, in the USA, Q7 got five stars out of five from the NHTSA safety test for both front and side impacts. Measuring 5.09 metres in length and with a wheelbase of 3 metres, the Audi Q7's stability is legendary. The buyer generally has the choice of three seating configurations and can order the performance SUV as a five-seater or optionally as a seven-seater or six-seater model.

The suspension was also superb. It features a sophisticated independent suspension with double wishbones at the front and rear; most components are made of aluminium.
Both on and off-road the Q7 excels with its all-round qualities, although its suspension is more tuned towards sporty handling and superior comfort than the off-road.

Available as an option is adaptive air suspension (standard for the 4.2 which I drove).

The combination of air suspension and an electronically controlled damping system produces the perfect synthesis of sporty handling and supreme ride comfort.

Ground clearance can be varied in five stages from 150 to 240 mm; at the lowest level for motorway driving, the top speed of the Audi Q7 is around five km more per hour than with a steel suspension.

Another convenient feature is the loading sill, which can be lowered to allow heavy objects to be loaded with ease.

The ESP stabilisation system incorporates functions such as hill-start and hill descent assist and an off-road mode that optimises both braking performance and traction on loose ground.

The brake system delivers a strong performance. Its four discs are ventilated and generous in size – at the front they are 350 millimetres in diametre. The front brake calipers feature six pistons.

I very much enjoyed the tarmac-biting feel of the Audi Q7, and I felt the engineering and construction quality was superb; and I especially appreciated that the Audi Q7 will tame the highway with the precision and stability that is lacking in many other SUVs today.

Paolo Rossetti is an Al Ain-based freelance writer