2011 Q7’s prices are expected to be just as high as the 2010 model’s, it continues to be the best value. The Lexus RX 350 starts at about $9,000 less and offers one of the highest fuel economy ratings in the class. Its 18/25 city/highway rating is even better than the Q7 turbodiesel’s rating. However, the RX 350 doesn’t offer a third-row seat.
Note that Audi expects a fuel economy increase for 2011, but neither Audi nor the EPA has released figures.
For 2011, the Q7 receives minor exterior revisions, the new engines and transmission, and standard HD radio. Audi has not yet announced trims for 2011. All models come standard with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Vehicles like the Audi Q7 TDI have done a lot to change the perception that diesel vehicles are crude, stinky, black smoke-spewers, and the company's lone turbodiesel SUV gets even better for 2011. Thanks to the 406 pound-feet of torque at a low, low 1750 rpm, it takes very little throttle to accelerate or pass in traffic. Braking is precise, and the discs respond seemingly instantly to driver input. At the track, the TDI went from 0 to 60 mph in 8.6 seconds, which is about a second slower than the gas 4.2-liter V-8 we tested a couple years ago and the 2011 got through the quarter mile in 16.5 seconds at 82.
The 2011 Audi Q7 quattro has two new engines this year. The new engines are intriguing, however. Both are 3.0-liter engines. Not only does blown six make more power than the naturally-aspirated eight, Audi notes that it's some 16 percent more fuel efficient. The 2011 Audi Q7 we are reviewing is the Q7 TDI. The 3.0 TDI is the same turbodiesel V-6 as used in the recently tested 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI, rated at 225 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, and like the Touareg has the same eight-speed automatic transmission. And like the Touareg, has standard all-wheel drive, although for the Q7 it Audi's proprietary quattro system.
The Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg are not, however, badge-engineered corporate kin. The Audi is longer, with five more inches between the front and rear axles, and seats up to seven. The Touareg has only two rows of seats.
The Audi Q7 has presence.
The interior is all Audi. Want proof the Audi Q7 is wide? There's room on either side of the already wide shift lever mount for control buttons, and between them is Audi's MMI controller. The Audi Q7 has three rows of seating with seven seatbelts, but the front seats are definitely first cabin. Getting a standard size adult into the third row is difficult, and folding the middle row seatback to its nominal position is cruel if not unusual punishment to any adult in the third row.
Audi also did an outstanding job of sound insulation, as raising the hood will prove. The sounds the engine makes when underway are different from any gas engine and no doubt will be enjoyed by anyone who buys an Audi Q7 TDI, an aural confirmation of an unconventional choice in power.
Audi claims 8.5 seconds for the zero-to-sixty mph dash. Standard towing capacity is 5,500lbs (with a 550 pound tongue-weight), plus there's a trailer hitch package that includes a tow bar and increased cooling capacity, increasing tow rating to 6,600lbs (with a 660 pound tongue-weight).
The EPA rating for the 2011 Audi Q7 TDI is 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, however we found that we were able to get 24.0 mpg with mostly highway driving, with 19.7 mpg in mixed all-around driving in cold weather and hilly terrain, both having a negative impact on fuel economy numbers.
The 2011 Audi Q7 TDI, just from being a diesel, might be expected to be dull witted on the road. Thank Audi's adaptive air suspension. The slowest accelerating but the best mileage of the three 2011 Audi Q7 models, the TDI is priced in the middle. The "base" 2011 Audi Q7 Premium with the standard 3.0T engine has a base price of $46,250, while the Q7 S Line Prestige--required to get the 3.0T engine--starts at $59,450, but includes a lot of extras. The 2011 Audi Q7 TDI price (according to our window sticker but later raised) begins at $50,900.
