Audi Q7 4.2 TDI

I have to confess I have a real problem with oil burners. I’m still astonished when people buy a diesel in preference to a petrol engined vehicle. I know, they are more economical, but with the sort of motors we sell fuel economy is not usually a top priority. So why do people go this route?

Back in September I had a play with the Audi Q7 4.2 FSI, which I believed was the pick of the Q7 bunch. But just recently we’ve been seeing more and more people opting for the diesel version. Price-wise they’re much the same, but there seems to be a distinct preference for the diesel version from our customers. So I thought, before the next client asks if we’ve got an Audi Q7 4.2 TDI For Sale I’d better have a day out with one. So I did.

Although it’s based on the Cayenne underpinnings, the Q7 is a fair bit bigger, and heavier, than it’s sibling. That can’t be good in performance terms, but it does make the Q7 more imposing. And it’s prettier than the Cayenne (or the Toureg for that matter). And it is very well equipped, even in standard trim. But the one I’ve got seems to have had every single option boxed ticked on the spec sheet. It’s the ‘S’ line version - a more sporty drive - and it has every bell and whistle, from radar side-assist and the six seat option, to a wonderful Bose system and rear DVD. But it pushes the price up to the £70k level - a huge amount for an oil burning 4×4 by any measure.

The first thing I notice is how damn quiet the thing is. It doesn’t sound like an old truck, even at idle, and although there is a faint vibration at tick-over and at low revs, you’d be hard pushed to know it’s a diesel from driving it. And just like every Audi these days it is beautifully put together. The interior in particular is a very nice place. Well thought-out and well-equipped, it puts the other German marques to shame. Audi really have nailed their interiors in the last few years, and this is one of the best. Their MMI is an object lesson in how to make all the electronic goodies accessible, and BMW could learn a thing or two. But I’ve already done the ‘How well it’s built’ bit on the petrol version, so there’s only one thing that matters. How well does it go?

Bloody Hell! I didn’t expect that. I know diesels have a fair bit more torque, but this thing is ridiculous. There is a real kick in the back from standstill, and it leaves my Cayenne S for dead from a standing start - a little over 6 seconds to 60. And the handling is really very, very good. It feels a little more nose-heavy than the petrol version, but maybe that’s because I expect it to. It turns in well, it holds the road very well, and the ride is rarely, if ever, caught-out by changes in direction or rough roads. Up to 100mph it’s quicker, and more refined, than the petrol version. It starts to run out of steam a little earlier than the petrol version, but in the real world how often would you run a 4×4 at 100mph+? So it has all the refinements of the petrol version and more performance. How can that be right!? It’s supposed to be the ‘cheap to run’ option, not the performance option. Can it really offer the best of both worlds? Well much to my surprise it does. I got 24mpg in a whole day of mixed motoring. At least 35% better than the petrol version on the same sort of journey. Wow!

It’s obviously time I took diesels seriously. This is a superbly refined power-plant and I can honestly say I would buy it over the petrol version. Did I really say that? I prefer the diesel version to the petrol? Good Lord, how times change!