When is taking on too much a good idea? For most of us, trying to do too much or trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for disaster. Yes, Pontiac – I’m talking to you. Maybe you should leave that up to the people who have the talent and experience to pull that off, like, oh I don’t know, Audi?
I’m not going to buy into the inherent “German-ness” of this. Nope, not going there, but facts are facts – Audi has done it before and they’ve done it again. The 2009 Audi Q7 is a successful full-size, luxury crossover SUV. Yes – all of those irons have been welded together with a fair amount of success.
To be blunt, there may be better examples of any of the individual parts. There are stronger, hardier off-road examples, but there’s competency in the off-road ability of the Q7. And yes, the luxury market can easily go to astronomical extremes, but the luxury offerings of the Q7 are undoubtedly luxurious.
The Q7 is exactly what you expect from Audi – workman-like quality from whatever they do. However, there are still some specific options you can choose to get what you want out of this SUV. For example, if you want the best handling, go for the models with the air-suspension. It really makes it an “on-road” vehicle that can still handle rough conditions when they’re called for.
Audi has made its SUV is larger and a bit roomer than its distant cousins, the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, so you can expect more room for cargo. However, there are some complaints about the people-hauling capacity of the third row seats. They’re prone to being a bit cramped and the otherwise strong entertainment system has been short changed in the back.
Again though, that’s just a trait of the Q7. If you want high quality cargo hauling, get that specifically and avoid SUVs altogether. Same thing goes if you want to move people around. Know what you’re buying and don’t complain if your sports car’s no good at hauling pulp wood.
Safety, however, is something that no one can complain about, and the 2009 Q7 has a perfect five out of five stars in crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It scored well in both the front impact and side-impact testing, so you can rest assured that whatever – or whomever – you haul around will be safe.
The safety features on the Q7 also include antilock brakes, a stability control system that has hill-descent control and rollover detection, a traction control system, active front headrests, full-length side curtain airbags and front-seat side airbags. Audi’s blind-spot warning system will alert the driver when another vehicle is alongside, but out of sight. You can even opt for a lane assist alert option that will tell you if the car drifts from its lane.
Finally, you should know that the AWD system is better for navigating slippery pavement in bad weather than for tackling a muddy trail, but – then again – that’s exactly the market that Audi is shooting for. Overall, they’ve hit the mark with their usual German efficiency.
