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As I wrote this, the Audi Q7 TDi we had been evaluating for the past week had just left. Some of us shed tears. Others did not. I am on the “did not shed tears” side of the equation and I’ll take you through my dry-eyed rationale.

The Q7 TDi is a nicely styled, outstandingly crafted vehicle, powered by what we consider its best powertrain – the 3.0L V6 turbo diesel with 225-horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, in the Q7, this engine has to pull 5,512 pounds (5,512 !!). Off the line at part throttle the Q7 TDi feels stuck in the sand. Once you are rolling, if you go pedal to the metal, the torque kicks in and the Q7 feels great. I guess this is something you could forgive or get used to, but out-of-the-box the Q7 feels sluggish for having so much torque.

The Q7 we drove had all the boxes checked – Adaptive Air Suspension, Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, Panorama Sun Roof, Luxury Package, S-Line Package. There may have been more, but clearly this Q7 was intended to demonstrate all the Q7 can do… and that is plenty.

First Have to Learn MMI Once you get by the great engine handicapped by the Q7’s avoirdupois, the vehicle takes a bit to get used to. In any advanced premium car – especially from Germany – you first have to familiarize yourself with its driver interface. Audi’s MMI system is arquably better than Mercedes’ COMAND system or BMW’s iDrive system, but it still is not fully intuitive. We vote best in class as Ford’s SYNC with eight-inch navigation as the winner here.

Audi Still Does Not Have a Touchscreen Navigation System Even after VWAG family members Volkswagen and Porsche adopted touchscreen navigation systems, Audi insists on keeping its MMI interface. You see, they don’t want to have annoying fingerprints on the screen. This is OK, but AutoPacific research shows that over 80% of Americans would prefer a touchscreen over a rollerball interface.
Additionally, the screen is a bit smaller than the latest systems which are eight inches diagonally. I guess we’ve become accustomed to the larger systems from Ford, GM and others.
Brief Observations to Wrap-Up Enough for the nitpicking. The Q7 is all-in-all a beautifully done vehicle. A bit pricey at $78,000, but Audi’s attention to detail and interior finesse is outstanding.

Good Dynamics Once You Get the Mass Moving On the road, the Q7 is very competent. The ride is firm. Handling is stable. The Q7 is quiet, but could use a bit more sound deadening.
Adaptive Air Suspension Makes All the Difference I thought it rode a bit too high for a luxury crossover SUV until I discovered the Adaptive Air Suspension and lowered it all the way down. Now the step up and drop out are very acceptable.