The car being reviewed was the Audi Q7 3.6 TDI V6
This car has the trademark "Olympic like circles" grill, as well as heavy-lidded headlights. The tapered all-red tail lamps for me exhibit tons of Audi heritage. That distinctive Audi style is really the story here. Little touches on this ... Read review
4 X 4 - Four Wheel Drive (4x4) - 6 Speed tiptronic Automatic Gearbox - 4134 cc - Max Speed: 146 mph - 340 ps/rpm bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: S line, SE
Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed tiptronic Automatic, 5 Speed Manual - 1595 cc - Max Speed: 116 mph - 102 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: Technik SE, Technik, S line, Sport, SE
Advantages: Big road presence, spacious interior with strong performance Disadvantages: sheer size makes it tricky to park
...car being reviewed was the Audi Q7 3.6 TDI V6
This car has the trademark "Olympic like circles" grill, as well as heavy-lidded headlights. The tapered all-red tail lamps for me exhibit tons of Audi heritage. That distinctive Audi style is really the story here. Little touches on this SUV are flawlessly executed. Such as the thick carpeting, textured vinyl on the doors...and the sublimely solid feel of every last switch and ... .../>
The fact is the Audi Q7 is a German thoroughbred car. So I did feel like I'm paying a little extra for what that entails...namely superior aesthetics, tactile quality and on-road dynamics. In my view, there are just too many examples of German engineering in this car to list. But one cool one is the rear child-locks which can be operated like a window lock by a touch of a button. This Q7 I drove had very few options. Among them, a third row of ... more
The car being reviewed was the Audi Q7 3.6 TDI V6
This car has the trademark "Olympic like circles" grill, as well as heavy-lidded headlights. The tapered all-red tail lamps for me exhibit tons of Audi heritage. That distinctive Audi style is really the story here. Little touches on this SUV are flawlessly executed. Such as the thick carpeting, textured vinyl on the doors...and the sublimely solid feel of every last switch and button. Audi have really made this big toy, feel alot more luxurious. Now before I go on any further. I wanna mention the car I drove was far from loaded..there was no sunroof, no navigation...no power liftgate. So this is starting point, to emphasise how good a Q7 could be if you really splashed the cash on further options on this car.
Once you get this car on the road though, the Q7 in my opinion really shines. It's steering is very German, which means it's a little heavier, but much more direct and involving. The Q7 does ask more of your driving skills, than your typical of the shelf SUV's..but in my view it delivers alot more too. The engine in the Q7 is excellent..despite being a basic 3.6 V6 280 hp 266 lb-ft ( 361 Nm) of torque..if you wanted to, you could tow your house with it !...it makes a thrilling mechanical howl and rev's very quickly. This car is a phenomenal next step for diesel SUV's. Now at a weight of 5,000 lbs ( over 2,268 kgs) I don't think this Q7 is going to win any acceleration contests...but it really thrills everytime I "stomped" on the accelerator pedal.
The fact is the Audi Q7 is a German thoroughbred car. So I did feel like I'm paying a little extra for what that entails...namely superior aesthetics, tactile quality and on-road dynamics. In my view, there are just too many examples of German engineering in this car to list. But one cool one is the rear child-locks which can be operated like a window lock by a touch of a button. This Q7 I drove had very few options. Among them, a third row of seats, 18 inch wheels and comfort package which included tinted windows and leather seat surfaces.
But at a cost, shade over £ 50,000 new...I was just getting started..a fully-loaded Q7 could top over 60 large (£ 60K)...and that's alot of change. In my considered opinion this is not a car for budget minded people. This is a car who value's distinction, know's what they're getting into, and the mean's to do it right !
Advantages: British made,comfortable,very reliable. Disadvantages: Price and fuel.
Having driven the 4x4 Taurang,Lexus 4 litre petrol/electric,AudiQ7 4.0 i thought i had driven all the major 4x4's,untill a friend and 4x4 enthusiast brought my attention to the Range Rover 4.0.I must say at the first look i was hugely impressed by the size and menacingly mean body.From the inside i found The Range Rover hugely spacious,the leather heated seats very comfortable.Once the engine roared into action my heart skipped a beat by the power of the beast!
It was eating the road and asking for more acceleration.The road handling was amazing considering the size and power at hand.I found the navigation system difficult to operate at first,the handsfree operated via bluetooth was very simple to operate with excellent sound quality.The audio sound quality was of a very high standard.The triptronic gears were very good.All in all ...
Advantages: A car you feel you can go anywhere in the ML 270cdi Disadvantages: Brake pad and disk wear.
for you. The 270cdi is the Best of all the pre 2005 MLs.
Any negative reports on the ML are comparing the ML to BMW X5's (which are not as good off road) Volvo XC90's (much bigger vehicle not suitable around town try parking one in a sainsburys car park parktronic is a must) and various post 2005 4x4's AudiQ7 (Like the XC90 the size of a bus).
Other cars to consider.
The ML is all about relaxed progress not racing around on two wheels Motoring Journalists are obsessed with speed and race car cornering on a rating out of 10 the ML gets 6/10 compared to every other car I have driven for ride at the limit but 10/10 for cruising in town and on the motorway. If you do drive flat out all the time and want a 4x4 then you need a BMW X5 or a Porsche Cayenne turbo and I'd only give them an 8/10.
Forget Landrovers both old and new they look ...
Advantages: fast, comfortable on the road, good fuel economy Disadvantages: have to turn on engine to use electrics
there was no need for any top up of air as all tyres were on the nose for the recommended tyre pressure.
Things that would be nice
There are not many things I dislike about the freelander 2 but there are some things that would be nice to have.
* Having the sunroof close when you lock the car * it would be nice to know the sunroof closes even when you turn the engine off. I had to power the engine back on (foot on brake etc) and re-engage the closing of the sunroof
* Not having to turn the engine on to use the cigarette lighter * I use a tyre inflator powered by the car battery, but you have to engage the engine in order to use the car electrics. That includes operation of windows and sunroof. It would be nice
* Automatic opening and closing of the boot (The AudiQ7 has that and it is great)
Comparing ...
