2007 Audi Q7 3.6
As we’ve found in other models, Audi’s recently introduced direct-injection V-6 and V-8 engines are prolific and engaging. Compared with the 4.2-liter V-8, the 3.6 produces 20-percent less horsepower (280 hp @ 6200 rpm) and 18-percent less torque (266 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm), resulting in a predicted 0-to-60-mph time of 8.2 seconds (compared with 7.5 for the 4.2 that we tested), but worth an extra mile or two per gallon (16/20 mpg city/hwy).
While numbers never lie, in this case, just as important as actual performance numbers is the character with which this power is delivered. Thanks in no small part to the precise injection of fuel within each cylinder, throttle response for the narrow-angle V-6 is just as impressive and immediate as that of the V-8. Both engines are remarkably quiet and smooth at cruising speeds; only when pushed hard does one miss the extra power of the V-8, and at that, only if one has actually experienced the difference. And that’s a difference that wanes in significance especially if one knows what he’s doing on a twisty two-laner with the six-speed Tiptronic automatic in manual mode.
Unchanged from the 4.2 are the standard quattro all-wheel drive system, big four-wheel disc brakes and the standard steel suspension. A sophisticated air suspension is optional on the 3.6 Premium, as it is on all 4.2 models. The 3.6 is shod with 18- or optional 19-inch wheels—one inch smaller in diameter than those of the 4.2. More significantly, the tires of the 3.6 are between 10 and 20 mm narrower than those of its pricier brother, though we did not find the 3.6 to be sliding around inordinately on the skinnier rubber. Again, the performance benefits of the 4.2 exist only in the margins.
Happily, the Q7 3.6 offers essentially the same quiet, beautifully rendered interior with splendid materials and near-perfect fit and finish. As with the 4.2, the 3.6 is offered in base and Premium arrays, the latter adding several thousand dollars and a smattering of creature comforts to the package.
With all its standard and optional features, including a rear-view backup camera, blind-spot warning system, navigation, Bose audio system, and adjustable ride height, the Q7 has to be fitted with Audi’s MMI (Multi-Media Interface) control system, which may not require a Ph. D to operate, but it couldn’t hurt. Among the nicer options are a classy, six-passenger seating arrangement (second-row buckets instead of a bench) and a full-length, three-panel moonroof, the front section of which slides and the rearmost section of which tilts for third-row ventilation.
All said, the 3.6 is a very, very likable package. Not as quick as the 4.2 but nowhere near as expensive, we anticipate a majority of Q7s to be thus equipped once word gets out that they’re finally available.
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