12 month report

[Qcut]

I've had my Q7 for exactly 12 months now so I thought I'd share my likes and dislikes which I hope will be of value to anyone whose ordered a new Q7 or is thinking about getting one. It's only MHO of course so maybe it will stimulate a discussion about life with the leviathan!

LIKES

• The looks from the front (aggressive) and side (Avant'ish)
• The load lugging capability and the electric tailgate
• The seat slide and pull arrangement is very practical
• The quality of the interior and the comfort of the seats
• Front and rear legroom is great
• It handles amazingly well for a car of its weight - despite what some have said on other forums, THIS IS NO BARGE
• Accelerarion in the 30-70mph range, especially in S mode
• The SatNav is very good generally
• Keyless entry is so useful
• Men generally admire it, and mechanics especially, I've discovered
• It feels safe and totally composed on the roads
• People get out of your way

DISLIKES

• The back end is ugly, especially the light clusters
• The tyre wear is horrendous
• The acceleration is quite lumpy at lower speeds, delivering power in big dollops rather than in a smooth curve (this is more noticeable in Drive)
• It rides far too hard in the back and the air suspension doesn't make much difference, even in comfort mode
• Fuel consumption and road tax hit you hard in the pocket
• Clarkson thinks it looks like a squashed hippo....
• The rear load covering net is pants and snags on the rear seatbelts
• The heating system takes some time to heat up the big cabin
• Parking spaces in most town centres are just too small
• The SatNav can't do alternative routes like a TomTom can

So that's my end of term report for what it's worth. I'm keen to hear what other's think of theirs. Overall it is a very good car, I just wish Audis could ride as well as a Merc or be as frugal as the BMW. Still, it has other strengths

[Jam Man]

Had my 3.0tdi S-Line since Dec 06 andclocked 46,000 miles in it

Likes:

Frontal looks & presence
Space in the rear both for passengers and loads
Comfort is good - drove to French Alps & back last year with wife & child without any moans.
MPG is acceptable with 28-30 on Motorway runs
Road noise is low with no whistles or tyre roar at speed.

Dislikes
Faults - been back to the dealer for 2 recalls and stupid things like S-Line trim badly fitted, ashtray replaced, MMI control unit replaced, bonnet release handle replaced, Bluetooth module replaced.
Access to the 3rd row of seats is terrible so only suitable forsmall adults or children.
I too suffered with the rear seatbelt frustration until I realised that the 3rd row belts can be easily retracted into the roof by popping them out at the base
Intermittent wipers either wipe to little or go at hyperspeed despite any attemp to alter the settings.
Loads of MMI freezes and faults.

I am on my second set of tyres, the first lasted almost 30k miles so no complaints.

Brake pads due for change soon so reckon 50k miles on 1 set which is OK.

Biggest hate on this car is Gordon Brown...

[Qcut]

Great post. You are way ahead of me on mileage! I just did 600 miles at the weekend to the Costwolds so it was good to check up on the Q7 experience again.

I've had two minor faults at 18k; faulty armrest storage box catch, and some minor dashboard backlighting failure. Other than that, it has been bomb proof. These faults are easily fixed by the Dealer under warranty. I also get to try out the new A4 courtesy car

I've also noticed that the MMI keeps losing the destination address when I type it in. I have to make 2 or 3 goes at getting my required town/city in. I guess it is a bit slow!

All in all, I have to say I love this car. It is great to drive and so damn comfortable. I do think the brakes lack a bit of feel and the ride over uneven surfaces is typically Audi (ie fidgety). In all other respects though, I love it. Now you have given me a fix for the seatbelt thing, then that is a real bonus!

[Jam Man]

I agree with you on the brake feel - can be a little difficult to judge sometimes.

I had the same address fault on my sat nav but mine was recalled for a software and drive belt replacement last Month.

The new software now makes address entry MUCH easier with last towns now available as a prompt then selectable at the top of the 'list' if you select it.

I would recommend this reflash of software (free under warranty)

You can reset the MMI if you get a freeze (sometimes mine hags on CD Pause) by simultaneously pressing 'Setup', the centre big button and the top right selection button.

You will not lose anything in the memory but it is a 'ctrl alt del' type of reset.

I also did not opt for the Goodyear F1 tyres second time round but went for Hankook Ventus instead. The wear on them after 15k is much less and more even than the F1's - and they are cheaper. Arguably less grip if you throw it around roundabouts but then the Q7 isn't that type of car realy. Stopping in the wet is still excellent for those M6 queues

[info@weldingcut]

I have had my 4.2tdi for almost a year and within 2 months and 2000 miles I had an engine problem, i.e. it didnt work. Audi replaced the engine and both turbos. THis took about four weeks. While I was dissapointed to have such a major fault occurr, I cannot fault my dealer, as soon as the engine failure occured, (rush hour on the outside lane of the M4!) they gave me an A4 for the night and the next day they arranged to have a new Q7 registered and I was given that for the duration of the repair.

Since having the new engine fitted, it has been trouble free and if anything better than it was before, it seems to have more torque. Perhaps the old engine was faulty from the start.

Info

[Sportingmac]

Coming up on 1 year - so a bit previous with my comments....but ...

Just got back from a 3000 mile tour of Germany, Austria and Italy - with 4 adults + 1 2 year old and the fullest boot you can have.

We liked:

The comfortable seats - no issues, aches or pains with long driving stints between breaks.

The cruising speed - 100+mph on the autobahns with very little wind or tyre noise.

Effortless acceleration (Superchipped) - surprised a few Italians in their hot hatches.

Bose Sound + Ipod interface - try The Who at full blast ...

SatNav is really accurate - the nav info is good but make your own judgement call since traffic reports are generally delayed.

Fuel economy - well - not bad for the speeds we were doing. That said overall journey MPG was 28.7mpg


Don't likes:

Parking - can be a bit fraught in a supermarket

Buying new tyres - but this second set are behaving much better than the first set. (Tip: set them to fully loaded setting all the time - or at least 42psi all round for comfort)

What next:

Towbar is now fitted so we will see how she lugs a load.

Lower suspension settings - they do look better on a lower setting.

Report ends.