Sunday, January 16, 2011

Audi Q7, 2006

Audi Q7, 2006


 

The Q7 is the large Audi for sporty individualists, for people who are seeking a vehicle that will take them anywhere they want to go for sports, recreation, and business. Its dynamic proportions and distinctive lines express this character, and subtle modifications endow its styling with even more elegance.

The design: The language of dynamics
At the front end, the large single-frame radiator grille has been redesigned. Vertical chrome bars contrast with its black high-gloss finish. The bumpers too have been restyled. Their lower section is now painted in a contrasting black or gray, depending on the body color. The newly integrated underbody protection in the center section of the bumper has a distinctive ribbed design.

The interior: Room to spare
Thanks to its luxurious 300-centimeter (118.11-inch) wheelbase within an overall length of 5.09 meters (16.70 feet), the Audi Q7 has interior room to spare, and the interior flexibility is unrivalled. The seatbacks in the second row are divided into three fold-down sections to provide a level cargo floor.

This increases the luggage space from a volume of 775 liters (27.37 cubic feet) to 2,035 liters (71.87 cubic feet). With the leather upholstery option, the middle seat now has an even more comfortable contour.

Two very useful features are optionally available: either a longitudinally displaceable second seat row or individual comfort seats that are separately displaceable. Another available option is a third row for passengers no taller than 1.60 meters (5.25 feet), combined with an improved easy entry function.

A multitude of detailed improvements in the interior enhance the elegance and the sense of well-being. The instrument cluster has been redesigned: the large, round, easily readable instruments are encircled by metallic frames. Interior lights in the door linings and an inlay on the passenger side enhance the interior styling. Many details of the control elements have been restyled and also enhanced by chrome elements.

The selection of interior colors and materials is also new. Upholstery fabrics are available in black and light gray; leather upholstery additionally also in Para Brown, Savannah Beige and Cardamon Beige. Standard inlays are finished in matt black. In optional design packages, aluminum and wood finishes are used.

The power train: Performance and efficiency
The Audi Q7 is available with six powerful and highly efficient direct injection engines, two of them gasoline-powered and four diesel engines, including the world's most powerful diesel SUV, the Audi Q7 V12 TDI. Their power is transmitted via a convenient and fast-shifting six-speed tiptronic to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive, which distributes it between the axles with slightly more than half to the rear.

The 3.0 TDI puts out 176 kW (240 bhp) and delivers as much as 550 Nm between 2,000 and 2,250 rpm, yet on the EU cycle it consumes only 9.1 liters / 100 km (25.85 US mpg). The optionally available 3.0 TDI clean diesel even consumes 0.2 liters (0.05 US gallons) less.

Despite highly complex exhaust gas recirculation and the resulting world's cleanest diesel technology, it consumes just 8.9 liters/100 km (26.43 US mpg). It meets the strict LEV II Bin 5 US standard and already complies with the Euro 6 limits announced for 2014.

The technology of the TDI clean diesel is highly complex. An advanced version of the common rail injection system with 2,000 bars of pressure, new combustion chamber sensors and a high-performance exhaust recirculating system ensure a highly efficient combustion process. An innovative DeNOx catalytic converter reduces the remaining nitrogen oxides. Just upstream of it, a pump injects an additive named AdBlue into the hot exhaust flow, where this solution decomposes into ammonia, which splits the nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen and water. Audi partners replenish the additive during regular maintenance servicing.