Got my black beast - Q7 4.2 TDI! EDIT : Now with a RaceChip (pg. 5)

entropy · 20th July 2010, 15:22

Finally after a long wait got the delivery of my Orca black beast few days back. Work pressure and inertia prevented me from posting an update.

"4.2 TDI" was the ONLY reason that forced me to go for this though I paid heavily in disposing off my 15 months old 3.0 TDI Q7. However I got it at initial "limited edition" launch pricing which saved me about 8.0 Lakhs on road compared to say - if I were to buy the same configuration 4.2 TDI today.

My observations:
1. In metal all the extra LEDs and chrome actually do look good. I had a reservation about this but after seeing in real life - it changed my perception.

2. Gizmo count has increased a bit. There is a DVD player in addition to the usual 6 CD changer. The bluetooth works like a charm and call/voice quality is superb. Heck I'm tempted to do all my conf calls from Q7 from now on. Ambient lighting now also present under door trims (similar to GL and new E class). The MMI has a juke box (10 GB) where you can rip and store upto 1000 files. The MMI software itself is newer and wee bit better to use.

3. Somehow the Xenons seem to be brighter and illuminate the road better compared to my older 3.0 TDI. The hubcaps on the alloys look smart compared to the earlier design where only the nuts had caps.

4. The core attributes of Q7 - space, comfortable seats, top class interiors, superb NVH isolation, air suspension plushness and versatility, high speed stability and quattro grip over corners - all are retained as is. So in no time it was all too very familiar for me.

Now for the true reason for my upgrade - this damn engine:

5. Noise levels are much better with V8 rather than the 3.0 TDI V6 I had earlier. It feels much smoother and all too eager.

6. Though it is supposed to be same 6 speed as 3.0 TDI, the throttle response behavior is much crisp and quick with 4.2 TDI. I don't know if this is just me who feels that way. The initial lag in 3.0 TDI has been eliminated to a very good extent. The beast seems ready to jump at the slightest hint of throttle action. Also the engine note changes from truck like note

(below 1200 rpm) to first a growl and then into a nice throaty snarl

. I like it much better than the growl only note of the 3.0 TDI. (May be I should post an audio clip to convey what I mean).

7. Quick. Yes it is. The first 3 seconds of 0-100 are truly an experience. And this after I got used to my 3.0 TDI chipped Q7. I'm just dying for the day when run-in is over and plugin that little piece of nuisance called racechip that was delivered a day back (pics below). 200 kmph really comes up in no time as compared to the 3.0 sibling.

8. FE. He He .. Not covered enough ground to say anything but I'd be a very happy man if I got something around 5.0 kmpl overall. Until now its something like 6.5. Actually I feel it is not all that bad from 3.0 TDI - only kms will tell.

All in all .. I'm very happy with this purchase and look forward to have a good time with this beast. Will post more pics and updates as I collect more kms. Attached are some poor quality interior images from my phone camera. (I'm too lazy)

h@r$h@l · 20th July 2010, 15:30

Congrats on your monster. I guess this is the first review of a Q7 on tbhp. Wish you happy mile.

Drive safe!!!

_raVan_ · 20th July 2010, 15:33

Woaah!! Congratulations on your beast. With the recent Audi delearships problems going on, the waiting period might have been too long isnt it?

Do post its driving experience. And didnt Q7 had a third row of passenger seat?

theragingbull · 20th July 2010, 15:44

AWESOME!! The 4.2Tdi is the best performance SUV in the market today. Congratulations!
What is that 'Race Chip' box in the last pic? You plan to do some mods/tuning?

gopal.prabhu1 · 20th July 2010, 15:46

Wow! Make that a double Wow! The Q7 is a real monster - I wish you a happy ownership experience

nkrishnap · 20th July 2010, 16:03

Congrats on the more powerful Q7. How much did the 3.0 Q7 fetch you?

Do enjoy many more miles on the Q7 4.2

Mr.Bangalore · 20th July 2010, 16:03

Congrats for the beast. it is a good buy when compared to previous 3.0 liter engine.
I doubt about the off roading capabilities with the beast with so much of power.

Sahil · 20th July 2010, 16:11

My,my this is a true MONSTER ! Congrats, you seemed very eager to get one and now you have it !

What will be the final output after the car is chipped? (I fear I don't wanna imagine

)

PearlYamaha · 20th July 2010, 16:12

Congrats entrophy. Waiting to see your review on the racechip too.
Awesome, you got the car and tuning kit at the same time.

entropy · 20th July 2010, 16:35

Really thanks everyone for the nice wishes !!.

Quote:

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Do post its driving experience. And didnt Q7 had a third row of passenger seat?

Yes it has. The last row is folded down in the pics as it gets used rarely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theragingbull

What is that 'Race Chip' box in the last pic? You plan to do some mods/tuning?

Racechip is just like any other tuning box for turbo diesels. All my diesels are chipped so this ain't going to be an exception.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on the more powerful Q7. How much did the 3.0 Q7 fetch you?

Lets just say that for the 12000 odd kms that I did with my earlier beast my total cost of running was about 160 Rs/km.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Bangalore

I doubt about the off roading capabilities with the beast with so much of power.

Yes this isn't for true off-road. Only fit for the off-road that exists on our regular "roads".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil

What will be the final output after the car is chipped? (I fear I don't wanna imagine

)

Thanks !!. The chip can be maxed to 446 PS / 967 Nm. But I intend to use two notch down may be somewhere in the 400 to 420 PS (900 to 930 Nm) ballpark.

swiftnfurious · 20th July 2010, 16:44

Congrats on the buy! looks like you were too obsessed with the interiors that you forgot to take the exterior Pics.

Wish you miles and miles of happy & safe motoring with the new beast.

And yes, now you are into that "celebrity club" of all stars who own this beauty !

Vik0728 · 20th July 2010, 17:00

Entropy, What an Acquisition..Way to Go.

At first I was quite surprised to know that you had sold a Beast for Brawn. I mean, it didn't really make sense to me while reading through your post until the very last line of your last post.
Man, those Torque Numbers are insane bro. 900-940NM of torque after it is Chipped ?

Many Indian cars don't have that kind of numbers under the hood, let alone powertrain!

ishotmydog · 20th July 2010, 17:13

Whoa man! Congratulations on a beast of a car, wow!

900NM?

Aniket6 · 20th July 2010, 18:22

Simply the best vehicle at that price and perfect for our roads.
Congratulations buddy and drive safe.

carrazy · 20th July 2010, 18:59

I got three words for you 'Moolah Well Spent'..!!
But the pictures are not doing justice to the cue7.
We need better pictures buddy.

Congrats & CHEERS..!!

20th July 2010, 15:22	#1
entropy BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lost Posts: 405 Thanked: 51 Times	Got my black beast - Q7 4.2 TDI! EDIT : Now with a RaceChip (pg. 5) Finally after a long wait got the delivery of my Orca black beast few days back. Work pressure and inertia prevented me from posting an update. "4.2 TDI" was the ONLY reason that forced me to go for this though I paid heavily in disposing off my 15 months old 3.0 TDI Q7. However I got it at initial "limited edition" launch pricing which saved me about 8.0 Lakhs on road compared to say - if I were to buy the same configuration 4.2 TDI today. My observations: 1. In metal all the extra LEDs and chrome actually do look good. I had a reservation about this but after seeing in real life - it changed my perception. 2. Gizmo count has increased a bit. There is a DVD player in addition to the usual 6 CD changer. The bluetooth works like a charm and call/voice quality is superb. Heck I'm tempted to do all my conf calls from Q7 from now on. Ambient lighting now also present under door trims (similar to GL and new E class). The MMI has a juke box (10 GB) where you can rip and store upto 1000 files. The MMI software itself is newer and wee bit better to use. 3. Somehow the Xenons seem to be brighter and illuminate the road better compared to my older 3.0 TDI. The hubcaps on the alloys look smart compared to the earlier design where only the nuts had caps. 4. The core attributes of Q7 - space, comfortable seats, top class interiors, superb NVH isolation, air suspension plushness and versatility, high speed stability and quattro grip over corners - all are retained as is. So in no time it was all too very familiar for me. Now for the true reason for my upgrade - this damn engine: 5. Noise levels are much better with V8 rather than the 3.0 TDI V6 I had earlier. It feels much smoother and all too eager. 6. Though it is supposed to be same 6 speed as 3.0 TDI, the throttle response behavior is much crisp and quick with 4.2 TDI. I don't know if this is just me who feels that way. The initial lag in 3.0 TDI has been eliminated to a very good extent. The beast seems ready to jump at the slightest hint of throttle action. Also the engine note changes from truck like note (below 1200 rpm) to first a growl and then into a nice throaty snarl . I like it much better than the growl only note of the 3.0 TDI. (May be I should post an audio clip to convey what I mean). 7. Quick. Yes it is. The first 3 seconds of 0-100 are truly an experience. And this after I got used to my 3.0 TDI chipped Q7. I'm just dying for the day when run-in is over and plugin that little piece of nuisance called racechip that was delivered a day back (pics below). 200 kmph really comes up in no time as compared to the 3.0 sibling. 8. FE. He He .. Not covered enough ground to say anything but I'd be a very happy man if I got something around 5.0 kmpl overall. Until now its something like 6.5. Actually I feel it is not all that bad from 3.0 TDI - only kms will tell. All in all .. I'm very happy with this purchase and look forward to have a good time with this beast. Will post more pics and updates as I collect more kms. Attached are some poor quality interior images from my phone camera. (I'm too lazy) Attached Thumbnails Attached Images
	(1) Thanks

20th July 2010, 15:30	#2
h@r$h@l Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne, Aus Posts: 1,450 Thanked: 741 Times	Congrats on your monster. I guess this is the first review of a Q7 on tbhp. Wish you happy mile. Drive safe!!!
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 15:33	#3
_raVan_ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 1,074 Thanked: 660 Times	Woaah!! Congratulations on your beast. With the recent Audi delearships problems going on, the waiting period might have been too long isnt it? Do post its driving experience. And didnt Q7 had a third row of passenger seat?
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 15:44	#4
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 646 Times View My Garage	AWESOME!! The 4.2Tdi is the best performance SUV in the market today. Congratulations! What is that 'Race Chip' box in the last pic? You plan to do some mods/tuning?
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 15:46	#5
gopal.prabhu1 BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: UK Posts: 40 Thanked: 2 Times	Wow! Make that a double Wow! The Q7 is a real monster - I wish you a happy ownership experience
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 16:03	#6
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,983 Thanked: 7,405 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the more powerful Q7. How much did the 3.0 Q7 fetch you? Do enjoy many more miles on the Q7 4.2
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 16:03	#7
Mr.Bangalore BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bengalooru Posts: 368 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	Congrats for the beast. it is a good buy when compared to previous 3.0 liter engine. I doubt about the off roading capabilities with the beast with so much of power.
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 16:11	#8
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,292 Thanked: 7,605 Times	My,my this is a true MONSTER ! Congrats, you seemed very eager to get one and now you have it ! What will be the final output after the car is chipped? (I fear I don't wanna imagine )
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 16:12	#9
PearlYamaha BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DFW Posts: 56 Thanked: 8 Times	Congrats entrophy. Waiting to see your review on the racechip too. Awesome, you got the car and tuning kit at the same time.
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 16:44	#11
swiftnfurious Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 7,201 Thanked: 9,651 Times	Congrats on the buy! looks like you were too obsessed with the interiors that you forgot to take the exterior Pics. Wish you miles and miles of happy & safe motoring with the new beast. And yes, now you are into that "celebrity club" of all stars who own this beauty !
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 17:00	#12
Vik0728 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,061 Thanked: 3,281 Times View My Garage	Entropy, What an Acquisition..Way to Go. At first I was quite surprised to know that you had sold a Beast for Brawn. I mean, it didn't really make sense to me while reading through your post until the very last line of your last post. Man, those Torque Numbers are insane bro. 900-940NM of torque after it is Chipped ? Many Indian cars don't have that kind of numbers under the hood, let alone powertrain!
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 17:13	#13
ishotmydog BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 593 Thanked: 18 Times	Whoa man! Congratulations on a beast of a car, wow! 900NM?
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 18:22	#14
Aniket6 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 194 Thanked: 242 Times	Simply the best vehicle at that price and perfect for our roads. Congratulations buddy and drive safe.
	() Thanks

20th July 2010, 18:59	#15
carrazy BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 42 Thanked: 59 Times	I got three words for you 'Moolah Well Spent'..!! But the pictures are not doing justice to the cue7. We need better pictures buddy. Congrats & CHEERS..!!
	() Thanks