2024 Audi Q7 Facelift : Our observations after a day of driving

You get a 3.0L, V6 petrol engine that puts out 335 BHP and 500 Nm and is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox. Power is sent to all four wheels through a Quattro all-wheel drive system.

Driving the 2024 Audi Q7 Facelift

Powering the Q7 facelift is the same engine that is found in the Q8 which we drove recently. It’s a 3.0-litre V6 TFSI petrol unit that makes 335 BHP and 500 Nm. It’s mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to all four wheels through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system:

The EA839 3.0L V6 TFSI engine also has a 48V mild hybrid system to assist it. It comes with Audi Drive Select with six customizable driving modes. This engine is shared with the Q8 and the base variant of the Porsche Cayenne and other vehicles such as the S5, etc.

As expected, the engine refinement at startup is excellent. At idle, it purrs quietly. This V6 is known for its butter-smooth nature and you will immediately understand why when you start driving. You don’t need to use much of the throttle to get the car going. The engine does its job well and provides a good amount of torque and power in the city. The throttle calibration is just right and you can drive around in the city quite easily.

Get on the open road and the engine continues to impress. It gets to high speeds pretty quickly and there’s never an issue with power delivery. It’s still very linear and smooth and you can effortlessly cruise for long hours. This is not a car from which you should expect supercar-like performance. The V6 under the hood offers solid performance that’s perfect for highways and long-distance cruising. It is fairly quick as well, 0-100 km/h is done in 5.6 seconds and the top speed is limited to 250 km/h. This means that your overtaking manoeuvres are easily taken care of.

The ZF8 Tiptronic gearbox, as always, does its job well, going through the gears quickly in comfort mode without making the shifts known. In the sportier settings, it holds the gears at higher rpms and provides some quick shifts. Overall, the engine and gearbox are paired well, and do what one would want, when one would want. So no complaints here.

The Q7 is not E20 compliant. The minimum octane rating for fuel is 91:

Suspension

Another big talking point on the Q7 is the air suspension which is also offered by some of its competitors. Switch the drive mode to Comfortable while driving in the city and the air suspension works beautifully. The low-speed ride quality is very compliant and the small potholes are absorbed with ease. The overall, the bump absorption is very good. There is some side-to-side movement over bad roads, but it is controlled. At high speeds, the ride quality remains compliant.

Switch to Dynamic mode and the suspension stiffens up noticeably. Straight line stability is excellent. There is no unnecessary vertical movement and the Q7 maintains its composure very well. Chuck it hard into a corner and you will notice that there is some body roll and while the car manages to hold its line, it’s not very enjoyable. You can feel the big weight that you are carrying into the corners. The air suspension, though, is definitely a highlight for the Q7 as it isn’t offered on the Q8 any more. So, if you’re looking for a comfortable ride, the Q7 is clearly the one to go for over the Q8.

The steering is nice and light at city speeds. It weighs up well on the highways and even in Dynamic mode. The steering feels direct enough but doesn't relay much feedback. It’s again focused on comfort which is something it does well. The brakes do a fair job of stopping the Q7 from whatever speed it may be doing and the pedal feel is good too.

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