Audi makes a splash

The Q7 SUV proves itself in some of New England's worst weather

By Bill Griffith  |  January 20, 2007

Audi is hoping its Q7 makes a big splash in the United States market this year.

It did make a big splash for us last spring, even though it wasn't the type Audi envisioned. The Q7 turned out to be a wonderful vehicle in May, during the Merrimack Valley's fortnight of rain and flooding.

When confronted with one of those "should I try it?" flooded sections of road, the Q7 said, "Hey, I can make it through 20-inch-deep water." And so it did, following in the wake of a massive 4-by-4 pickup truck as other vehicles pulled to the side of the road to make well-advised U-turns.

The Q7 is hoping to find its niche in the world of premier SUVs. It's a market segment in which BMW's X5 has the reputation of handling as if it were one of that marque's sedans. Among the other competitors, Porsche's Cayenne screams along like the gigantic sports car it is, the Lexus LX 470 certainly resembles and performs as if it were a luxury sedan, and Cadillac's Escalade has the mass appeal conferred upon it by America's athletes and entertainers -- along with a "don't mess with me" grille.

But Audi's Q7, a latecomer to the SUV party as an early 2007 model, is competitive in each category, while also boasting the company's Quattro all-wheel drive.

Splashing alongside the Merrimack in the days before the river reached flood level, the Audi was a comfortable cocoon inside as it handled the outside elements with ease. The 4.2-liter V8 moved the 5,500-pound Q7 with ease, though you realize how heavy the vehicle is when you ask it to make a quick movement.

With the third-row seats folded flat, the Q7 carried plenty of cargo, including an array of sump and cellar pumps and hoses. Cargo was a snap to access with the power rear liftgate that closed with a push of a button. The liftgate also has adjustable maximum heights so tall drivers won't whack their heads and so shorter drivers can still reach the all-important "close" button (lighted at night).

About the only feature that we couldn't enjoy during the week long deluge was the panoramic, double-sized sunroof. The Q7 isn't one of those hose-it-out-when-you're-done vehicles such as the Subaru Baja or Honda Element. If it were, opening the sunroof for a few minutes during its stay with us would have let nature accomplish that task.

We can say for sure that the windshield wipers worked fine. Audi says they park slightly differently each time they're shut off to prolong blade life and performance, a trick many of us attempted to accomplish by hand in the past.

But it was another innovation on the Q7 that caught our eye. Audi calls it "side assist," a system that warns the driver when there's another vehicle moving through the blind spot. The car has a vertical row of LED lights on the side of the outside rearview mirror housing, set so only the driver sees them. They're tied into a pair of sensors in the rear bumper that monitor the "blind spot" to a distance of 16 1/2 feet to the rear. When a vehicle moves into the blind spot, the LEDs light.

Should you ignore the lights and hit the turn signal lever to change lanes, the LEDs become brighter and flash. The system is active at speeds above 35 miles per hours and can be switched off via the multimedia interface , the one big knob surrounded by four buttons that controls the car's audio, navigation, adjustable suspension, and other electronics.

Audi has added a system of "guiding lines" and colored grid boxes to its rearview camera and parking assist system. It takes a leap of faith to trust the parking system the first time. It will tell you if that space you're trying to squeeze into is big enough.

Do it successfully on the first try and you'll feel like you've made your own big splash.