Audi India has once again stepped on the throttle with its new launches and is building up on its SUV offensive by the day. The new Audi Q5 facelift went on sale in India just weeks before and now the German carmaker is all set to introduce the new Audi Q7 facelift which will be its next launch in our market. The Audi Q7 facelift was introduced in the global markets back in 2019, but it took some time coming to India given the pandemic situation and the semiconductor shortage issue.
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The Audi Q7 will be available in a mild-hybrid petrol variant.
The Q7 is the flagship in Audi's Q range of SUVs and the facelifted model looks quite butch and aggressive compared to its predecessor. That said, the update to the Q7 is both visual and technological. Big change comes to the front where the Q7 now gets a large octagon-shaped single frame grille with six upright slats providing the structure. This helps in adding a bit of aggression to the look of the SUV. The two-part side air inlets have a much more expressive line, just like the sill area that underscores the large SUV's ground clearance. Customers will have the option of going for HD Matrix LED technology with Audi laser light. The rear of the Q7 too has been restyled and there's a striking chrome strip creating a visual connection between the flat rear lights with their motifs. The Q7 will also be available with the optional S line exterior which comes with a sleek diffuser on the front bumper, chunkier underbody protection at the rear along with full paint finish and 19-inch wheels that are standard.
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The cabin of the Audi Q7 facelift has been extensively revised
Moving to its technical advancements, the Q7 gets an electromechanical active roll stabilization which is available as an option. The adjustable stabilizers regulate the body movements on uneven roads when driving in a straight line. All-wheel steering is also available as an option where the rear wheels turn by up to 5 degrees in the opposite direction at low speed while at higher speed they steer slightly in the same direction to offer agility. Then, it also continues with the adaptive air suspension setup and provides variable ground clearance that along with its Quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system prepares it for rough terrains. Air suspension comes standard on all seven-seater Q7 models. The S line exterior includes the slightly firmer adaptive air suspension sport, which lowers the ride height by 15 mm compared with the regular air suspension system.
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The rear of the Audi Q7 facelift looks chunkier.
Coming to its dimensions, the SUV has now grown 11 mm to 5,063 mm in length, though at 1,970 mm in width and 1741 mm in height it remains unchanged. It offers a cargo space of 865 litres when the third-row seats are folded while it can be expanded to 2,050 litres. On the inside, there are two large touchscreens providing haptic and acoustic feedback when clicking on the touch controls. When off, the top display slots almost invisibly into the large black applique surface. There are quite a few familiar design elements as well, like the flat air vent strip and the wide console. In terms of features, it now offers the new LTE Advanced connectivity, a Wi-Fi hotspot, natural voice control and the extensive Audi connect portfolio. The latter ranges from traffic information online, navigation with Google Earth, to the hybrid radio. The cloud-based Amazon voice service Alexa, which is integrated into the MMI operating system, is also new. The same applies to the Car-to-X service traffic light information, which is being rolled out in stages in selected European cities. Interconnection with the city's infrastructure allows the vehicle to receive information from the central traffic light computer via a server, enabling the driver to select a speed to match the next green-light phase. The all-digital Audi virtual cockpit - and the optional head-up display - provide an individual speed recommendation as well as the remaining time until the next green-light phase if the driver is already waiting at a red light. The system thus contributes to a predictive and efficient driving style and facilitates a steady flow of traffic.
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The Audi Q7 facelift looks butch and aggressive than its predecessor.
As far as powertrains are concerned, we expect to see the same 3.0-litre, six-cylinder petrol engine under its hood mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox and the Quattro AWD system. It will be a mild-hybrid powertrain where the belt alternator starter (BAS) powers a 48-volt main electrical system in which a compact lithium-ion battery stores the energy. During braking, the BAS can recover up to 8 kW of power and feed it back into the battery. If the driver takes their foot off the accelerator at speeds between 55 and 160 kmph, the Audi Q7 recuperates energy, rolls in idle or coasts for up to 40 seconds with the engine switched off. The BAS restarts the engine the next time the accelerator is pressed and does so faster and gently that it's hard to figure.
