Audi Q7 4.2 V8 (2006) CAR review

Yet another sports utility vehicle! What's special about this fella...?

The Q7 is Audi's first proper (ie. big and boxy) SUV. And when we say big, we mean super-sized. It dwarfs the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg, even though it shares components with both. Indeed, the seven-seater is almost as long as Audi's biggest car, the stretched A8. And the V8 model - the lightest at launch! weighs a hefty 2270kg. The lines flow elegantly compared with most SUVs, but the face is aggressive and disturbingly ornamental.

Which bit of the SUV acronym applies: sporty or utilitarian?

Engines, cabin, price tag from £37k - there's nothing utilitarian about the Q7. It's on sale now with two engines: 230bhp/368lb ft 3.0-litre V6 diesel and the model we drove, the 4.2-litre FSI V8 with 345bhp/342lb ft. The V8 doesn't take off with the same urge as the Touareg V10 TDI, and it doesn't accelerate with the same vigour as the Cayenne Turbo. It can get to 62mph in 7.4 seconds but it doesn't feel like you have 345bhp at your disposal. It's a 155mph car and its thirst is phenomenal, which is why 90 percent of Europeans will opt for the diesel, with a 26.9mpg economy figure. On our 700-mile test drive, petrol consumption varied from 24.3mpg on the freeway to 17.0mpg on a brisk cross-country drive. Clearly thirsty work.