| A Week at the Wheel | Cambs, England | Audi Q7 3.0 TDI |

Inside & Out:

One of the first things to strike you about the Audi Q7 is its size; it is a very 'generously' proportioned car with huge road presence. By no means a beauty, it is unmistakably an Audi with all of the family traits in its appearance - it looks not unlike a bulkier A6 Avant. On the road it clears the fast lane like only a car of this size can, but there is inevitably a down side to its dimensions and that lays in the demands of urban motoring. It's not an easy car to thread through gaps or manoeuvre around town and car parks in particular present challenges; the Q7 does not fit comfortably in a conventional parking space.

The interior is, as we've come to expect from Audi, a lovely place to be. Sharing many of its features with the saloons in the upper echelons of the Audi range it benefits from the MMI system, similar to BMW's iDrive, but a deal more intuitive. MMI is probably the easiest infotainment interface to get to grips with at the moment, offering access to the myriad menus and controls in a logically laid out menu system; it isn't flawless, but it is rather good.

Three rows of seats are offered in the Q7, but with all seven seats in use the load space is compromised and the rear seats aren't ideal for teenagers (or older) for long periods of time. More likely is that the car would be used as a large family estate with five seats, in which guise it boasts plenty of room for occupants and luggage alike. The quality, fit and finish of the cabin is first class and hard to fault. Audi's execution in this department remains class leading.

Engine & Transmission:

With a car that weighs something north of two tonnes one aspect of engine performance becomes rather critical: torque. Anything lacking in this particular area is going to make driving a big car tiresome and thirsty work; fortunately Audi has the fine 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine available for the Q7. It's actually one of the lesser engines in the range, but it makes more sense than the larger petrol V8. The 369lb.ft of torque is available low down in the rev range and coupled to the smooth automatic box it propels the Q7 forward on a muscular and refined wave of energy.

On paper the Q7 records figures approaching those of a warm diesel hatch and in practice it never feels short of power, and you don't have to extend the powerplant in order to make progress - much less so than is the case with the petrol versions. Cruising is a hushed affair with the only a distant hum from the engine and there are always ample reserves for overtaking. Needless to say the Q7 offers more than adequate towing capacity.

Ride & Handling:

Given the size and weight of the Audi Q7 it is quite easy to form preconceptions as to how it will cope with the rigours of real world driving. As things turn out it offers a fine experience for both driver and passenger alike. The air suspension does a good job of combining supple absorbency around town with a much tauter chassis on the open road. It can't perform miracles in terms of containing the Q7's mass, but it goes a long way to disguising it - the Q7 drives much like a large luxury saloon.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

As you'd expect, the Q7 comes generously equipped, but there are still a number of options that would seem almost essential. The rear parking aid for example - with its camera view overlaid with guidance lines that move as you adjust the steering - is a huge boon for making the car easier to manoeuvre; without it parking could be a very nervy affair.

The overall average of 23mpg that we managed in our week isn't in isolation a great result. Put into context of a two-tonne plus car though, it represents a very positive figure. Certainly the petrol versions won't manage to replicate this number, struggling to better the mid teens in practice. The huge fuel tank can mean significant periods and outlays at the filling station, but gives the Q7 a 300-mile range.

Value for money is a relative term in this price band. The Q7 is certainly competitively priced against its rivals and will, in the short term at least, offer solid residuals - quite possibly better than those of older rivals. Audi's Q7 is the image car of the moment in this niche.

Overall:

If, and it's a big if, you need a car as large as the Q7, then it's hard to find a hole in its case. The diesel versions seem the obvious common sense choice with this three-litre offering as much performance as most would ever need.