Thanks for the review Andulaz, I tend to agree with most of it.
I myself am torn by the styling of the Q7. I recently saw a dark grey one at the motor show, and wasn't that taken aback. It seems these newer automotive designs are very color sensitive and the dark grey hid the lines of the vehicle. Also the thing is absolutely HUUUUGE. I wish Audi made a shorter wheelbase offering when the 3rd row of seats isn’t required, because the proportions look very much like a station wagon on steroids. In comparison the ML looks like a rather beautiful, extremely well proportioned SUV. But I hope seeing the Q7 in other colors will change my mind.
The interior was a notch above the ML in terms of quality of materials used, but the comparison wasn't really fair because MB stupidly had a bare bones ML 350 on display with the 1/2 leather 1/2 fabric upholstery. That the car had a black interior and got very dirty from all the touching didn’t help either. Audi on the other hand had a top of the range Q7 with a lovely cream/dark grey contrast interior with premium leather. That the fit of the MB was on par with the Audi is an excellent achievement for the ML and bodes well for G-glass, which steps up the material quality over the ML.
Oh I finally got a chance to play around with Audi's MMI system, and first impressions (after 5 minutes of testing
) are that the system is outstanding. Probably even easier to use than the S-class Command II and Lexus's touch screen. But more testing would be required for a more definitive opinion.
What I was disappointed in was the styling of the seats. They were very comfortable and the leather quality excellent, but they just didn’t look luxurious and sumptuous like the newer offerings from Lexus and MB. They looked rather thin and cheap, but thankfully didn't feel that way. They felt great. What was truly a HUGE disappointment though was the armrest/storage compartment between the front seats. I was absolutely appalled by the quality of this thing. Not only does it not lock firmly into place (there isn't even a locking mechanism fitted), but every single part of this contraption feels cheap. And it SLAMS back down as the plastic parts collide. No well damped closing mechanisms here. After hearing so much about Audis attention to detail and quality interiors, I really couldn’t believe such an abomination was fitted to the Q7. Yes I know its only a centre armrest/storage compartment, but this really was that bad.
It felt like something that just came out of a 90's Hyundai.
Overall in terms of showroom appeal it would be an extremely tough choosing between the ML and Q7.The driving experience may sway my opinion either way, but I'll only get to drive a Q7 in October.
