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Clarkson hails Audi Q7 V12 TDi as “brilliant crap”

Andrew — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:15:43 +0000

For those that don’t know, Top Gear is the world famous car show that has gained notoriety more from the personalities of its hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, than the cars they review and test in their always interesting challenges. Out of the three hosts, Jeremy Clarkson has the most - expressive - personality and has been known to be outspoken critic of many car brands and proponent of global warming so long as he gets high horsepower, high octane cars. In recent seasons, he’s gone as far as to say that “BMW drivers are all c*cks!” and “M3 drivers have no friends.” and even more recently saying that “All c*cks now drive Audis!”

Well, Jezza has gotten his hands on the new, nuclear Audi Q7 V12 TDI which produces just shy of 500HP and an incredible 738 lb ft - which, according to Clarkson: “…is enough to restart a dead planet.” However, here’s the kicker, he doesn’t like the Q7. Maybe it was because James May beat him and his Volvo XC90 in a Q7 a number of years ago in the Top Gear Winter Olympics? No, Clarkson feels that the interior is too small to be practical for someone with a large family and carrying a lot of baggage on vacation.

However, once behind the wheel, Jezza found his impression of the Q7 V12 changed from one of his typical disgust to being quite pleased when he realized he was chasing down co-host Richard Hammond on his Suzuki Hayabusa on the highway en route to the Top Gear track. This then caused him to gush about the power you can silently apply in this, the biggest Audi going to call it “Mad. Bonkers. Stupid.” Yet, he forgot to mention that the Q7 returns a combined fuel economy of 25MPG!

So, ultimately, Clarkson hates the Q7 while loving the V12 TDI - does it make sense? Not really, but then again, that’s just how he is. Hit this jump to read his full review.

(Source: London Times via Autoblog)

Video: Audi Q7 vs. BMW M5

Andrew — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:02:40 +0000

Talk about an unusual comparison, but hey…it’s all fun in the end. The UK based Autocar decided to put the Audi Q7 head-to-head with the BMW M5. Yes, that’s correct, an all-wheel-drive crossover or SUV as some of us might call it, against one of the top luxury sport sedans in the world: BMW’s pride, M5.

Even thought the two vehicles are close to each other when it comes to the power packed under the hood, 500hp for the Q7 and 507hp for M5, there is clearly a gap between the two cars when looking at the overall weight: the Q7 packs on about 1,300 lbs extra.

But let’s see what Autocar has found out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Facelifted Audi Q7 spied in Atlanta traffic

Andrew — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:15:23 +0000

As a former resident of Atlanta, I can attest to the brutal traffic that clogs I-75/85 and I-285 daily and the misery it entails. However, one ray of light has shown through the miserable traffic: new spy photos of the 2011 Q7 S-line.

Autoblog has posted said photos showing that the new Q7 with subtly restyled headlamps and taillamps but the much more aggressive front air dam and revised grille as it creeps through Atlanta traffic. From these pictures, it’s easy to tell that the Q7 will receive the now standard Audi treatment of LEDs at both the front and rear and from the looks of these pictures, it may be that part of the Q7’s S-line treatment is to receive wheels similar to that of the 18 inch sports package wheels of the current A4.

Regarding the engine line-up, the early word is that the Q7 will not rotate engines just yet. However, it’s expected that the new 3.0TFSi supercharged V6 will eventually be made available as a base engine. Watch this space for more coverage on the 2011 Q7.

Hit the jump for more pics of the facelifted Q7 on the prowl in Atlanta!

(Source: Quattroworld via Autoblog)