The mid-term facelift is better than a generational change. The Audi Q7 is back with both internal and external improvements.

Speaking of luxury SUVs, the first model that comes to mind for many people is probably the Audi Q7. As Audi's first SUV model, it was quickly sought after by successful people as soon as it was launched in 2006 with its calm and domineering appearance, powerful power, and comfortable and technological driving experience.

How successful was the first generation of the Q7 in terms of design? Well, it was not because of lack of ambition, but because it was so popular in the market that Audi used this design for 11 years, with only some minor changes during that period, such as replacing the headlights with LEDs. Nevertheless, relying on its own "domineering appearance", the Audi Q7 has almost become synonymous with luxury SUVs in the market in these 11 years.

The situation did not change until the second generation. From an engineering perspective, the second generation Q7 achieved a leap forward in many aspects. The exterior dimensions were reduced while the interior space was significantly increased; the curb weight was reduced by 325kg, the handling and fuel economy were significantly improved, and the safety and comfort were improved. However, the appearance, an extremely emotional element, prevented consumers from actively exploring the changes brought by these brands.

The second-generation Q7 launched in 2015 was the first model to use the Volkswagen Group's MLB Evo platform. It was also the last model to use the old design language. It seemed to be relying on its old reputation in the face of fierce competition from similar-level competitors. Facing more discerning successful people, it was inevitable that it would perform poorly in the market.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the awareness of this problem that the Audi Q7 ushered in the most extensive mid-term facelift model in history this year. In addition to inheriting the advantages and overall framework of the second generation, the overall design language has been completely iterated, the appearance has been redesigned, and the sense of luxury and technology of the interior has been greatly improved, restoring the confident and strong temperament of the past.

So, can this mid-term facelift capture the discerning hearts of more users? What are the highlights and shortcomings of this luxury SUV in actual experience?

Recently, I spent a week in-depth test driving the 2020 Audi Q7. Now, let's experience this luxurious 7-seater SUV that "broadens your life and moves forward fearlessly".

Exterior and interior: Start from scratch

Let's first look at the appearance. The second-generation Q7 suffered a loss in appearance design and was boycotted by some of its high-end target users. Of course, part of the reason is the last-minute design of the Q7. The original design leader was Wolfgang Egger, but he left after 2013. His successor Mark Lechter also had no time to make major changes to the structure, so he could only make some minor changes to the appearance style.

As a result, the new design elements have made the Audi Q7's proud and bold appearance disappear. The compact front face and forward-leaning visual center of gravity make the second-generation Q7 look smaller.

Coming to this year's latest 2020 Q7, it may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that it has been completely transformed, but the brand new look is visible to the naked eye.

In addition to fully adopting the Audi family design language, the most significant change in the front of the new Q7 is the weakening of the excessive horizontal line elements of the previous generation. The octagonal center grille design adopts the classic "Roman column" shape to emphasize the vertical sense, and the horizontal strips are changed from silver to inconspicuous black. The honeycomb air intake grille is also elongated vertically, which visually highlights the height of the car body and returns to the original "domineering" personality of the Q7.

In terms of car light design, Audi, known as the "light factory", once again leads the trend. When other brands began to follow suit and use LED light strips, the headlights and taillights of the Audi Q7 have begun to adopt a new "segmented" design language. The matrix lamp body is similar to a row of piano keys, and with laser headlights, the internal structure is beautiful and exquisite, and quite recognizable.

It is also worth mentioning that the domestic version of the Audi Q7 is very generous. Many configurations that are only available in the top configuration of the US version or require paid options have become standard for the entire domestic version, such as the adaptive high beam function of the headlights, which can greatly improve the driving experience. In addition, air suspension, panoramic imaging, car navigation and other configurations are also standard for the domestic version.

On the side of the body, the 2020 Q7 has simplified the waistline and the anti-scratch strip has become narrower, which to a certain extent weakens its sporty temperament and further highlights its stable characteristics.

Unfortunately, the back of the Q7 does not have through-type taillights, but instead has a silver trim that runs across the entire vehicle and is inserted into the ends of the two taillights. However, the benefits of doing so are also obvious, with a sense of visual hierarchy, and the bottom taillights and trunk lines divide the entire back into several parts, which not only creates a sense of hierarchy, but also strengthens the visual perception of horizontal width.

In terms of interior, the 2020 Q7 can be said to have been completely rebuilt from scratch, abandoning the "old-fashioned" design of the previous generation. The new model almost copied the interior of the highly acclaimed Q8 as it is, but the color scheme has been changed from the original light color that highlights the sense of future to a more stable black with a small amount of wood grain. The large area of ​​high-quality genuine leather and real wood materials also declare the luxury positioning of this car.

Audi's iconic triple screen is also present. The reason why Audi dares to use a touch screen instead of physical buttons and knobs is due to its confidence in the touch interaction experience. It is reported that its touch screen uses technology similar to Apple's Magic TrackPad, supporting high-precision pressure sensing, as well as vibration and sound feedback, so that users can get an "Apple"-like touch when using it.

When we operate on the Q7's touch screen, we need to apply a little force like using physical buttons to get a response, and the screen will also have simulated vibration feedback from the linear motor. If you press it many times, you will really fall in love with this exquisite touch feeling.

The new Q7 supports wired and wireless CarPlay, and it is very convenient to connect the mobile phone to the central control screen. The USB port is located in the armrest box, and there is also a wireless charging station that supports the Qi protocol in the armrest box.

  Interior space: luxurious seven seats

In previous articles, the interior space of the car was basically explained in the interior part, but for the Audi Q7, it really needs to be discussed separately.

First of all, the most amazing thing about the 2020 Audi Q7 is that the entire series adopts a 7-seat configuration, which greatly enhances its practicality. Whether you are taking colleagues or friends out for social events, or traveling with the whole family, the two extra seats often mean the need for one less car, and a happy time for everyone to spend together.

Moreover, with the country fully opening up the second-child policy, the situation where five seats are not enough will become more and more common. The 2020 Audi Q7 is well prepared for children's transportation.

This model has two child lock buttons for the doors below the power window button on the driver's door. Friends who have had children in the car know the importance of child locks for safe driving. If there are no these two buttons, the child locks need to be operated on the side of the door with the car key, which is very inconvenient.

In addition, the child seat interface of the new Audi Q7 has been well received by the American Highway Safety Association IIHS, and received an "excellent+" score for both safety and ease of use.

So, how many child seat ports does the 2020 Audi Q7 have? The answer is: 5.

Yes, you read it right, the new Audi Q7 has child seat interfaces on the second and third row seats. In other words, these two cars can accommodate five babies who need child seats, and they are indeed "cars for dads".

In terms of riding comfort, all 7 seats of this car are made of leather, with moderate hardness and softness. The two front seats have good wrapping and support seat heating and ventilation. The three seats in the second row all support independent adjustment of the front and rear and angle, the seats are long enough, and the leg support is good.

When riding in the third row, the second row seats need to be folded and lifted. In this process, the hydraulic rod assists, so even ladies can do it easily. Of course, the third row is more compact because the legs lose the support of the seats due to the raised platform, the front and rear distance is also tight, and the backrest angle is also larger, which is more suitable for children or adults to ride in emergencies.

In terms of trunk space, there is still a certain depth when there are seven seats, but the vertical direction is limited by the inclined back line. The last row can be folded down electrically, and there are buttons on the rear door and trunk, which is quite convenient.

The second and third rows can all be folded down to create a huge trunk storage space. The good point is that the overall space is very flat and the seats do not form obvious protrusions, which reflects Audi's design skills.

In addition, since this Q7 uses air suspension, the suspension height of the car can be electrically adjusted at the trunk, which can save a lot of effort when carrying heavy objects.

Driving experience: high-tech

In terms of dynamics, the 2020 Audi Q7 55 TFSI Quattro S Line sports model we tested uses a 3.0T turbocharged engine, matched with an 8AT gearbox, with a maximum horsepower of 340 and a maximum output torque of 500 Nm. The official acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers is 5.9 seconds, which is indeed excellent for a large 7-seater SUV.

To simply summarize the driving experience of the new Q7: comfortable driving, sufficient power reserve, air suspension, Quattro system, rear-wheel steering and 48V mild hybrid significantly improve the driving experience.

In general, for a luxury SUV for families and businesses, the Audi Q7 is tuned to provide greater comfort. Although its power can be felt from the paper data alone, during driving, whether it is acceleration, suspension or braking performance, it is relatively smooth and natural.

The new Q7 has changed its supercharging method from mechanical supercharging to turbocharging. While the power is more abundant, the 48V mild hybrid motor also significantly improves the hysteresis caused by the turbo. The mild hybrid system also brings an electronic anti-roll bar, which can rely on electricity to maintain the body posture when cornering. In addition, the 48V mild hybrid system can also help it save about 0.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

This car supports a total of 7 different driving mode switches, namely: comfort, automatic, dynamic, efficient, personalized, all-road and off-road. In addition to different power adjustments in different modes, the air suspension will also give different chassis heights according to different modes, with a range of +60/-55mm, which can provide a height difference of up to 115mm.

The Q7's air suspension also supports adaptive functions. At a speed of 30km/h, the adaptive air suspension can increase the ground clearance by 60mm without stopping. As the speed increases, the suspension can also automatically lower the height of the vehicle body, thereby reducing air resistance and increasing power. That is, the focus is on comfort at low speeds and power at high speeds.

At the same time, the Q7's newly added rear-wheel steering system can reduce the turning radius at low speeds to improve flexibility and improve body stability at high speeds.

This Audi Q7 also retains the Quattro+Torsen central differential lock. The full-time four-wheel drive technology that has dominated the market for 40 years is still powerful, allowing this car to adapt to various working conditions, declaring that this model is not just for business or home use, but is also a tough guy that can climb mountains and cross rivers.

Although the overall tuning of the Audi Q7 is more comfortable, its business and home attributes cannot conceal its nature as a performance monster. When the accelerator pedal is pressed, once the travel is halfway, you can clearly feel the Audi Q7's huge power reserve gushing out, and the 0-100km/h performance of 5.9 seconds is evident at a single step.

Of course, for a million-level luxury car, in addition to performance, the driving quality is equally, or even more, important. In this regard, as the flagship product of a century-old manufacturer, the Audi Q7 performs well. The solid chassis makes the driving process particularly comfortable, and the excellent NVH also exceeds expectations. It not only effectively filters out most of the noise under the chassis and outside the car, but also almost completely isolates the noise from the engine compartment. The quietness inside the car at high speeds even makes people feel a little unreal.

summary:

Facts have proved that consumers are still most sensitive to exterior design when choosing a car. The reason why Audi launched the second-generation Q7 five years ago and had disappointing sales was mainly because its exterior and interior design were too pleasing to young people and deviated from its target customer group at the time. Although it had no obvious shortcomings in terms of space, performance, and configuration, the market was so elusive.

As Audi's most innovative mid-term facelift model in history, the 2020 Q7 completely overturned the design language of its predecessor in appearance, and also "borrowed" the highly acclaimed Q8 design in the interior, returning to the atmospheric and eye-catching appearance, luxurious and technological interior, coupled with powerful performance, many driving black technologies and high-quality driving experience, the new Q7's strength in product power is unquestionable.

Interestingly, with the younger purchasing group of luxury brand flagship models in recent years, the youthful route that Audi Q7 has previously adhered to has received widespread praise. For playful young car owners and young parents with children, the 2020 Audi Q7's full range of 7-seaters is also very attractive this time.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.