Our humblest apologies! TopGear.com appears to have missed perhaps the most perfect piece of motoring irony, which has now been brought to our attention with the reveal of this new, refreshed Audi Q7.
Because alongside a bit of visual tweak and a spangly new set of customisable LED head- and tail-lights – more on those shortly – it now features a “proximity indication feature” if you tick the digital OLED rear lights option. This interesting feature – apparently already available on the A8, Q8 and Q5 – illuminates all the rear lights if a car gets within two meters of the new Q7.
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That’s right: this [checks notes] Audi warns other cars that they’re tailgating. You couldn’t make it up.
What you can make up, or at least change, are those LED light signatures. Apparently the new Q7 gets four front LED daytime running light signatures to choose from, embedded within new light units mounted a little higher than before.
They form part of a bit of a tweak to the Q7’s face, with new inlays and contours in the ‘singleframe’ grille, and “reduced decorative elements”. It certainly looks cleaner than before, the new pinched headlights conspiring to make the Q7 look highly suspicious about something. All in, as these cars go, it's a handsome, brutish thing. Audi has thrown in a few more colors for the new Q7 – gold, blue and red – along with some alloys sized right up to 22in.
For such a big, posh box, there are a ton of standard-fit items, including AWD, adaptive air suspension, matrix LED lights, a rear-view camera, leather, electrically adjustable front sports seats, Audi’s brilliant Virtual Cockpit and privacy glass. Of course.
The further up the chain you go, the more goodies, naturally, including a better stereo, bigger wheels, all-wheel-steering (on the SQ7) and massage seats. Engines include a 3.0-liter V6 diesel with 228hp (0-100kph in 7.1s) or 282hp (0-100kph in 6.1s), and a 335hp 3.0-liter V6 gas (0-100kph in 5.6s).
The SQ7 still gets a biturbo V8 with 500hp, cylinder shut-off tech, active roll-stabilisation tech, a sport diff (on the ‘Vorsprung’ SQ7) and the ability to crack the 100kph sprint in just 4.1s, just like before. The new SQ7 also features a new front spoiler, diffuser and a black finish across its face, mirrors and side air intakes.
It’s a big ol’ car, this new Q7 – indeed Audi’s biggest SUV offering – with a big sales figure behind it, too. So you’re likely to see a fair few on the roads. Just don’t get too close…
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
