Audi Q7 SUV among best in its class

High fuel prices have hit the full-size sport-utility category like a body blow to the gut.

But the segment won’t go away; many thousands of drivers count on SUVs, especially in climates like ours, and good, new products will always find a home.

Audi has just launched one of the best, its all-new Q7 luxury-performance sport-ute.

Beautifully styled inside and out and featuring outstanding drivetrain and suspension packages, the Q7 is Audi’s first SUV and is expected to become one of its top-selling models.

The Q7 is handsomely turned out; its application of the family’s controversial grille design may be the most successful yet and its lines are clean, bold and strong. The interior, which incorporates the obligatory third-row seating package, resembles that of the midsize A6, which is among the best in the business.

Lit by a warm red glow from the dashboard lights, the interior neatly marries tech with timeless design. Sculpted chrome accents brighten the understated and elegant design theme, the dash surfaces are pleasing to the eye and the touch and the controls are neatly packaged.

The seats are deeply bolstered and terrifically supportive and even second-row passengers have their own climate controls and optionally heated seats.

Audi’s MMI (Multimedia Interface) is the most intuitive of the electronic driver interfaces of which high-end manufacturers are so enamored.

Among the niftier optional items is a $500 Side Assist function that alerts Q7 drivers when another vehicle has entered their blind spot. A lifesaver, it’s marketed by Audi as a convenience feature for the purpose of avoiding litigation.

Though it’s derived from the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne project, the Q7 shares less than 15 percent of its content with those cousins and presents a driving experience distinct from either.

At 5,269 pounds, the Q7 is no lightweight — the doors close with that solid thud that says heft — but it is nimble and light on its feet when asked to dance. One moment, it’s lumbering up a rock-strewn cart path, the next it’s blasting through fast transitions on a fast downhill run with a stunning absence of body lean.

That observation must be tempered by the fact that the rigs Audi provided for the West Coast press launch were equipped with the optional air suspension system ($2,600). Its ability to control the Q7’s bulk borders on the miraculous.

Even the base Q7’s suspension is generously larded with aluminum components, though I suspect it’s the main reason that the Q7 feels so light on its feet.

The hydraulic steering system earns props, too, for its accuracy, responsiveness and direct feel.

Until fall, when a six-cylinder version will be introduced, the only engine choice is a 350-hp, 4.2-liter V-8, which burbles along happily at highway speeds but morphs into something more purposeful when prodded by the driver’s right foot.

Torque is channeled through a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and managed by Audi’s proven quattro all-wheel drive system, which splits power with a bias to the rear wheels, enhancing the Q7’s agility.

Those obsessed with acceleration will want another 50 horsepower as the Q7 clocks zero-to-60 in the mid-8-seconds range while those chasing fuel economy will be disheartened by its 14 city/19 highway EPA ratings.

The Q7 is scheduled for a June launch. The base 4.2 FSI trim is priced at $49,900 and the FSI Premium at $59,900.