VEHICLE ANALYSIS: Audi risks a diesel-only strategy for new Q7 - just-auto.com (registration)
Audi UK is about to launch the new Q7 with just one engine: a 272PS 3. 0-litre TDI. Will that be enough with which to take on the Volvo XC90, a car Audi admits is likely to become the segment leader. It isn’t just a fresh body that appears on the second generation of this big SUV. The new Q7 is the launch model for the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo architecture. There will be other MLB Evo-based large 4x4s for the group, in the form of the Bentley Bentayga and a Lamborghini which might be called ‘Urus’, plus a potential Q6 and/or Q8 SUV for Audi. One of the most newsworthy things about the new platform is its weight. While the second generation Q7 is still nowhere near waif-like, it has lost up to 325kg, depending on the version. For the record, the base car has a kerb mass of 1,995kg. The UK importer claims this makes it best-in-class. If you delete the third row, that’s when you have the full 325kg saving but keep these kids’ seats and the loss is a still impressive 240kg. By switching the doors to aluminium, the engineering team managed to get 24kg out of each one, and there... Source: www.just-auto.com
