Audi Q7 facelift officially unveiled

Launched back in 2006, the Audi Q7 quickly managed to become one of the taughest competitors in the luxury SUV market, where it has rivals like the Mercedes Benz ML or the BMW X5. And today, the German car maker announced a mid-life facelift for their SUV, which will go on sale later this year, as a 2010 model. The car, beside having new styling, also comes with more fuel efficient engines, including the 3.0 TDI engine, “the world’s cleanest diesel”.

Exterior changes include a restyled front end with new large single-frame radiator grille featuring vertical chrome bars contrasting the black high-gloss finish, restyled bumpers, newly integrated underbody protection with a distinctive ribbed design, new adaptive-light system with U-shaped LED daytime running lights (LED technology is also used for the front blinkers). The rear end features new two-tone finish bumper, the S-shaped aluminium tailgate now has a new 3D shape and LED tail lights. Beside the tailgate, aluminium is also used for the engine hood and the fenders, while Audi also offers an optional aluminium package which features chrome bars in the bumpers and door molding, the lower part of the bumpers painted in the body color and the center part of the front apron and the diffuser painted in a contrasting shade.

The interior features a set of improvements such as the redesigned instrument cluster with large instruments encircled by metallic frames, interior lights have been fitted in the door linings, plus chrome used to highlight some of the control elements. Another new features is represented by the seatbacks in the second row, which now are divided into three fold-down sections to provide a level cargo floor.

Under the hood, the Audi Q7 facelift comes with a selection of six engines, two gasoline and four diesels. The smallest engine is a 3.0 TDI, “the world’s cleanest diesel”, which delivers 240 hp (176 kW) and 55 Nm of torque, while returning a fuel consumption of only 9.1 liters/100 km (25.85 US mpg). The top of the range powerplant is the V12 TDI unit with delivers 500 hp (368 kW) and 1,000 Nm of torque and take the massive SUV from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) and achieves an average fuel consumption of 11.3 liters/100 km (20.82 US mpg).

Overall, a good mid-life upgrade for the successful Q7, which will probably manage to remain on top until the next generation will be rolled out.

Photo Gallery: Audi Q7 Facelift

[Source: Audi]

Post tags: Tags: Audi, audi-q7, facelift