LONDON: The latest Audi Q7 is ready to hit the European market soon. Its massive weight reduction and efficient new engines making the older model very dated. However, there are things about the first-gen SUV fans have to respect, like the fact that once it was available with a naturally aspirated V8 engine.
It would be cool to call this a Q7 with the engine from an RS4 or an R8, but with only 350 hp, the mill had more in common with the S4, the one before they introduced the supercharger.
These next few videos show such an early model, which looks to be a 2007 unit. It’s been fitted with a custom exhaust system and sounds like it’s angry with the world, like it doesn’t want to go down without a fight.
How fast is it? Officially, Audi clocked what was its only V8-powered SUV back then at 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.4 seconds and a top speed of 248 km/h (154.1 mph). That’s not very fast by today’s standards, but fans have got to remember that 4.2-liter only had 440 Nm (325 lb-ft) of torque to get a 2.2 ton tank moving.
At launch, the all-new Q7 will only be available with smaller 3.0-liter V6 engines, diesel, petrol and hybrid. The 333 hp supercharged model should be a lot faster than this old V8 model because it’s about 4 people lighter. In a couple of years, a twin-turbo 4.0 TFSI model could also be introduced, probably wearing the RS badge.
