Fleet World Fleet: Audi Q7 55 TFSIe quattro S line
Julian Kirk transforms his long-term test drive of the Q7 PHEV with the install of a home charger.
Our Q7 long-termer can be charged in less than two hours with the new home charger
P11d/BiK: £69,165 (16%) MPG/CO2: 108.6mpg/59g/km Test mpg: 45.3mpg
Report 3
The arrival of a Pod Point Solo home charger has changed the dynamic between the Q7 and me.
Previously, charging with a three-pin lead was, to be honest, a faff – position the car in exactly the right place on the drive to meet the charging cable that I’d been into the garage to connect and thread under the garage door, before plugging it in and waiting for about 12 hours for the battery to charge up.
Now, thanks to the Solo’s seven-metre cable I can just retrieve the lead, plug it in and, within two hours, the battery is charged and ready.
Reducing the charging time so dramatically makes me more inclined to plug in and recharge – before, I was guilty of being one of those hybrid drivers who often drive around with the battery empty, relying purely on ICE power.
But even so, the charge doesn’t last long. The claimed 30-mile range actually translates into about 18 miles on pure EV power – fine for short commutes, but quickly spent on a longer journey. Having
sampled two lighter Audi plug-ins recently (A3 and, to a lesser extent, A6) the EV range is a genuine 30-odd miles, which is a good compromise. The problem with the Q7 is it is a heavy car, so the charge disappears much more quickly.
So on paper, the Q7 looks attractive (16% BIK is a bonus for such a vehicle) but in the real world it feels like a slightly limited EV and a compromised SUV (big petrol engine and no seven-seat capability as the battery pack takes up the boot floor).
Julian Kirk
The software glitch that meant our MMI screen wasn’t operating was quickly resolved
Report 2
There’s an eerie sound of silence when driving the Q7 – and it’s not just because of its EV capability. Our car has been struck by a software glitch which has rendered the MMI system inoperable – so no music, no navigation, no Bluetooth for the phone.
Faced with a visit to the local dealership (and the time involved), I resorted to the Web to see if any other owners have had the same experience. Thankfully, there were a few owners reporting similar problems – the MMI screen just displaying a generic warning.
According to the owners online, the problem is usually caused by an ‘over-the-air’ software update – this one had obviously gone wrong somewhere along the line. They also offered a quick solution – hold down the volume button on the centre console for 20 seconds to reboot the MMI system.
Twenty seconds later and the MMI is firing on all cylinders again and I am happy that I won’t have to spend a morning at my local dealer. It would appear that the IT department mantra of ‘have you tried turning it off and starting it up again’ applies equally to cars as well as computers.
Julian Kirk
Our new Q7 long termer
Report 1
It’s a mark of how much cars have changed in recent years that the Audi Q7 no longer feels that big. When it was originally launched it was a behemoth, but nowadays it is dwarfed by models such as the Land Rover Discovery and BMW X7.
That’s not to say it’s small – inside it is cavernous and the boot is vast – but it doesn’t feel intimidating to drive… more like an A6 on stilts. And from behind the wheel you could be in an A6 because both models share the new Audi interior design featuring more touchscreens than PC World and a sombre air thanks to the extensive use of black inside. S line trim does bring some light relief with flashes of chrome across the dashboard.
But it is what’s under the skin that is important with this particular model – the small ‘e’ at the end of the name signifies this is a plug-in hybrid, offering a choice of pure EV (for up to a claimed 30 miles) or working in tandem with a 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine to deliver claimed combined economy of 108.6mpg. We haven’t had the chance to verify these claims yet but will update in future reports.
Our test model is pretty much standard, which means it has just about everything you could want, although on top of the £68,000 base price are a few options – metallic black paint at £750, a panoramic glass sunroof costing £1,850 which really lightens up the cabin, and a combined package of parking assist, comfort and sound packs at £2,295 which brings a host of niceties including an LED interior lighting package, upgraded Bang and Olufsen hi-fi, 360 degree camera and automatic parallel parking.
Julian Kirk
Julian Kirk
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