95_993

I am looking at used Audi Q7's for my wife. I have great success with my $, but wanted to solicit input on the Q7. Are there any recurring issues that you know of with the Q7? I am leaning towards the 3.6L

JDHertz11

I leased a Touareg a few years ago and it was good for the first year. Then it started feeling soggy, eating brakes every 8K miles and tires every 10K miles. I now drive a Lexus RX350 and have none of the associated problems...

twingt30s

i got my wife the q5 we dont have a big enough family for the 7 and after test driving both, the 5 drives way better and gets better mileage with the same motor.(3.6 is what we have) the 5 drives just like a car almost handles great dont feel like your driving a suv, as for the 7 it didnt feel as stable and just seem like i was driving a ford explorer or some other junky american suv.
hope that helps you out some.

FGL28

BRAKES.The Brembos are very expesive. I felt the 3.6 was a little weak for the size of the car. The 3rd row is very helpful.

007DT

Not the same, but similar.... We have a V8 Touareg. And LOVE IT... It had a few electronic issues in the beginning but other than those, which were worked out, it has been great. I'd only get the V8 but I like/need the power. I think our replacement for it will be a Q7 (V8) as we have 3 kids...

Mine doesn't eat through brakes but does have the monster brakes (same as my GT3). Yes they are expensive at a dealer, but they are as easy to change as a P-Car so I do them myself. I've only put 1 set on the Rear. 2 Sets on the front (pads) in 90K; w/ a lot of towing.

Mine does eat through tires but I have 295/35/21 high performance tires and the air suspension which has dynamic adjustments (sportier).. So it's kind of the price you pay.

GL

ltc

I would suggest posting this question in the P!g Pen (aka Rennlist Cayenne Forum), as the 5, 7 and Touareg have been discussed before.

IMHO, I would strongly consider the TDI Engine, both for the federal tax credit and fuel mileage/longevity.

Kika

Another vote for the Q5, my wife drove one last month at our niece's wedding, and absolutely loved it.
The 7 is a large vehicle, do you really need that much room?

Texas993

I agree. We recently purchased a Mercedes GL350 Bluetec Diesel. The engine is great, quiet, powerful and very efficient. 25.5 mpg on a recent 700 mile trip at 80 mph. High teens in town.

95_993

I appreciate all the thoughts. Q5 would be the first choice hands down, but she really needs the 3rd row seat.

993c4_Toronto

We have been looking seriously at the Q7 (wife loves it) and the r350. The r350 has quite poor reliability ratings (but seems like Patrick is happy with his so it may not be as big an issues as it sounded like on Edmunds forum). The Q7 seemed to get positive reviews on Edmunds but a lot of people complained that the electronics around the gear shift was susceptible to water damage from drink spills and Audi would not cover repairs under warranty - I think it was $2k to fix.

midcont

I lease one for my wife. Its been just over a year and 12k miles.
No issues to speak of. The 3.6 is adequate for around town, which is mostly what she does. Sufficent on the highway but she still only manages about 15-16 mpg.
The brakes have not been an issue and I had read that could expect to put new rotors in at some point during the lease...who knows if that will happen but the pads are like new and where we live is quite hilly.
The car drives great and is very solid. The interior is well made and wearing well. The ride on 20's can be a little rough but they look a lot better then the base 18's which I probably would have chosen, but we got a vehicle off the lot.

Complaints...the third row is a little tough to fold up and down. You have to crawl halfway into the trunk to lift it up. With it up there is no space to speak of behind. This is the trade off for a managable size suv vs. a suburban or tahoe. In this size range I was looking at the MDX, the LR3 and the old Lexus GX. Of them it was up in the air with the MDX but the Audi leased better.
Also, minor complaint, the seat memory, especially against her former lexus rx, is annoying. In the old car it would move the seat, mirrors, steering wheel and headrest all at once. In this car, only the seat and mirrors and the rest are done manually.

If I was buying though I'd definatly be looking at the diesel. I think the v6 is about to be replaced and i know they also updated the nav/mmi for the 2010 model plus some minor exterior stuff.

chsu74

I second the Mercedes GL. Especially if you need the third row. Its the only SUV smaller than the Tahoe that provides cargo space when the third seat is in use. Good GL 450s can be had in the mid 30s. Diesel can be had in the 40s. If you get diesel 2008 is an excellent year as it is the last year before run flats and adblue.