Driver's assistant

AS with its sharpened, more chiselled styling, the Audi Q7 will also be interesting for the innovative driver assistance systems that are being introduced with it.

This full-size luxury sport-utility vehicle with three rows of seats is actually a bit shorter than the car it replaces - 5,052 mm long (36 mm less) and 1,741 mm tall (unchanged) with a 2,994 mm wheelbase (minus eight mm). More importantly, the second-generation Q7 is up to 325 kg lighter than before, mainly because of the 71 kg saved with a new multi-material body, and lighter seats, doors and engine cooling system.

For the Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI quattro with a three-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, it weighs in at 2,030 kg, or down 210 kg. A new electro-mechanical steering replaces the old hydraulic system, with all-wheel steering now available. Here, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front pair for greater manoeuvrability at low speeds, but in the same direction when going faster for more agile handling.