Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. Products

Audi’s 2016 Q7 boasts both a diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain and rear-wheel steering

Stephen Edelstein
By

1 of 11
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
2016 Audi Q7
Ahead of its debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, we’ve got all of the details on the second-generation 2016 Audi Q7 SUV.

The new Q7 may be a big and luxurious vehicle, but Audi emphasized by fuel economy by cutting weight and introducing more efficient powertrains.

Along with new, more macho styling, Audi says it’s cut up to 716 pounds compared to the old model. The 2016 Q7 is the first vehicle to use the Volkswagen Group’s MLB platform, which will likely form the basis for many other large vehicles as well.

Related

To achieve that impressive weight savings, the Q7 chassis makes use of ultra-high-strength steel and aluminum. The doors, front fenders, and hood are aluminum as well.

The base engine in the U.S. will be a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

From there, buyers can upgrade to 3.0-liter gasoline or TDI diesel V6 engines. All Q7 models get an eight-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive.

The gasoline V6 is rated at 333 hp and 325 lb-ft, enough for a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The diesel boasts 272 hp and 443 lb-ft, getting it to 62 mph in 6.3 seconds, and on to a top speed of 145 mph.

Audi will also offer a Q7 e-tron diesel plug-in hybrid, with a 3.0-liter TDI V6, electric motor, and 17.3-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The company says it’s the first plug-in to use a diesel V6 and all-wheel drive.

That should make this version quick as well as frugal With a total system output of 373 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, Audi says the e-tron will do 0 to 62 mph in 6.0 seconds, and reach a top speed of just under 140 mph.

Further down the road, Audi is also expected to launch an SQ7 performance model, with what could be the first production application of an electric turbocharger.

Rear-wheel steering will also be available. The system turns the rear wheels opposite the front wheels at low speeds for greater agility, but they follow the movement of the fronts at higher speeds for more stability.

On the inside, the Q7 can once again seat five or seven people, and features a modular infotainment platform based around a quad-core NVIDIA T30 processor. This allows for different levels of functionality at different price points.

Other notable tech features include an available Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, a pair of 10.1-inch tablets that act as rear seat monitors, and available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

As an outgrowth of the existing adaptive cruise-control system, the Q7 will also launch with a “traffic jam assistant” that can not only accelerate and decelerate the car, but also take over the steering on “developed highways” at speeds below 37.3 mph.

The 2016 Audi Q7 goes on sale next year. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
2023 Tesla Roadster: release date and price prediction, rumored specs
Tesla Roadster front view

Teslas are already known for being sleek and fast, but there's an even sleeker and even faster model on the way -- Tesla is reviving the Telsa Roadster. The original Tesla Roadster was the company's first car and was essentially a Tesla powertrain in the body of a Lotus Elise. But the new Roadster is its own thing -- and it's been designed from the ground up.

The new car was first announced as a concept all the way back in 2017 and was originally set to be available starting in 2020. That, obviously, didn't happen. But that doesn't mean we've forgotten about what's set to be the coolest Tesla yet. Here's everything you need to know about what we now hope is the 2023 Tesla Roadster.
2023 Tesla Roadster design
The 2023 Tesla Roadster is set to be the most stylish Tesla yet, at least based on the concepts we've seen so far. It'll have an aerodynamic two-door coupe design and a low center of gravity, giving it a sporty and modern look. The car will come with four seats, allowing for more passengers than the original Roadster's two-seater setup, however, we're not expecting the rear two seats to be particularly roomy. The car will also have more aggressive styling than the previous model and 19-inch wheels.

Read more
Business upfront, 31-inch TV in the back. BMW’s electric i7 is a screening room on wheels
Front three quarter view of the 2023 BMW i7.

The BMW 7 Series has been the venerable German automaker’s flagship for more than 40 years, but with its latest redesign, BMW is taking things in a new — and electrifying — direction.
The 2023 BMW i7 xDrive60 (or i7 for short) is the first all-electric 7 Series in the model’s history. It’s positioned against electric luxury sedans like the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, a longtime BMW rival. But BMW took a different approach with its electric chariot of the affluent.
Because while those other EVs are based on clean-sheet designs, the i7 is just one version of a car that continues with combustion engines. It shares styling and tech — including an available fold-down, rear-seat widescreen monitor — with internal-combustion 7 Series models. So it offers a more traditional approach to luxury for EV buyers who don’t want to change anything about their cars except the method of propulsion.
Those buyers will also pay a slight premium. The i7 starts at $120,295, compared to $114,595 for the 760i xDrive, the first gasoline 7 Series model of the new generation. BMW also plans to offer a less expensive gasoline 740i for $94,295 sometime after launch. But when you’re spending this much on a new car, those aren’t huge differences.

Design and interior
The new 7 Series — and by extension the i7 — is sure to prove controversial due to BMW’s new front-end styling, which combines a massive grille sure to stoke internet memes and odd-looking two-tiered headlights. The effect is exaggerated by an available blacked-out front-end treatment, which makes it look like parts are missing.
Those styling elements carry over from gasoline 7 Series models to the i7, as does the hulk-like body shell, which is abnormally tall for a sedan, requiring steps at the hood and rear bumper to blend them with the thick center section of the body. The i7 also retains a long protruding hood, which is necessary to house the engine in gasoline 7 Series models, but is just an affectation here.
BMW claims the i7 will appeal to buyers who want a traditional luxury sedan first and an EV second. To be fair, the i7 is much more conventional-looking than the streamlined Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan and Lucid Air, or the grille-less Tesla Model S. But some of that work has been undone by BMW’s unorthodox design choices in other areas, which may not appeal to traditionalists either.
The i7 is sure to prove controversial due to BMW's new front-end styling.

Read more
GMC poured all of its truck-making expertise into the Sierra EV pickup
A 2024 GMC Sierra EV towing an Airstream trailer.

The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks are twins, and that will continue to be the case when they go electric.
Chevy unveiled its Silverado EV at CES 2022, and now it’s GMC’s turn. The 2024 GMC Sierra EV borrows some key features from its Chevy sibling, as well GMC’s first electric truck — the Hummer EV. Some of those features were actually pioneered by General Motors two decades ago on non-electric trucks, and are now making a comeback.
You can reserve a Sierra EV now, but deliveries aren’t scheduled to start until early calendar-year 2024. Production starts with a high-end Denali Edition 1 model, with other versions arriving for the 2025 model year.

Design
The Sierra EV updates the design language of the internal-combustion GMC Sierra for the electric age. A big grille is no longer needed for cooling, but it’s still an important styling element that designers didn’t want to break away from, Sharon Gauci, GMC executive director of global design, explained to Digital Trends and other media in an online briefing ahead of the truck’s reveal. The grille shape is now outlined in lights, with an illuminated GMC logo.
Like the Hummer EV and Silverado EV, the Sierra EV uses GM’s Ultium modular battery architecture which, among other things, means the battery pack is an integral part of the structure. So unlike most other trucks — including the rival Ford F-150 Lightning — the Sierra EV doesn’t have a separate frame. The cab and bed are one piece as well, all of which helps increase structural rigidity.
The Sierra EV also borrows the Midgate setup from the Silverado EV. First seen on the Chevy Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT in the early 2000s, it allows the bulkhead and glass behind the cab to be removed, effectively extending the bed. Combined with the fold-out MultiPro tailgate from the internal-combustion Sierra, it can expand the default 5.0-foot, 11-inch bed length to 10 feet, 10 inches. A frunk (GMC calls it the “eTrunk”) provides covered storage space as well.
Because it’s pitched as a premium vehicle, the Sierra EV gets upscale interior materials like open-pore wood trim and stainless steel speaker grilles for its Bose audio system. But the design itself, with a freestanding portrait touchscreen and rectangular instrument cluster, looks suspiciously similar to the Ford Mustang Mach-E cabin. The touchscreen even has the same big volume knob as the Ford. We hope GMC’s lawyers are ready.

Read more