Hats off to Audi for keeping it real. It’s clearly conscious of the growing unpopularity of big, fuel-devouring 4x4s, so has added a new, fuel-efficient diesel engine to the Q7 line up. That engine just happens to be a 6.0-litre V12.
Ok, so pitching a 493bhp V12 diesel that’s capable of hurling two-plus tonnes of Q7 to 100kmph in just 5.5sec as ‘fuel efficient’ might just be over playing the planet-friendly card slightly. It’s perhaps better to convince yourself that the Q7 flagship is a sensible seven-seat family car that’s capable of 25mpg.
Potency and relative fuel-efficiency aside, the biggest problem with the V12 is that it’s nowhere near as refined as a big-capacity petrol engine. Console yourself with the V12 is as superbly built as any Q7, and is full of all the creature comforts you could ever dream of. How you convince your bank manger that it’s worth almost double the price of the excellent 3.0-litre diesel version is quite another story.