Life is full of surprises. You never know where and when, but there are endless surprises anywhere and everywhere, and they can be around any corner just waiting for you.
Turn that corner and you could meet a new friend or lover, in the bookstore, coffee shop, or even at the supermarket. Go around the next bend and there could be a new car waiting for you in the showroom.
In this instance, it could be the new Audi Q7.
The new Q7 is the first car in the Volkswagen Group to use the Modular Longitudinal Matrix Evo (MLB 2/MLBevo) platform, which is also set to underpin the next Porsche Cayenne, the Volkswagen Touareg and the eagerly awaited Bentley Bentayga as well as a whole new generation of Audi models, including the upcoming all new A4.
Exterior
The second generation Q7 showcases a whole new design direction for Ingolstadt's 'Q' family, so we can expect future replacements for the Q3 and Q5, as well as the new Q1 due next year, to follow suit.
Back to the Q7, there won't be any trouble distinguishing the flagship SUV. Key styling cues such as the bold Singleframe grille has been retained, although it is now larger and tauter than before, giving the car a more athletic look.
At the same time, a strong beltline running back from the Matrix LED head lights along the side of the car hint at the old Audi Quattro's boxy wheel arches and also give the impression the car sits closer to the ground, while the flowing roofline and roof bars enhance the car's modern look.
Up close, the new Q7 appears a tad smaller and generally less imposing than its predecessor. In fact, it looks almost like a high-riding stationwagon with oversized wheel arches.
These impressions are backed up by the car's dimensions - at 5,052mm in length, 1,968mm in width and 1,740mm in height, it is 37mm shorter, 15mm narrower and 3mm taller than the outgoing Q7.
Interior
There was nothing distinctly wrong with the interior style and feel of the previous Q7. But that is until you open the doors of this new one.
Until the arrival of the new A8 luxury saloon, the Q7 represents the pinnacle of Audi interior design, including the stylish and beautifully constructed dashboard.
Every surface that surrounds the driver is appealing to both the eyes and the fingertips, while the standard of the fit and finish is truly immaculate.
Despite being shorter and narrower than the car it replaces, the new Q7 manages to be bigger inside. This is achieved through clever packaging, with the seven-seat layout being fully configurable so you can make the most of it.
There was nothing distinctly wrong with the interior style and feel of the previous Q7. But that is until you open the doors of this new one.
Until the arrival of the new A8 luxury saloon, the Q7 represents the pinnacle of Audi interior design, including the stylish and beautifully constructed dashboard.
Every surface that surrounds the driver is appealing to both the eyes and the fingertips, while the standard of the fit and finish is truly immaculate.
Despite being shorter and narrower than the car it replaces, the new Q7 manages to be bigger inside. This is achieved through clever packaging, with the seven-seat layout being fully configurable so you can make the most of it.
Three adults will fit comfortably in the middle row and legroom is limo-like when the seats are slid all the way back.
Even when they are placed in their forward-most position, there is enough kneeroom and doing this also frees up enough legroom behind for two pint-sized adults to sit in the rear seats that pop up (at the flick of a switch) from the boot floor.
Speaking of boot, the Q7 offers a decent 295 litres of capacity with all seven seats in use while the load space increases to 770 litres with five seats.
The boot lip is also now 50mm lower to the ground so loading stuff in and out is easier and there's a hands-free boot opener, too.
The Drive
Powering the new Q7 is an improved version of Audi's 3.0-litre TFSI supercharged motor that puts out 333bhp and 440Nm of torque.
It's a very strong engine indeed, with a brisk yet smooth surge of acceleration when you prod the right pedal, allowing the car to reach 100km/h in 6.3 seconds, which is quick enough to embarrass a hot hatch.
More importantly, it's the way the Q7 delivers its prodigious pace that is so disarming. Where a hot hatch tends to leap off the line, the big SUV never feels hurried. Instead, it surges forward in a refined and relentless manner.
Gear cogs from the eight-speed Tiptronic transmission are smooth and precise, and this helps to keep things spinning in the sweet spot of that wide torque band for swift and secure movement.
As rapid as it is, the Q7 remains a large SUV that's relaxed and luxurious. The ride on the optional 20-inch wheels and standard air suspension is excellent in Audi's drive select system's Comfort mode, and the car is impressively agile in Dynamic, which drops the ride height and firms up the adaptive damping.
Weighing 240kg (this variant) lighter than before with a lower centre of gravity and redesigned suspension, the Q7 feels positively transformed.
Powering the new Q7 is an improved version of Audi's 3.0-litre TFSI supercharged motor that puts out 333bhp and 440Nm of torque.
It's a very strong engine indeed, with a brisk yet smooth surge of acceleration when you prod the right pedal, allowing the car to reach 100km/h in 6.3 seconds, which is quick enough to embarrass a hot hatch.
More importantly, it's the way the Q7 delivers its prodigious pace that is so disarming. Where a hot hatch tends to leap off the line, the big SUV never feels hurried. Instead, it surges forward in a refined and relentless manner.
Gear cogs from the eight-speed Tiptronic transmission are smooth and precise, and this helps to keep things spinning in the sweet spot of that wide torque band for swift and secure movement.
As rapid as it is, the Q7 remains a large SUV that's relaxed and luxurious. The ride on the optional 20-inch wheels and standard air suspension is excellent in Audi's drive select system's Comfort mode, and the car is impressively agile in Dynamic, which drops the ride height and firms up the adaptive damping.
Weighing 240kg (this variant) lighter than before with a lower centre of gravity and redesigned suspension, the Q7 feels positively transformed.
But as much as its mass and inertia are well-hidden in tighter bends, the law of physics cannot be bent. Nonetheless, the big SUV turns in with notably more verve, less body roll, and holds the road with greater determination than before.
To make things better and a little more agile, Audi has one trick up its sleeve, and that is the optional four-wheel steering system that was fitted on our test car.
At high-speeds, the system turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels to boost stability. Vice versa, the Q7 turns its front and rear wheels in opposite directions at low speeds, allowing it to turn tighter and more comparable to something much smaller, like a Q3.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this car doesn't comes cheap, with a costly $361,600 (as of 6th November 2015) sticker. But it's a price worth paying because if you have to drive halfway across continents, this may well be the car to do it in.
While the Audi Q7 is no sports saloon, for something that can carry seven people and go a little off the beaten track, it can be surprisingly fun.
