Audi Q7 3.6: 20% off, but all the style and finesse of the 4.2

Many people are saying that the new 3.6 liter engine is the best solution between power and bargain. Now Car and Driver joins that group of people.

As we’ve found in other models, Audi’s recently introduced direct-injection V-6 and V-8 engines are prolific and engaging. Compared with the 4.2-liter V-8, the 3.6 produces 20-percent less horsepower (280 hp @ 6200 rpm) and 18-percent less torque (266 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm), resulting in a predicted 0-to-60-mph time of 8.2 seconds (compared with 7.5 for the 4.2 that we tested), but worth an extra mile or two per gallon (16/20 mpg city/hwy).

While numbers never lie, in this case, just as important as actual performance numbers is the character with which this power is delivered. Thanks in no small part to the precise injection of fuel within each cylinder, throttle response for the narrow-angle V-6 is just as impressive and immediate as that of the V-8. Both engines are remarkably quiet and smooth at cruising speeds; only when pushed hard does one miss the extra power of the V-8, and at that, only if one has actually experienced the difference. And that’s a difference that wanes in significance especially if one knows what he’s doing on a twisty two-laner with the six-speed Tiptronic automatic in manual mode.

All said, the 3.6 is a very, very likable package. Not as quick as the 4.2 but nowhere near as expensive, we anticipate a majority of Q7s to be thus equipped once word gets out that they’re finally available.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, Audi Q7

Source: Car and Driver via AudiWorld

Audi Q7 3.6: 20% off, but all the style and finesse of the 4.2

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