What’s not?

• The Q7 might be lighter, but it’s still no beauty in our opinion. Our least favourite part of the design being the massive, upright and chunky chrome-trimmed front grille.
• Despite the weight-loss, you still feel the Q7’s bulk in corners – this is not a nimble SUV!
• The air suspension is more expensive, but if you do most of your mileage around town, it’s the best compromise in our opinion. The ride on our steel springs and optional 20-inch alloys was unsettled and ponderous at low speed and around town. Although the ride did improve at speed.
• The Q7 is beautifully made and well-equipped, but expensive at £50,340 and it’s easy to spend a lot more on options.
• There is more head and legroom in the new Q7, but the third row of seats is really only for children or adults on short journeys – as legroom is tight!

Verdict on the Audi Q7 3.0TDi V6 SE

The new Q7 is usefully improved and with all the weight-saving, is sure to make it a more attractive proposition for business users.

However, there’s a real wind of change going through the big SUV market this year, with popular rival, the Volvo XC90, also replaced – so how do they compare?

In Momentum D5 diesel form, the XC90 is worthy of serious consideration alongside the new Q7. For a start, the Volvo is over £4,500 cheaper, it goes into the 27% tax band versus the 28% of the Audi. However, another reason why the Volvo will be cheaper to run than the Audi is the 149 g/km CO2 figure of the Swede versus the 153 g/km of the Q7.

Of course, the big Audi SUV has bags of appeal – but if you’re in the market the XC90 is definitely worth a look.