cruiser647 Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 I saw this, and thought of you lot! Jeremy Clarkson Audi Q7 V12 TDI quattro review | Driving - Times Online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Rubbish, yet brilliant Not read it yet, but I know the V12 Q7 is slower round Bedford than the Fiat 500 Abarth. Something to do with lack of cornering ability Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Not read it yet, but I know the V12 Q7 is slower round Bedford than the Fiat 500 Abarth. Something to do with lack of cornering ability He's out on real roads chasing the Hamster on his GSX1300 bike, and seems impressed that the bike cannot really pull away (rider dependent, he acknowledges!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Agree that it'll be fast as feck in a straight line - Evo slated it though for it's inability to go round anything with a curve in it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 It's certainly no track animal.. that's for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 I just can't think of any reason to have one though, other than as a dick measuring tool (sic)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 All I'll say to that is that you obviously haven't driven one. Live with one for a week and whatever preconceptions you have will be altered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 No, I don't mean a Q7, Dave, just the V12 TDI Q7. I wouldn't have one because I don't like SUVs or the look of the Q7. I've driven a 3.0TDI and it's a great luxury barge, just not for me. If you want more oomph, buy a V8, but why buy a V12 TDI, other than if you're a footballer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Ok .. get ya... i agree.. Why anyone would shed out almost double what the V8 tdi costs is beyond me... My Q7 does 0 to 60 in around 6 and a half seconds.. it will cost you £40,000 more to shave one second off that, and as you say.. it's no better around the corners. I reckon residuals will also be shockingly bad.. i could be tempted by a second hand one should they half in price within 24 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahankins Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 I had a look for a used one a couple of months back, oddly enough there were none listed by Audi and only a couple in the other haunts. I'd be interested to have a go, I had a Q7 3.0 for a week as a loaner from Audi. I found it horridly slow and ponderous, to actually get it moving at any sensible rate required a lot of gas. Fuel consumption wasn't good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Don't think you'll find a used V12 TDI mate - they've only just been launched Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahankins Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 ....that might explain it! They've been on the used car search for a couple of months though, didn't pay any attention to launch, Q7 wasn't really my cup of tea.....RS6 more up my street Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Somewhere in the TSN archives is my Abt Rs6 (C5).. it was a great piece of kit, but i do prefer my Q7 believe it or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaans Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 The point of the v12 tdi is for audi to show what they can do. And let rich bastards like me buy it lol. The V12 wasnt built to go around the race track, it wasnt built to race against porsche cayennes. Its just to show that they can make something powerful. The people at Audi aint stupid. They know that theyll hardly sell any of them and even if they do itll go to the rich people adding to their car collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 The point of the v12 tdi is for audi to show what they can do. And let rich bastards like me buy it lol. The V12 wasnt built to go around the race track, it wasnt built to race against porsche cayennes. Its just to show that they can make something powerful. The people at Audi aint stupid. They know that theyll hardly sell any of them and even if they do itll go to the rich people adding to their car collection. Exactly, believe it or not there will be a market for these. Maybe in the US or UAE, but not really in Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I really do like the idea of a V12 Q7, really I do - I'd consider changing the RS 6 for one. Here's why I don't think I'm crazy: After the 580 PS tour-de-force that is the RS 6, what other vehicle on earth could one moment be driving granny to the shops, then the next moment blasting along a country road in front of a sports bike, showing him a clean pair of heels round all but the tightest corners, then the next moment loading a fridge-freezer into the back and still spanking the majority of Porsches out there away from the lights? Nothing. Nothing else out there that I know of has the blend of luxury, relaxation, comfort, load-carrying ability and outright fire-breathing lunacy of an RS 6 Avant. So, what the hell do you do when a year and a quarter in, and Audi still haven't made a replacement? Last time round, the last RS 6 was replaced with an equally horsepowered W12, then the S8. Where's the A8 V10T with 580PS then? Doesn't exist. And what a huge pity that is. So, if I have to either accept a car that can't load more than one slice of Kraft cheese in the luggage area, or one that's ponderously slow and liable to being kept up with by milk floats, or heaven forbid, Kias or Daewoos. Or do I? Yes, a V12 Q7 is slower than an RS 6 and it will not go round corners the same way. But, it will do one thing the RS 6 does wonderfully that is a boon to me every single day in the rural county I live in. It overtakes. Not just a bit, but a lot. Eight cars behind a lorry behind a tractor doing 35 mph, and nobody's going anywhere. Apart from the cocky b*****d in the RS 6 who kicks it down into 2nd and has the lot in under 100 meters. Even with a fridge-freezer on board. How many times have I had the RS 6 on a track? None. How many times would I expect to have a Q7 on track? None. No loss there then. So, what's stopping me? The rather extortionate list price, to be honest. It makes a new Range Rover supercharged look like a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Oh, and I think Clarkson's started channeling me recently - I think it, he writes it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 as you know i have the V8 tdi and it's a great car, and as comments go, i get more in this than i ever did in the rs! In fact i was doing the school run a couple of weeks ago and a mum i know came up to me and sked me what it's like to drive a 4 and a half litre engine!!. i lamely replied that it was much like driving anything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I would never buy one for it's sheer size and price tag, but I do accept there is a market, albeit a small one. BMW know it as they are bringing out the X5M, Mercedes know it as they have the ML AMG, and Porsche the Cayenne Turbo. So it's not Lunacy on the manufacturers part... just too much spare cash amonst a minority of consumers. Audi will probably make more cash on one V12 than 20 A3's, so i'm sure the economics stack up. I just spent a week in Truro Dave, what a lovely city that is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Audi will probably make more cash on one V12 than 20 A3's, so i'm sure the economics stack up. Premium manufacturers really don't make money on small cars, and the big ones have been subsidising them somewhat. It's something the industry needs to get to grips with, according to The Economist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I just spent a week in Truro Dave, what a lovely city that is? Yea, great city, albeit a little bit small in the shopping stakes. Truro Audi are just up the road and a great bunch of guys PS.. Q7 is just a class motor.. ticks so many boxes.. Ok, looks are take it or leave it but it's also just capable of everything you could wish for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Premium manufacturers really don't make money on small cars, and the big ones have been subsidising them somewhat. It's something the industry needs to get to grips with, according to The Economist. Did I read somewhere that a car needs to cost upwards of £7k before the manufacturer makes their money back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjgreen4 Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 seen one in march this year in St Moritz, had grey calipers as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted October 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 seen one in march this year in St Moritz, had grey calipers as well Did you hear the thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Did I read somewhere that a car needs to cost upwards of £7k before the manufacturer makes their money back? Wouldn't surprise me if it's very marginal below 7 or 8 grand, regardless of volume of sales or cheapness of construction, not in a "Western market" car anyway (I guess Tata could do something cheaper just about). of course, at the other extreme, there's the Veyron effect, where R&D is just so expensive, you don't anticipate making money, and just do it as a halo exercise. The problem for carmakers seems to be the whole sub 10 grand market, where feature creep was fine while they were making bucket loads of money from "big cars" full of toys to fund R&D (it's not just marketing that means new gadgets come out in premium cars first!) of technology to filter down when manufacturing costs reduce through efficiency and volume. If the small car trend carries on, I can see development cycles for chassis and major mechanicals slowing down, and more refreshes and facelifts of existing base platforms, apart from the flurry of "green" activity to meet environmental targets. I think VW/Audi have made a smart move with MLP, and it could put them ahead of the game. Either way, it's going to be an interesting four to five years for the industry, then another period of serious change for the following five. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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