| vip9 |
As promised, here is my 2-week review and thoughts. I hope to post news/views as they happen. I just hope they will not be only about Audi service dept. if you know what I mean. :(
After waiting impatiently for a 2007 MDX and being somewhat disappointed, I started shopping around and Q7 was definitely on my radar. However, the actual purchase was quite unexpected and spontaneous. So, in my review and comparison I will mostly refer to my old 2001 MDX and to what I've gathered about 2007 MDX from the posts here and brief visit to a local Acura dealer rather than thorough research and hands-on comparisons.
Also, I was "forced" to get the Q7 off the dealer's lot, so it has some things I did not care about or wouldn't want for the price that it comes at. But, what's done is done...
I have a Q7 3.6 (6-cylinder) Premium (as opposed to base.) The total sticker was around $57K. Invoice is around $53K. My understanding is that the only things this car DOES NOT have are adjustible air-suspension, rear camera and side-assist.
My first impression of the car is that it has some very nifty and smart features. Yet, some of the very features I like are sometimes so weird or outright "stupid" that I scratch my head like "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???"
On the outside, the car is gorgeous. IMO it is the best-looking mid-large lux SUV on the market ( I love the way Denali looks for example, or MB GL - but those are "full size")
Muscular, good looking nose, and despite following this "weird" new fad about water-drop-shaped rear it looks much better than MB R-class or MDX. The MB (especially in black) looks to me like a hearse.
The power tailgate has the "height-memory" feature - very neat for shorter people or low garages.
The adjustable HID headlights that turn with the car are neat.
Front and rear foglights are very bright. Fully lit the car looks like a Xmas tree!
My Q7 rides on 19" 7-spoke wheels. Sweet look!
PICTURES TO FOLLOW!
to be continued... |
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| vip9 |
The Q came in dark-dark blue with light-grey/biege interior.:crying:
Not exactly my choice of colors, but the only one they had with 3 rows and 6 cylinders. Oh well. Everybody in my family takes a shower and wipes their feet before they get to ride in it :)
1. Visibilty - out the front and sides - great! Rear... not bad.
Thanks to HUGE side mirrors - blind spots are minimal. These side mirrors are a separate post of its own probably. One word - great! 01 MDX had relatively large mirrors. 2007 MDX - a joke IMO. This is one of those where size does really matter.
Looking out the back through the rear mirror is obstructed by large headrests which CANNOT be removed! They can be folded forward, preventing anybody to sit in the seat. So, my 2 kids who use car seats and do not really need the headrests.... too bad.
Thick D-Pillars do not help either. But all-in-all visibility is OK.
2. Utility/Size. Based on observation, the Q is about a foot longer than 01 MDX and a few inches more narrow. Sloping roof in the back + high rear bumper take away some of the cavernous trunk space I was used to with the old MDX. Not sure of the new one though. 3-rd seats are large! Seat cushions and all. But leg room is tight. Being 6'1" I cannot sit there even when the 2nd row seats are pushed forward. My wife who is 5'8" was OK but not as confortable as in the 01 MDX. However, 07 MDX is as tight as the Q.
The big drawback is the hump in the middle of the 2nd row. My wife who usually sits back there between 2 car seats swears that she is as comfortable as she was in the X. I cannot really see how she can be - but she is happy and that's all that matters :)
3. Comfort. Front seats are HUGE and comfortable. Leather feels great. 4-way electronic lumbar for driver and front passenger are SPECTACULAR. My bad back really appreciates this feature.
Headroom is not as bad as I initially thought. With my seat all the way up, I have about 1" to the ceiling (sun shade)
The seats are larger than 01 MDx, so those curved sides which are supposed to hold me during turns - they do not quite grip my relatively large frame. My body shifts about 1" during sharp turns before the seat "catches" me.
Bun-warmer for all 4 people are 6-settings adjustable.
But here's one of those WEIRD parts - they are linked to climate control so whether you want it or not, tunring it on will also turn on the blower. Plus, it will take some practice to do it "blind".
Very bad ergonomics.
Rear seats - as I mentioned - are as good as 01 MDX - 3 people easily (2 car seats and the wife in my case) minus of course that hump. Several reclining settings. Plenty of leg room. But if pushed forward to allow for the legroom in the 3rd row - not as much. |
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| vip9 |
I did not exactly jump into the Q from a Yugo, so "luxury" is not really a "wow" factor for me.
I am impressed with a panoramic 3-pane sunroof and the sunshade which can remain closed while the roof is open.
Bluetooth is very nice. But, there are some buttons on the steering wheel which lack description in the manual :( and do "things" which are hard to understand or explain.
MMI (multimedia interface) is kind of cute - but do not expect to drive and enjoy all its features at the same time. Once again. ergonomics are way off.
I love digital speedometer in the dash. That's a part of MMI and it can be adjusted to display various other parameters. I also love that Q does not have that stupid dial that showed MPG in the MDX. I found it very hard not to look at the gas consuption figures, especially when the gas hit $3.50 per gallon. It was very distracting.
I never cared about navigation. So the fact that this car has it... oh well, it failed to lead me to my house in the mountains of Pa the same way my portable Dell Axim failed, or the Navs in my friends' Lexus or Infinity, or Mapquest, YahooMaps, etc. It's not the navigation, it's the maps behind it. If the area is poorly mapped nothing will help. There are some voice commands - I am not yet sure if that applies to nav.
Real wood inserts are nice.
Dead pedal is wonderful.
Sirius radio is cute - who cares?!?!?!
Bose is nice isn't it? All those 10 speakers and subwoofers sound just as good (or bad?) as the stock audio in the base 01 MDX (TO MY EARS)
6-cd changer that is supposedly reading MP3 and everything else refused to read 2 of my copied CD-Rs - while home stereo played them OK.
4 separate climate controls are great.
Folding side mirrors are nice. Very helpful in tight places.
All 3 mirrors are auto-dimming. Great feature.
Right mirror moves when I put the car in reverse - like 01-06 Touring or the new MDX. But a weird thing - it would move back after the car goes forward at 5 mph (not sure about MDX?) - parked on the left side of a one-way street I had to "improvise" to get out of the parking spot. Of course, I could have moved the switch to another position...
Sun visor - one of my gripes with 07 MDX. Where's the extension????? Well, Q solved it differently - they have 2 sun visors. One can be flipped to the side while the other continues to protect the front. But, they do not cover as much as the 01 MDX's.
Looking forward to test Quattro. MDX got stuck in winter a few times - and I am not talking about 3 feet of snow. :( So, shovel was one of my main accessories in winter driving. I hope for better perfarmance from the Q. |
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| vip9 |
The last of the "first impressions" :)
Weird stuff...
Lets' start from the back...
Cargo cover - comes standard. Goes both ways! :) What a great feature! Retractible shades attach to the 2nd row seat-backs. A good idea for a sliding 2nd row. But... if I decide to put up 3rd row - the only place to keep the cover is in the garage! There is no storage for it behind 3rd row like in the 01 X.
There is no provision for a cargo net. For a SUV, especially with the auto-opening tailgate - how can they not think of that? I somehow managed to attach the one I salvaged from the X - but it's not a solution.
I already mentioned huge headrests. They cannot be removed (as far as I understand) - so they either block the view or prevent anybody from sitting in the seat.
Poor ergonomics - all throughout the driver's controls. - Cruise control lever is right below turn signal - I already flashed high-beams a few times when I tried to engage the CC.
Some weird poorly-documented buttons on the steering wheel.
Arm-rest in the middle has a cup-holder w/o cover (thankfully on the passenger side) Base model has it on both sides. So the elbow "rests" nicely inside a cupholder. W E I R D.
Spare tire is deflated. The car comes with a compressor that is supposed to inflate it in 10 minutes. I hope the weather is nice outside if I ever need to do that. Of course, I can call roadside assistance... but what if the cell phone reception is bad?
:confused:
Overall, storage is smaller than the X. Glove box is shallow. Arm rest storage is a joke.
Door pockets are bigger though than the X.
Rear doors have ashtrays, but the front doesn't. Nor is there a lighter. Go figure.
Not sure if it is "weird" or nice - child locks are controlled by buttons on my door. Once engaged they also disable rear A/C controls, sun roof controls, etc.
Very convenient when I have adults car-pooling to work with me - no need to remember to flip the switch.
But, with the locks engaged, if I turn on the climate control, the only way to turn off the rear A/C or heat is to dis-engage the locks.
Well, all in all it's not THAT bad. As long as it stays in 1 piece and spends most of the time on the road with me inside and not in the shop, I will be very happy and satisfied.
I will post pictures and further reviews later.
Thanks for reading. |
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| sgtglok |
Great review, vip9! The 'wierd' part is what keeps me away from German brands. Sorry to hear you had problems with your '01 in snow. I bet you had the original GY Integrities - the crappiest tire I ever had.
For me, 5 past winters (4 in '01 - with upgraded tires, and 1 in '05 on MXTs) was a blast. It's the only time of year, I get to shift between gears (mostly 1 and 2). I hope you get better handling with quattro. Again, looking for your impressions. |
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| vip9 |
Almost 3 months and 3 K.
Gripes: Another irritant - CHECK OIL PRESSURE light comes on once a week or so, usually on particularly cold mornings. Dealer upgraded software, plus I often check oil level myself - so I know it's not really the OIL problem. But s/w update did not do much.
:( The light usually clears itself almost instantly or goes away on restart.
MPG is not great - about 14 with 60-40 highway-city split. 01 X had about 18 in similar driving. Not really a fair comparison though - the X ALWAYS had Premium gas, plus the engine was smaller. Q7 is on a strict regular diet :) and is heavier.
The brakes started squeaking :( ALREADY?!?!?! Only 3K! :mad:
Pluses: Still the level of luxury, various little things, ease of importing my cel phone book, all those one-touch buttons and all. All-in-all satisfaction level in the first 3 months of Q-ownership is about 75% compared to retrospectively-adjusted 65-70% for the X.
The 6-level seat warmers are amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if I could cook an egg omelet at the high setting. :) With temps close to 0 on several mornings within the last few weeks I cannot even begin to tell you how much that helped.
I am amazed how easy it is to park the Q. Even w/o rear camera or park assist. Must be those 1-2 inches in width and SPECTACULAR side-view mirrors.
Now, the snow handling... NYC area got its first snow storm and it's the fugly beast... maybe only 1-3" of snow, but plenty of ice!
Drive to work today was UNEVENTFUL - just what I would hope for. Q appears to be better than the early (NEW TIRES) impressions from the X era. With tires getting older, X behaved in snow like cow on ice :( Shovel was my most important winter accessory.
Will hit NE Pa this weekend, so hopefully will finally get the taste for 1' + snow handling.
I see more and more new X in my area - mostly black. Intreresting since the prevalent color for 01-06 MDX is silver.
Since I never got to test-drive the new X, my only impressions are the looks. To me, the Q is like Vanessa Williams next to Ugly Betty - the new X. |
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| sgtglok |
Hey, fellow brooklynite. I guess others don't check this forum often, but I've been waiting for your comments after the past few snowy days.
First, about the comments on '07 MDX color. I think it looks best in black. Other colors make it look... well, ordinary, IMO. 01-06 models did not seem to get the same effect on me (that why I never got neither '01 nor '05 in black).
I love the looks of Q7, but 4 things concern me: reliability issues, locating a decent dealer in NYC area, 3.6 Premium similarly equipped to 3.7 Tech costs over 7k more, and finally - the weight difference: over 6000 lb vs ~4500 lb.
Lastly, back to snow handling of MDX. I am 100% convinced that your GY Integrity tires caused all the headaches. I shouldn't say it until this winter is over, but still haven't had any issues with the snow. I had 3-5 inches infront of my house on the road, and I simply plowed the road with my X. Of course, in snow, I typically drive on 2nd gear, not D(overdrive). Btw, I drive to work to NJ every day, going off-road in one part as a shortcut. |
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| vip9 |
Hey, Sarge. Nice to hear from you again. This is the MDX forum so who cares about a deserter who is hailing his Q7 ;)
First of all - tires. Acura put those GY on the X. Had they put on snow tires or better yet - chains, snow handling would be incredible. Of course, all other handling would suck :)
Where in NJ do you drive to? I go to Hackensack, and NJ tpke was a nightmare on Wednesday. I do not recall seeing so many spinouts and fender-benders.
Very poor response to weather conditions by road crews, IMO.
Audi IS INDEED heavier. Looks heavier, feels heavier, consumes gas like a MUCH heavier SUV (compared to '01)
The price is hard to justify. I still think I got a very reasonable deal on mine, so I am happy. I stopped going to a certain (ONLY :) ) Audi dealer in Brooklyn after a few weird moments both in the showroom and at the service dept.
So far I was happy with a service dealer in NJ right by my work. And, of course I was quite happy with the selling dealer - I can always recommend them if you are interested - only 90 minutes away.
Reliability is iffy for the first model year - I never learn do I??? :(
Still , the feel and overall "problem-meter" of the Q is better than the X was IMO.
Going to Poconos this weekend and from what I heard there are some nice snow banks left to plough through. Will keep you posted. |
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| sgtglok |
I commute to Weehawken, take Belt/BQE/Brooklyn Bridge/Holland on a way to work, and Turnpike/Bayonne/Verrezano/Belt on the way home, so I get around if you know what I mean... ;)
Every day this past week was like going in/out the battle. Still, cannot even begin to think how it must feel to get stranded on the highway for the whole day http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070215.../winter_weather, so I'll bite 1+ hr commute.
Enjoy the weekend! |
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| vip9 |
Commuting to work app. 80 miles through 2 major snow/ice/slush storms I must say that I am quite impressed. Also, ploughing through my knee-deep driveway in the mountains of Pa, I must admit that Quattro feels MUCH better than VTM-4.
In the 'X early going I always compared it to 5 winters driving in Subaru Outback. As I posted here 6 years ago, Subaru handled better, even with almost 2-3 " less of ground clearance.
Q feels much more sure-footed in this weather than the X as well.
Now, on to second "first impressions" - weird stuff.
1. Roof rails - look great, especially that stainless steel against the dark body. But w/o any holes and openings, they are totally useless unless optional crossbars $$$$ are installed. There is no way to tie anything to the roof unless I pass the rope through car windows.
2. Wiper controls - if I need to spray the windshield - I have to pull the lever - the same lever that I have to push to engage the rear wiper. So, it becomes a multi-step process to spray-clean the windshield while maintaining clean rear window.
3. Bun warmer controls tied to heating controls - no way to turn on, off or adjust SPECTACULAR 6-setting seat warmers w/o turning on the blower. Once again, becomes a multi-step annoyance requiring to take my eyes off the road.
4. One-touch up/down on all 4 windows - great feature until I want to just crack-open one of the windows - takes about 3-4 attempts to "catch" it just in the right position.
5. Gas tank cover gets stuck - there are a bunch of "male-female" couplings inside the cover which I presume are there to make sure it aligns properly with the body. Well, there is either too much friction in one of those couplings or they become frozen. And the lock spring is not strong enough to push it open. I now keep a plastic spoon to pry the cover a bit before going around to push the button again. My car-pooling co-workers get a thourough kick out of it - my car now officially costs $60,000.01 - that penny is for the spoon. Funny but annoying. . :rolleyes: That's the first thing to be mentioned at the next service appt.
Well, that's about it. No THUD, no dead batteries, no other annoying or damaging stuff that I experienced with the X or some 07 X-ers experience now.
All in all I am happy - and for my money that's all that matters. |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by vip9
... Nice to hear from you again. This is the MDX forum so who cares about a deserter who is hailing his Q7 ;)
I do not login nearly as often as I used to; so I never even saw your thread. But I will say hi to a fellow Oldtimer; even a deserter;) Glad you are enjoyng the new ride. |
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| drjay |
quote:
Originally posted by vip9
PICTURES TO FOLLOW!...
Great thread! I enjoy reading your posts. Did you forget the pics? |
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| vip9 |
Hey, MSU, I also do not frequent this board anymore. But, whatever forums I found for Q7, they pale in comparison to this. So, even an outcast :) I enjoy hanging around and posting here and there.
Besides, in 2 years when my lease is up and many quirks in the MDX are addressed (and, maybe, my local Acura dealer replaces the a$$hole manager)... who knows :) After all a fully-loaded X is almost 40% cheaper than the fully-loaded Q7. :4:
Drjay - I did not forget the pics. I just did not get around to taking them - sorry. I like taking pictures of my cars and Q is not an exception. There are many beautiful angles on this car as well as a bunch of weird stuff I am dying to capture for ages (and this board) :)
Thanks for kind word. Stay tuned. |
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| dj-mdx2 |
| Saw this on ebay. The rear spoiler looks a bit much but I like the rest of it. I never realized how similar the backend of the Q7 is to the 07 X, especially the taillights. If they come out with the hybrid in 08/09, this will be a nice Euro SUV. |
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