Video highlights of this vehicle

What Is It?
2006 Audi Q7

What's Special About It?
Audi is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its quattro all-wheel-drive system by introducing its first SUV, the Audi Q7. On sale internationally in the spring of 2006, Frankfurt show-goers watched as German-born Dirk Nowitzi, the 7-foot-tall forward for the Dallas Mavericks, climbed from the cabin of the all-new Q7.

Measuring just over 200 inches long, 78 inches tall and 68.4 inches wide, the Q7 rides on a 118.2-inch wheelbase, and provides an adequate package to handle even the stretched limbs of a pro basketball player.

Seven-passenger seating is spread across three rows, with an adjustable second-row bench that allows its occupants to maximize their legroom. The Q7 has no trouble swallowing up cargo either, with 28 different seating/storage configurations to optimize interior space. Seventy-two cubic feet of cargo capacity is available with both rear seats folded flat, and cuts to 27.4 cubes when used as a five-passenger.

Available at launch with two engines, a gasoline-burning 345-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 with FSI direct fuel injection and a diesel 3.0 TDI six-cylinder rated at 312 hp, the Q7 is expected to add a hybrid version to its lineup in 2008. A six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission is paired with both engines.

All Q7s are equipped with Audi's quattro system, and a standard torque split of 40/60 front to rear.

The now familiar Audi family grille puts a recognizable face on the Q7, and sharply sloping D-pillars offer a coupelike profile. The Q7 comes in 11 colors, three of which are exclusive to the SUV.

What's Edmunds' Take?
With no shortage of luxury SUVs on the market, the real surprise is that it took the Q7 so long to enter the fray. But with the TDI already in place and the promise of a hybrid version on the horizon, Audi proves that the versatility of the Q7 lineup is worth the wait. — Kelly Toepke