My wife really likes the new Q7 after the Streets Of Tomorrow event, and she's due for something new. But she definately doesn't like the price and she's hemmin and hawin over if she thinks the asking price is really worth the product.

My comfort threshold for cars ... *any* mass produced car, is around 45-50k. After that it better be something really really special. Like Porsche special.

Obviously this forum is biased, you've all plunked down probably north of 60k for yours. But is anybody else questioning if the asking price is really worth the final product? In my mind it's about 10k over priced. Optioned how my wife wants it, we're looking at 63k. I'd have no problems paying 55k. But once I break 60, that to me opens up a different set of competitors and I'm not convinced the Q7 stacks up against them.

At 60k that's Range Rover territory isn't it?

You have to be a Audi "fan" to truely understand the Q7, Although it is a match to any SUV IMO.. is the Range Rover worth it more than a Q7.. I have the means to buy either one.. my choice was the Q7 for my family..

The Range Sport while great looking is not exactly special on the inside.
What won the day for us on the Q7 was wanting to lease it due to some tax benefits for us. Audi's Lease rates simply blew Land Rover and Porsche's away.

Would you consider the 3.6 version? I believe that would put you into your price range, although I haven't priced out all of the options that would normally be standard on the 4.2 Q7.

What makes a car more valuable?

Exclusivity?
Performance?
Quality?
Design?
Equipment?

In which of these areas does the RR beat the Q7?

One of the car magazines I subscribe to was hammering the RR LR3 after a one year test for being very unreliable (multiple trips to the dealer for different, and sometimes repeated visits for the same issue).

I really don't see ANY area where the Range Rover would be more desirable than the Q7.

Over here in blighty the v8 is selling for 96k us dollars - and thats not even loaded with all the gadgets - to do that an the car would be heading off to between to 110k plus!!! us dollars...

In uk our bottom of the range turbo diesel is shifting for 38k uk pounds / 76k us dollars roughly - and thats got nothing - no leather etc... Only thing thats "hi spec" is airsuspension is standard across the range...

So stop your whinging - and buy her the car - for 66k (33k in our pounds) thats a blooming bargin for a fully loaded car !!!

You'll be asking them to give the car away if you ask any lower!!! either that our they'll stick yet another 10k on ours to subsidise yours!!! So much for open markets...

just that it's pricing takes it further upscale than maybe it should.

Dunno, guess maybe since it's an SUV I'm having a hard time getting excited about spending so much money on it. It'll be my wife's, and as much as I like Audi's, I just don't see it being worth 60+ k.

I was hoping somebody come up with some reason why it's really cool. Probably just a price/value thing in my head. I'd spend 60k on a boxster/cayman without blinking ... but can't do it for an SUV, Audi or no.

Thanks for everybody's replies though. Can anybody else share why they chose the Q7?

Don't get me started on the difference in pay and the amount of vacation you guys get. My friends are always on bloody "holiday" to Spain or the south of France.

They've got plenty of money to spare and lots more free time to spend it. Fair trade in my book.

Need to see what the pricing is like too.

the one we are looking at if we go 4.2 is 69+ dealer installed options we want. Yeah it's pricey, but not something i would cal mass produced. Audi still sells far fewer cars than most people think.

i'm thinking of holding out for the USA diesel version.

Well, first, I wanted/needed an upscale high-quality full-size performance-oriented SUV. That meant it would be European or Asian. Then, was there anything on the road, or about to be on the road, that compared to the Q7? After considering GL450, X5 old and new, LX470, GX470, RR and RR Sport, LR3, Cayenne, etc., IMHO there was no comparison and the Q7 selected itself. I have no Audi bias - this is the first one I've owned. It's a great vehicle.

especially the sport. I have only heard good things about the sport, some say it might be the best RR ever built. And the LR3 is built 100% off of the RR Sport platform.

Pick up a LR3 HSE for about 50725 (originally a 56k dollar car) pretty easilly as long as you want to take off the lot. The Q7 is nice but I have a problem with audi's build quality right now.

Here is how we chose our Q7:

Requirements:
a) 7 seats
b) Strong engine
c) Luxury
d) Exclusivity and good looking
e) Light off-road capability
f) Monocouque design (not truck-like body-on-frame)
g) Full safety compliment
h) As many of the comfort appointments that we have on our '04 Lexus LS
i) Price limit: $120K
j) Good Dealer service

Our options were:

Lexus LX: misses f, aging

Volvo XC: misses d

Mercedes GL: misses j

LR3: misses b and c, clunky seat mechanisms, bad reliability record

Escalade: misses c, f and h, pedestrian image

Infiniti QX?: misses c,d and HUGE

Q7: meets all requirements.


Is any SUV worth $60K, or $120K? If we wanted to be reasonably practical then a lightly used second-hand Prado (Toyota's version of the Lexus GX) at $25K would've been more than enough for us. However, we WANTED more and we could afford to pay more withought affecting our long-term financial goals. That's why we drive a '07 Q7 instead of a '05 Prado.


---barrak

1.Looks,
2.Quality,
3.7 Seats
4.Massive,
5.Not so many around (to start with) unlike BMW X5 and RR
6.Staff at our dealership SO helpful.

And also for the fact that the Q7 expects to hold on to its value far more than any RR - they drop in price like a stone.

Regards

Hey - what are you on about !!!

If they tried to sell q7 at the uk prices in the states then no one would buy them... If Audi ever gets popular in the states then I'm sure you'll see the prices take off ;)

On reflection of your note!!

The people I work with in the states still take holidays - and they seem to head off for long periods of time - so not sure on the "short vacation time"

Also on reflection the jobs advertised in the states for my type of work is paying "loads" more than over in USA...

Ultimately if you live in SF, LA or NY then your likely to be stumped for cash due to property - not our fault...

However this has nothing to do with the fact that manufacturers see UK as a "cash cow" and love milking us for extra dosh!! Do a web search for rip off britain (too many middlemen) :)

<ul><li><a href="http://acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=fe7b25c6efe1f18f58b0124f63bf31dd&amp; threadid=25484">http://acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=fe7b25c6efe1f18f58b0124f63bf31dd&amp; threadid=25484</a</li></ul>

I was very surprised to how quick it was!!

You can get one nicely loaded right at $50k.
I would take a look at one!!

and talked to lots of owners. Overall its the typical internet phenomenon. You see all the problems and none of the high points. If you used that theroy no one should buy a B6 S4 or a A4 1.8t. I have talked to more people who have had no problems then those who have had problems. Also the dealers seem to care about their clients as does LR. Thats something I haven't seen from Audi.

that LR had about 5 part recalls on the LR3. If they are counting those then or course they are going to be bad on JD Powers List. At least LR fixes problems for users before all of them experience them. Can't say that much for audi.

Your "friend" is spinning you a yarn!!!
Your friend either works for a school or college or politics.

No one I have ever known in normal private business's has ever got 12 weeks outwith academia or politics !!!

In this country I get 20 days all in - if I want more then I have to pay to have the days extra! or work time in exchange for it !!

So really there isnt much of a difference at all with normal workers in the uk.

Just a rip off in the car market though!!!

I've now cancelled my q7 order since we're almost at the $2 to ?1 mark and that makes the prices even worse...

On any forum there will be lots of complaints. Nobody posts "another day of trouble-free driving". After following the LR3 forum for months, I was concerned about getting a bad one. My wife has had two flawless MDXs in a row and I felt more confident about getting a Q7.

I have had the exact opposite experience with mine. I went from years of driving Accords to a '96 A4 when they first came out. That car was a mess. In the 49,000 miles I owned it, it was at the dealer almost weekly. The clutch fell apart at 12 miles, it went through 3 power steering pumps, power door lock &amp; power window motors, 2 radios, loose suspension parts, warped brake rotors, ecu problem resulting in misfires, a constant "check engine light", A/C compressor, fuse issues and more. The dealer fixed every problem on one try and treated me so well that I bought a '98 A4 just before the warranty on the '96 A4 was up. The '98 A4 was nearly flawless for 150K miles. My '02 allroad had some issues but once again they were corrected on one try. The Audi dealer service department (Advisors and mechanics) is a big factor in determining if you will enjoy owning an Audi.

I honestly wish the new MDX was out, looks like its going to be much more performance oriented then the current one. I can't wait to go drive the RDX and see how the new SH-AWD works with an SUV. I actually just put a deposit down on a fully loaded Black on Black LR3 HSE. One thing that sealed the deal is I can have my iPod hooked up as well as SAT radio. Almost every other suv you got your choice of one or the other. Plus I think the LR3 is going to be the best in the winter.

It will be smaller than the current MDX and the price is going up $10K. Lots of technology included but a sticker price of nearly $50K puts it in a whole new league of competition. Plus, I have never been happy with the paint quality on any of the Honda/Acura vehicles we have owned, and the amount of rust on the suspension, brake components and underbody on our MDX is ridiculous after just 3 years. My biggest complaint is the "automatic" AWD system that you can't lock in AWD above 18 mph. That was the biggest reason I wanted to replace it with an LR3 or Q7.

I'll let you know what I think. And we have an MDX already so I can compare it to that.