If you go to the NY Auto show with low expectations for the Q7, you will go home very happy!

[Paul3.2A4avant]

After reading the previous posts, I was almost afraid to see the Q7 in person. Having seen it, I really like it and don't agree with previous comments. First of all, the exterior is big, but not Tahoe/Navigator big. Think longer Touareg, which is sorta what it is. The grill looks just fine, and I like the rugged look it gives the Q7 so it won't be called a minivan. Yes, my '02 allroad had a slightly nicer interior (give or take the 2-tone seats) but the Q7 has one of the nicest interiors of any SUV. Plus, did the person that complained about the Q7 interior see the LR3 interior before he bought it? IMO, the Q7 interior is far superior to the LR3 interior. Some other things I noticed when comparing it to our MDX...The front foot wells are deeper and provide more leg room. The rear seats can be moved front & back. You can adjust how high the tailgate opens. (I finally had to ask why the tailgate height was different on the 2 Q7's) That is great because I have bumped my head on the MDX tailgate so many times. Finally, the floor size of the "way back" is the same as the MDX...44" deep by 48" wide. However, the downward sloping roof does reduce valuable space somewhat. If I need more space, I'll put a Thule box on the roof, once I figure out how the factory cross bars attach. In summary, seeing the Q7 in person probably knocked the LR3 out of contention. This is how a $55K vehicle should look...modern and high quality. Some other observations: People were climbing all over the Q7s. You had to wait to sit in it. MB left their GL450 locked-up which really aggrivated people. Once I saw the goofy vents on the GL450 hood, I kept walking. The new TT is nice. I like the more aggressive styling that makes it look less like it is related to the VW beetle. Nobody paid any attention to the RS4 or S6. Maybe only true Audi fans know how special they are. Hey Acura, your new RDX has the exact same taillights as my A4 Avant. Overall, what a top notch show. It makes the New England Auto Show look like any random indoor parking garage.

[911]

Paul,

Thanks for the write up. That's too bad that the RS4 was kind of ignored. If I weren't looking for a family car then I would have most likely placed an order for the RS4. IMO, it's the best looking sports sedan on the market. And it has the performance to back up it's aggressive look, too.

[ittazvic]

The Q7 is too big for my needs right now but it's a nice looking truck. The interior seems to be a notch below my current '04 allroad, '05 A8 and '05 cab.
I don't like the current A6/Q7 dash - too much plastic area with no contrasting textures/colors(I like wood). When I opened the front passenger door on the Q7 I was struck by the large area of plastic. There was also a bad reflection of this large dash onto the windshield because of the light color(wasn't it a German thing to always have a black dash to minimize reflections?).
For now, I have to go with the X5 as the allroad replacement. Lack of included FULL maintenance and size tipped the scales on this one.