Audi Q7 V12 running costs
Discussion
Help me out PHers! I need a seven-seater and after years of tedious 2.0-litre diesel people carriers I finally have the budget to get something a bit more...well...silly. It'll be our only car, and the budget isn't massive, but an Audi Q7 V12 TDI is in range. Obscene, but with a Le Mans-derived engine I can kind of get behind it.
But what are the running costs? A £100k-new car won't be cheap, but can anyone help me?
PS. Backup option is an BMW X5 xDrive50i (E70)...but getting them with seven seats is hard...
But what are the running costs? A £100k-new car won't be cheap, but can anyone help me?
PS. Backup option is an BMW X5 xDrive50i (E70)...but getting them with seven seats is hard...
I can't offer a horribly useful reply as I've precisely zero experience with these beyond hearsay.
Unless the sheer stupidity (the good kind of stupid) is the deciding factor I'd also throw the 4.2 TDI into your search. You'll get a newer car for the same money and the 8 speed box makes a remarkable difference. 4.2 is also very tunable (think RS6 levels of low-down pull) if you want to frighten yourself. Fast Q7s feel a bit like riding a solid fuel rocket - really fast but really sketchy
Unless the sheer stupidity (the good kind of stupid) is the deciding factor I'd also throw the 4.2 TDI into your search. You'll get a newer car for the same money and the 8 speed box makes a remarkable difference. 4.2 is also very tunable (think RS6 levels of low-down pull) if you want to frighten yourself. Fast Q7s feel a bit like riding a solid fuel rocket - really fast but really sketchy
I had a 4.2tdi and once thought similarly so I tried a V12 when one was available second hand. I found it considerably more nose-heavy than the 4.2 and the resultant performance wasn't that much better to make it worth the cost of swapping. As Dr G said, a remapped 4.2 comes pretty close in headline numbers, but tbh I thought about but didn't bother to remap my 4.2 - it had plenty of shove as it was.
I've now swapped the 4.2 for an SQ7 and that is a world ahead from the old model V12 in every way.
I've now swapped the 4.2 for an SQ7 and that is a world ahead from the old model V12 in every way.
Sorry - re-read my reply and it could be read to imply I actually owned a V12tdi...I didn't, I just took one for a (long) test drive. It just didn't make a case for itself over the regular 4.2. Mid range shove was of course epic but after you've reached licence loss territory in a straight line slightly faster than the 4.2 does, it was basically the same experience.
I didn't investigate servicing costs.
I didn't investigate servicing costs.
Ah. I would say that the 4.2 running costs are pretty similar to the 3.0tdi. i had all my servicing done by a local VAG specialist, typical service would be about £350 (large part of that would be the Long Life oil change). Our Q7 did mostly long journeys so we got about 20,000 miles between services.
Tyres can be expensive (premature wear on inner edges) UNLESS you keep an eye on pressure and tracking. I got at least 18,000 miles out of a set of decent tyres but I looked after them! The brakes (discs and pads) are pricey if you stick to the OEM Brembo stuff. I replaced the discs twice in 100,000 miles - seem to recall it was about £800 for complete refresh front and rear.
Fuel-wise, we averaged about 23mpg on shorter trips and 28mpg on motorway runs - always loaded up though. It's possible to nudge 30mpg on a run if you drive reallycarefully and well under the speed limit. The 3.0tdi is about 2mpg more frugal but the extra performance of the 4.2 was well worth it IMO.
Sound wise you could hear a V8 burble if you listened out for it, the V8 tdi was certainly a good unit from Audi, nice and smooth, not at all rattly and a really good match for the car. We did have a DPF sensor issue which was fixed within the warranty period - good thing to as it was a gearbox out job.
Tyres can be expensive (premature wear on inner edges) UNLESS you keep an eye on pressure and tracking. I got at least 18,000 miles out of a set of decent tyres but I looked after them! The brakes (discs and pads) are pricey if you stick to the OEM Brembo stuff. I replaced the discs twice in 100,000 miles - seem to recall it was about £800 for complete refresh front and rear.
Fuel-wise, we averaged about 23mpg on shorter trips and 28mpg on motorway runs - always loaded up though. It's possible to nudge 30mpg on a run if you drive reallycarefully and well under the speed limit. The 3.0tdi is about 2mpg more frugal but the extra performance of the 4.2 was well worth it IMO.
Sound wise you could hear a V8 burble if you listened out for it, the V8 tdi was certainly a good unit from Audi, nice and smooth, not at all rattly and a really good match for the car. We did have a DPF sensor issue which was fixed within the warranty period - good thing to as it was a gearbox out job.
Possibly a bit late for your quest for a Q7, but given that you are looking at spending £30K on a V12 or £10-15K on a 4.2 TDI, does it matter whether you are going to spend £3K/year on fuel or £2.5K?
I totally would have got a V12, but the the sort of money they change hands for is just silly. I settled for a 4.2 FSI and converted it to LPG, which costs me about £1,500/year in fuel (~10K miles/year).
I totally would have got a V12, but the the sort of money they change hands for is just silly. I settled for a 4.2 FSI and converted it to LPG, which costs me about £1,500/year in fuel (~10K miles/year).
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff