Description and history of the car Audi Q7, Q5 и Q3

Audi Q7

The Audi Q7 is a seven-seat full-size executive crossover from the German manufacturer Audi, presented in September 2002 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of the Q7 began in autumn 2005 at the Volkswagen Bratislava plant in Slovakia and went on sale in 2005. This is the first SUV from Audi. Since the start of production, there have been two generations of this car.

Later, the second Audi Q5 SUV was introduced as a 2009 model. Next, they presented the third model of the Audi Q3 crossover, which went on sale in the third quarter of 2011. The body of all crossovers is made in the form of a 5-door station wagon.

The main competitors of the Q7 are the following cars from other manufacturers − BMW X6, Chevrolet Tahoe, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus LX, Nissan Patrol, Porsche Cayenne, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Land Cruiser.

Q7 first generation (2005—2015)

First generation Audi Q7 (Typ 4L), which was built on the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform, which is also used to create cars Volkswagen Touareg and the Porsche Cayenne. Development began in 2002 under the code AU 716, mainly focused on the Pikes Peak concept. The production project was frozen in late 2003 for production to begin in late 2005. Prototypes were tested in 2004, and development was completed in the first half of 2005.

Despite the lack of a reduction gear, there is all-wheel drive with a locking center differential and self-leveling air suspension, also called active suspension, which helps when driving off-road.

Four options were offered for gasoline engines - 3.6 liters (FSI) 280 hp, 4.2 liters (FSI) power 350 hp, 3.0 liters (TFSI) power 280 hp and 3.0 liters (TFSI S-Line) power 328 hp. There were also four diesel engines - two 3.0 liter V6 with a power of 230 and 237 hp, a 4.2 liter V8 with a power of 322 hp. and the world's only V12 diesel for passenger cars with a volume of 6.0 liters and a power of 493 hp. There are two types of transmissions - a 6-speed automatic or an 8-speed automatic from ZF (8hp).

In 2010, the car underwent a facelift. The front and rear lights were changed, conventional incandescent bulbs were replaced with LED bulbs, the wheel design was updated, and the body style was updated front and rear. The interior has also undergone changes. The instrument panel has been updated, there are new leather seats, a third-generation multimedia system and new interior trim.


Despite having several airbags and safety electronics such as ESP, the Q7 only scored four stars out of five in Euro NCAP crash tests for adult occupant protection. According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, and the error was then corrected in cars produced after the test, which is supposed to result in five stars. The 2015 Q7 has a rollover risk of 18.5%. See the table for the test results of the 2015 car.

Q7 second generation (2015–present)

Second generation Audi Q7 (Typ 4M) was presented in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Diesel and petrol versions were released for retail sales in 2015, followed shortly by a diesel hybrid variant sold in Europe and will be available in the US. The car is built on the new Volkswagen Group MLBevo platform.

It is the first Audi SUV to use high-speed FlexRay optical fiber technology, which connects all electronic systems, in particular the latest generation multimedia interface, adaptive air suspension and a host of new driver assistance systems, all of which require very high data rates. Q7 has up to 4 Nvidia Tegra processors.

At the beginning of the production of the second generation, there were only two gasoline engines - 2.0 and 3.0 liters with a power of 252 and 333 hp. There are four diesel engines - 3.0 TDI Ultra with 215 hp, 3.0 TDI with 272 hp, 4.0 SQ7 TDI with 435 hp. and an e-tron hybrid installation with a 3.0 TDI engine and a total power of 373 hp.

Audi Q7 2015 year, side view

Audi Q7 2015 year, dashboard

Audi Q7 2015 year, trunk

Audi Q5

Q5 first generation (2008—2016)

Audi Q5 is a series of compact business class crossovers produced by the German automobile company Audi since 2008 at factories in Germany (Ingolstadt), India (Aurangabad) and China (Changchun). The car was announced in 2008 at the Beijing Auto Show and then in Los Angeles.

First generation model (Typ 8R) was the third member of the B8 family and was released after the Audi A5 and Audi A4 fourth generation, all based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform. The engine is located longitudinally at the front, the drive is permanent on all wheels in a ratio of 40:60 (front/rear axle).

There were four gasoline engines - three 4-cylinder 2.0 liters (TFSI) with a power of 178, 208 and 222 hp. and one 3.2 liter V6 (FSI) 266 hp. There are three diesel engines - two 4-cylinder 2.0-liter engines with a power of 141 and 168 hp. and one 3.0 liter V6 with 237 hp, all turbocharged with direct injection. There is also a hybrid version of the Q5 with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 208 hp, a 40 kW electric motor and a total power of 242 hp.

There are 4 transmission options to choose from - 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic «Tiptronic», 8-speed automatic «Tiptronic» ZF 8HP and 7-speed automated gearbox «S Tronic» with double clutch.

The Audi Q5 is equipped with modern electronic devices. The basis of management is «Multimedia interface» (MMI) from Audi. The new system includes navigation, communications and a wide screen for watching movies and listening to music. The following media is included in this system: USB (iPod or MP3), satellite radio and built-in quad-band GSM mobile phone with Bluetooth support.

Q5 second generation (2017—present)

Second generation Q5 (Typ 80A) debuted in 2016 at the Paris Motor Show. The car is built on the Volkswagen Group MLBevo platform, on the basis of which the A5 and A4 generation B9. Equipped with all-wheel drive system «quattro ultra» with the function of automatically connecting the rear wheels depending on the quality of the road. The body is made in the form of a five-door SUV or coupe (Sportback) length 4663 mm, width 1893 mm, height 1659 mm, wheelbase 2819 mm and curb weight 1795 kg.

Gasoline engines were installed in the following volumes - 2.0 liters (1984 cm³, DAXA/DAXB, I4, 190/252 hp) and 3.0 liters (2995 cm³, CWGD, V6, 354 hp). There were also two diesel engines with a volume of 2.0 liters (1968 cm³, DEUA/DETB/DETA, I4, 150/163/190 hp) and 3.0 liters (2967 cm³, DCPC, V6, 286 hp). The gearbox was 6-speed manual, 7-speed robotic DSG or 8-speed automatic. In May 2019, Audi announced a plug-in hybrid version that features an electric motor and a gasoline engine. This car has an electric range of up to 40 kilometers and has a total power of 367 hp.

In 2020, the 2021 model year was restyled - third-generation infotainment technologies appeared, which include a digital trading platform in the myAudi application.

The main classmates of the Q5 are the following cars from other companies - BMW X3, Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Land Rover Freelander, Mazda CX-9, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Murano, Peugeot 5008, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Skoda Kodiaq and Toyota Highlander.

Audi Q5 Mk2 2021 year, restyling

Audi Q5 2020 year, trunk

Audi Q5 Mk2, under the hood

Audi Q3

Q3 first generation (2011—2018)

Q3 is a compact crossover from the German automaker Audi, built on the Volkswagen Group A5 platform (PQ35). Cars are also based on this platform Audi A3 Mk2, Volkswagen Golf Mk5 and Mk6, Volkswagen Tiguan, as well as some cars from Skoda and SEAT. Design and development began in the second half of 2007. Julian Hoenig's design was chosen for production and shelved in 2009.

The first car was presented at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2011 and went on sale in June of the same year. Unlike the Q7 and Q5, this car is aimed at family use. In 2013, a version of the Audi RS Q3 appeared with increased engine power and sporty settings.

Gasoline engines are available only with 4-cylinder engines of 1.4 and 2.0 liters (TFSI) with a power from 148 to 217 hp, the RS Q3 has 5-cylinder 2.5-liter engines with a power of 306, 335 and 362 hp. 4-cylinder diesel engines with power from 118 to 181 hp, all turbocharged with direct injection.

There are four transmission options to choose from - 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, 6 or 7-speed automated box «S Tronic».

The first restyling was carried out in 2014 - the design of the front bumper, radiator grille, and rear bumper were updated. Fog lights were integrated into the headlights. The LED taillights also get a new look. We updated the line of gasoline engines. The settings of the robotic box have also been changed, new options have appeared. It has become possible to disable directional stability.

Audi Q3 2011 year, dashboard

Audi Q3 2011 year, rear seats

Audi Q3 2011 year, trunk

Q3 second generation (2018—present)

This is the generation with the code Typ F3 was officially presented in July 2018. The car is based on a platform «MQB A2» Volkswagen concern, which is also used for crossovers VW Jetta VS7, SEAT Tarraco, Skoda Kodiaq, VWTayron, VW Tiguan, VW Viloran of the same model years. At the IAA 2019 motor show in Frankfurt, a new coupe version of the model called the Audi Q3 Sportback was presented. The SUV body length was 4484 mm, width 1849 mm, height 1585 mm, wheelbase 2680 mm and curb weight 1570 kg. The Sportback body dimensions differed in length (4500 mm) width (1840 mm) and height (1560 mm).

The front axle has a McPherson suspension, the rear axle has a four-link. Adjustable dampers are optionally available. The steering is electromechanical progressive. Headlights with LED daytime running lights, low and high beams, and an LED license plate light are standard. Full LED headlights, LED matrix headlights and LED taillights are available at an additional cost. The rear seats can be moved up to 150 millimeters and are recline adjustable in seven positions. In the Euro NCAP crash test conducted in 2018, the car received five stars.

The range of petrol engines consists of the following models - 1.4 liters (1395 cm³, EA111, I4, 150 hp), 1.5 liters (1498 cm³, EA211, I4, 150 hp) and 2.0 liters (1984 cm³, EA888, I4, 180/190 hp). There was one diesel engine with a volume of 2.0 liters (1968 cm³, CRBC, I4, 150/190 hp). There were two types of gearboxes - 6-speed manual or 6-speed robotic S-tronic with dual clutch.

Audi Q3 Mk2, interior

Audi Q3 Mk2, under the hood

Audi Q3 Mk2, trunk