baltfan

Saturday I purchased a 2017 Q7. Glacier White, Nougat Brown, Prestige, Adaptive Air, Driver Assistance, Cold Weather, Rear Entertainment System.
Here are my thoughts.

1. Adaptive Air is well worth the money for the 4 wheel steering alone. Great in parking garages also great on the road. This separates the car substantially from others in the segment.

2. Driver Assistance is very good and I have used it a ton. I don't think I would use it or like it near as much without the Head's Up Display. The HUD allows you to always know that you are locked in on the car in front of you. Yes, you could glance down at the driver's dash, but it is much better in the HUD.

3. The ride is excellent. I have driven the LR4, XC90, GL, and X5. The only one that is close in my mind is the X5. However, the Q7 is more refined.

4. If you will ever use seven seats on the fly, don't get the luggage cover. There is no place to put it with all seven seats up. Very stupid.

5. All weather mats are great and they give you the regular mats as well. Order them.

6. Rear entertainment wiring is a MUST option. Will increase the value of the car and because plug and play will grow with the technology. If you have little ones, the rear entertainment system is excellent. For older kids, you may be able to get away with iPads, etc...

7. Third row room is fine for people under 5'9" for a 20 minute ride to a restaurant. If you have a family with three teenagers, this car may not be the right one for you. For a family of four that carpools, the third row is fine.

8. The 12 inch TFT screen is excellent.

9. As I said, I have driven the XC90, X5, LR4, and GL. This car is better than all of them. If you have a family of five or more with teenagers, GL is probably better for you though.

10. Standard seats are excellent. I am very picky about seats and have BMW sport seats which are universally acclaimed as great seats, these seats are comparable with a little less side bolster. Don't spring for luxury package unless you can't live without Alcantara and softer leather.

11. For 99% of the people the Bose sound system is excellent. Unless you are a true audiophile, don't pay the extra $5k for the B&O. Most people will think the Bose sounds excellent.

I am very picky about cars. Whenever I get a new one I find tons of things that annoy me and it always takes a month or so for me to get comfortable. This car has pleased me from the beginning. There is almost nothing that I would seek to improve upon.

I will say though that the car to me is a very different car with the HUD (which I understand comes with the Prestige) vs. without. If you can afford the Prestige, it is highly worth the investment.

BTW, I tried to post a similar post earlier. Not sure what happened.

baltfan

One more thing. With the 2nd row seats about an inch forward I can fit my 163 cm skis diagonally. I was very please about this.

AudioBear

I'm considering the Q7 and appreciate your thoughts. Helpful. Wish the third row were really for adults. That would seal it 100% for me. No car can be all things to all people but this one sounds like it's close.

How much space is there behind the 3rd row when it's up?

AudioBear

will my 168s make it? I usually end up putting them down the middle.

baltfan

If I was going out to a show and hour away with 6 adults, I wouldn't hesitate to take the Q7. The smallest people would go in the third row and the second row would be moved up in order to create more foot room. Would the third row be as comfortable as the second row? No. But it isn't like it is torture for someone that is a little smaller. Typically if we have three couples at least two of the people, usually wives, would be small enough so that the third row is perfectly fine.

When the third row is up you have there is probably enough room for a couple of carry-on bags inserted width-wise, not length-wise. If you want more space than that you are going to have to either get a minivan, Tahoe, or Land Cruiser.

baltfan

Pretty sure yes with at least one 2nd row seat all the way up. Measuring diagonally that way there is between 168 cm and 171 cm of space running diagonally on the floor. It gets a little complicated because there is a gap between the 2nd row and the door. How far into that gap you put your ski tips could make a difference. Also, you can always stick them diagonally up in the air a bit. That would give a little more space.

baltfan

One more thing. I just went and sat in the back with 2nd row fully forward. I am 5'9". My head was not touching the ceiling though my hair was. There isn't a ton of leg room but it isn't like it is unbearable. I would have no problem sitting there for an hour if I had to. I would definitely prefer the second row and it would get old if once a month I was traveling for an hour each way in the third row, but I think most groups of 3 couples would find a way where it would be fine.

jvzanetti

Could you please go some more about rear entertainment preparation? Is it come with iPad holder or something compatible with iPad? A picture will be perfect.
Thanks

baltfan

This is what it looks like on the back. it is an Android tablet.





This is the mechanism that plugs into the seat





This is what it looks like when you unplug it. You can see the outline of where it plugs in.





This is the back of it sitting on a seat. The part sticking up plugs in.





There are two HDMI ports on the other side plus these ports.





This shows you can fold the plug down. The tablets function when unplugged and is about the size of an iPad, though considerably thicker. Pretty sure it has a plastic screen for safety reasons..

jvzanetti

Thanks. Looks factory installed option but build order already in transit...sorry to miss that, should have that on the next car