New 2015 Audi Q7: OFFICIAL

The all-new 2015 Audi Q7 SUV has been revealed ahead of a Detroit Auto Show debut with new platform. new styling and a weight loss of 325kg.

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It’s been a long time coming, but the all-new 2015 Audi Q7 – Audi’s range-topping SUV – has finally arrived.

Sitting on the new MLB 2 Platform from the VW Group – which will also underpin the next Porsche Cayenne and the new Bentley SUV – the new Q7 still looks like the current Q7, but sharper, more aggressive and more appealing.

The new Q7 is actually a bit smaller than the current Q7 – 37mm shorter and 15mm narrower – and thanks to heavy use of aluminium it tips the scales at up to 325kg less than the current model, with clear benefits for fuel consumption, emissions and driving dynamics.

Cosmetically, the new Q7 gets a statement 3-D grill with big air intakes and slim LED lights at the front, with sharper creases on the flanks, more prominent sills, tapered roofline and a back end that gets slim slab tail lights below a square back screen.

Inside looks a bit of a revelation with a big, flat dash top above a slim dash with a centre console housing an Infotainment touchpad, the gear lever and cupholders and, despite a shorter exterior, the cabin offers more space than the current model in the three rows.

Engine options for the UK will be an initial 3.0 litre TDI diesel with 268bhp which manages official consumption of 47.8mpg and can get to 62mph in an impressive 6.3 seconds, followed later in 2015 by a 215bhp version, with a plug-in hybrid diesel joining the range at the end of 2015 with 268bhp and an electric-only driving range of 35 miles.

The new Audi Q7 will go on sale in the UK in March 2015 with first deliveries in the summer. Prices are expected to start from under £50,000.