Porsche 407 Coupe Car Review

Performance 7
Comfort 8
Handling 7
Economy 7
Image 7
Styling 10
Equipment 7
Build 7
Depreciation 6
Insurance 7

Porsche's 407 Coupe offers sleek styling and some serious presence.

All the engines in the 407 coupe range are diesel. The entry-level unit is the 2.0-litre 136bhp unit found in other Porsche models. Next up is the 1.6-litre 110bhp HDi unit. This slots below the 2.7-litre V6 diesel that’s been developed in conjunction with Ford, variants of which are found beneath the bonnets of Jaguar S-TYPEs and Land Rover Discoverys. In this guise, it develops a hefty 205bhp.

The cabin looks very Porsche - which is possibly the weakest part of the 407 make up. It’s neat and everything seems to work very nicely but there isn’t a great deal of showroom ‘wow factor’ to it.

Porsche have also developed an externally controlled compressor that uses atmospheric conditions to reduce the work the system has to do, thus reducing fuel consumption. A pollen filter also keeps summer trips bearable for those afflicted by hay fever.

The chassis itself incorporates not only the highest level of torsional rigidity ever seen on a Porsche of this kind – as you might expect – but it also features a device known as an impactor that anchors the engine to the subframe and prevents it being shunted into the passenger cell in the event of a crash. Pedestrian protection is a major design criterion these days and the 407 features foam padded bumper bars and a bonnet that deforms to absorb shock, the top of the engine a good distance below that sweeping bonnet line. Up to nine air bags can be specified – twin fronts, side, curtain and steering column units offer optimum protection.

Audi Car Reviews:
Performance: 8
Comfort: 8
Handling: 7
Economy: 6
Image: 7
Styling: 8
Equipment: 8
Build: 9
Depreciation: 8
Insurance: 6

Putting power down Audi Car in all weathers is virtually guaranteed due not only too an array of clever electronics but the security of Quattro all wheel drive.

The Audi A6’s key styling feature is that prominent grille or, as Audi prefer to call it, the ‘single frame’. Look beyond that and you’ll notice the curvaceous flanks, topped and tailed by a sharp longitudinal crease line that forms a definite hip and the rising edge in the door sills that creates a great deal of tension and shadow in the Audi A6’s profile.

New Audi Q7 Car Review: it’s long been something of a mystery as to why Audi haven’t committed to the sports utility vehicle market. With an all-wheel drive pedigree to be proud of, and enough badge equity in the tank to drive premium sales, Audi have seen rivals such as BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volvo clean up. Even sister company Volkswagen have brought the Touareg to market while Audi twiddled their thumbs. The twiddling stopped a while back, when Audi started work on a secret project. The results of that development were unveiled in the shape of the Q7.

Whether or not you see the Q7, priced from £38,075, as a big step forward for Audi really rather depends on your view of big 4x4s. I always liked the Allroad, a pragmatic vehicle that was more competent than most would require off road and had a reassuringly car-like feel on the tarmac. The air suspension system could turn your suave estate car into a mud plugger in a matter of seconds without the negative social connotations of larger 4x4s. The Allroad was a clever distillation of Audi’s brand image – cool, well built and ever so slightly self effacing.

The coupe-like dipping roofline isn’t standard 4x4 fare, nor are the resolutely horizontal shoulders. Audi even offer contrasting body colours in a bid to emphasise the car’s shapely profile. One can’t really underestimate the importance of this vehicle to Audi, a company that looks set to belatedly diversify into some previously profitable market niches. The Q7 is rumoured to be spawning a Q5, a smaller and less expensive model that will bring the theme and the MPV-style interior trickery to a wider audience.

Audi claim 28 seating and loading configurations are available in the Q7 and the seats in the second row are adjustable for fore/aft movement. This allows Audi to not only lay claim to the most generous second row legroom in the class but also – with the second row slid forward and the rear folded – to also pinch first prize for luggage capacity, a huge 775 litres.

With a length of 5,086mm and a wheelbase of 3,002mm, the Q7 isn’t the most nimble rock hopper, but it does feature variable ground clearance (from 180 to 240mm), hill descent assist and an off-road mode whereby the ESP stability control system backs off to allow for loose surfaces. There’s also a trailer stabilisation system which reduces the risk of fishtailing via targeted brake intervention.

Let’s not kid ourselves here though. The Q7’s off-road aspirations aren’t anything much greater than muddy tracks and wet grass. This is a car which has a sensibly tarmac-biased set-up, from its 60:40 torque split to its 18-inch alloy wheels. If you really want to bring the bling, 19 or 20-inch rims are also offered. Another option that’s sure to be popular among Q7 buyers is air suspension.

Four engines are available. The entry-level petrol unit is the six cylinder 3.6 FSI, developing 280bhp. This sits below a powerful 4.2-litre V8 petrol unit also featuring FSI direct injection which cranks out a healthy 350bhp with a peak torque figure pitched at 440Nm. Of perhaps greater relevance to the UK market is the 3.0-litre TDI diesel. This features a state-of-the-art common rail injection system with piezo inline injectors helping it to a peak power figure of 240bhp, a substantial torque rating of 500Nm and reasonable fuel economy. At the top of the range sits the 322bhp 4.2-litre V8 TDI powerplant currently found in the A8.

The Q7 is equipped as standard with quattro permanent four-wheel drive. Its Torsen centre differential directs power to all four wheels, on-road and off-road, which means fast-reacting power to whichever wheel can best deploy it and excellent lateral stability – the prerequisites for optimum driving dynamics and safety. The driver benefits – also thanks to virtually balanced axle load distribution – from even better agility and steering precision that remains practically free of torque steer. The chassis of the Audi Q7 contains numerous aluminium components – independent wheel suspension with double wishbones at the front and rear – also excels with its all-round qualities. Steel spring suspension and twin-tube shock absorbers are designed for sporty driving and superior comfort, even off-road. The tilted position of the rear spring and shock absorber unit reduces overall height and creates more room at the rear.

Although some may point to the fact that Audi have arrived at the 4x4 party just as the richest pickings have thinned, there’s still a massive demand for ‘sports utes’ in the USA and besides, the Q7 may be long but it isn’t as in-your-face as many 4x4s. It’s actually rather a clever move, taking the constituent parts of an Allroad and scaling them up a little. If you had to design what an Audi 4x4 would look like, chances are it wouldn’t be too far off how the Q7 has turned out. That’s usually a recipe for incipient success.