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

Audi Q7

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

Later, the second SUV Audi Q5 was introduced as a 2009 model. Then, the third model of the crossover Audi Q3 was introduced, 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)

The first generation of 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 focusing 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 low range 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.

Petrol engines were offered in four variants - 3.6 liters (FSI) with 280 hp, 4.2 liters (FSI) with 350 hp, 3.0 liters (TFSI) with 280 hp and 3.0 liters (TFSI S-Line) with a capacity of 328 hp. There were also four diesel engines - two 3.0 liter V6 with a capacity of 230 and 237 hp, a 4.2 liter V8 with a capacity of 322 hp and the only V12 diesel in the world for passenger cars with a volume of 6.0 liters with a capacity of 493 hp. There were 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, the usual incandescent lamps were replaced with LED lamps, the wheel design was updated, the body style was updated at the front and back. The interior was also changed. The dashboard was updated, there were new leather seats, a third-generation multimedia system and new interior trim.


Despite having multiple airbags and safety electronics such as ESP, the Q7 only received four out of five stars in Euro NCAP's adult occupant protection tests. Audi says this was due to a design error, which was then corrected in cars built after the test, which is supposed to have resulted in five stars. The 2015 Q7 has a rollover risk of 18.5%. See the table for the 2015 car's test results.

Q7 second generation (2015-present)

The second generation of Audi Q7 (Typ 4M) was unveiled in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Diesel and petrol engine versions were released for retail sales in 2015, with a diesel hybrid variant to follow soon after, which is sold in Europe and will be available in the US. The car is built on Volkswagen Group's new MLBevo platform.


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

At the beginning of the second generation, there were only two petrol engines - 2.0 and 3.0 liters with 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 a hybrid e-tron 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)

The Audi Q5 is a series of compact business-class crossovers produced by the German automobile manufacturer 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 in the front longitudinally, the drive is constant on all wheels in a ratio of 40:60 (front/rear axle).

There were four petrol engines - three 4-cylinder 2.0-litre engines (TFSI) with 178, 208 and 222 hp and one 3.2-litre V6 (FSI) with 266 hp. There were three diesel engines - two 4-cylinder 2.0-litre engines with 141 and 168 hp and one 3.0-litre V6 with 237 hp, all turbocharged with direct injection. There is also a hybrid version of the Q5 with a 4-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol engine with 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 dual clutch.

The Audi Q5 is equipped with modern electronic devices. The basis of control is the "Multimedia Interface" (MMI) from Audi. The new system includes navigation, communication and a wide screen for watching movies and listening to music. The following media are included in this system: USB (iPod or MP3), satellite radio station 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, which is also the basis for the A5 and A4 generation B9. Equipped with all-wheel drive system "quattro ultra" with the function of automatic connection of the rear wheels depending on the road quality. The body is made in the form of a five-door SUV or coupe (Sportback) with a length of 4663 mm, a width of 1893 mm, a height of 1659 mm, a wheelbase of 2819 mm and a curb weight of 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 2.0-liter diesel engine models (1968 cm³, DEUA/DETB/DETA, I4, 150/163/190 hp) and 3.0 liters (2967 cm³, DCPC, V6, 286 hp). The gearbox was a 6-speed manual, 7-speed robotic DSG or 8-speed automatic. In May 2019, Audi announced a plug-in hybrid version, which is equipped with an electric motor and a gasoline engine. This car has an electric range of up to 40 kilometers and a total power of 367 hp.

In 2020, the 2021 model year was restyled, introducing third-generation infotainment technologies, which include a digital marketplace in the myAudi app.

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)

The Q3 is a compact crossover SUV from the German automaker Audi, built on the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform. This platform also underpins the cars 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 frozen 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, the Audi RS Q3 version appeared with increased engine power and sports settings.

Petrol engines are only 4-cylinder 1.4 and 2.0 liters (TFSI) with power from 148 to 217 hp, RS Q3 is equipped with 5-cylinder 2.5 liter engines with power from 306, 335 and 362 hp. Diesel engines are 4-cylinder 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 "S Tronic" gearbox.

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 rear LED lights also acquired a new look. The line of gasoline engines was updated. The settings of the robotic gearbox were also changed, new options appeared. It became possible to turn off the course 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 the Volkswagen Group's MQB A2 platform, which is also used for the VW Jetta VS7, SEAT Tarraco, Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tayron, VW Tiguan, VW Viloran of the same years of production. At the IAA 2019 motor show in Frankfurt, a new version of the model with a coupe body was presented under the name Audi Q3 Sportback. The length of the SUV body was 4484 mm, width 1849 mm, height 1585 mm, wheelbase 2680 mm and curb weight of 1570 kg. The dimensions of the Sportback body 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 suspension. Adjustable dampers are optionally available. The steering is electromechanically progressive. Headlights with LED daytime running lights, low and high beam, and an LED license plate light are supplied as standard. Full LED headlights, matrix LED headlights and LED taillights are paid for separately. The rear seats can be moved up to 150 millimetres, and the angle of inclination is adjustable in seven positions. In the Euro NCAP crash test conducted in 2018, the car received five stars.

The range of petrol engines includes the following models: 1.4 litre (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: a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed robotic S-tronic with a dual clutch.

Audi Q3 Mk2, interior

Audi Q3 Mk2, under the hood

Audi Q3 Mk2, trunk