Physically smaller this Q7 may be, but its status as a bona fide seven-seater is intact. Few SUVs challenge a large MPV for back-row space, but the big Audi comes close; its generous wheelbase and capacious roofline translate into sufficient leg and head room for a modest-sized adult.
Small children, the most likely occupants of the third row, ought to have no complaint, save perhaps for the height of the seat in front of them and the distance to the windows (neither unusual in the class). Raising the third row from the boot floor is made easy by the assistance of electric motors, although getting there is still a clamber best suited to the young.
Conversely, physically getting the second row out of the way still requires the muscle mass of an adult, despite hydraulic assistance. Seats up, there’s room for a few shopping bags. Flatten them and there’s a very competitive 770 litres.
The second row has three individual seats, which, in contrast to the rearmost two, all slide fore and aft. Once lowered, there’s a fridge-freezer-swallowing 1955 litres.
It’s a model of practicality, then. For front-seat occupants, it’s a very smart conveyor of modern luxury, too. Land Rover and Volvo have set the cabin standard here recently, but Audi’s interior sensibilities are easily up to the challenge.