Chevrolet loaned me a 2010 Camaro for a few days. There’s no question that it just nailed the styling: just enough visual linkage to the past, but modern in current execution. It really says, “Don’t screw with me.”
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IMHO, the Camaro and Audi A5/S5 are the two best looking cars on the road today.
What better pictures to post on the 4th of July than ones of a good ole, red-blooded Corvette. My buddies in the GM PR department loaned me one to drive for a week after we connected on Twitter—yet another frequently overlooked of tweeting!
This guy shows up at my house with the keys for a 2009 Corvette.
I had never driven a Corvette before, and it’s not what you would call subtle. But then again, it’s not designed to be subtle.
My buddies at Audi loaned me a Q7 TDI (turbo diesel injected) for a few months. This is the first diesel that Audi has brought to the United States since the 1980s. It’s a fifty-state car. One of it’s most compelling features is that it looks mean, not like the typical boxy SUVs.
The Q7 is approximately nine inches longer than the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne.
The Q7 has low-profile tires for a SUV. Who goes offroad anyway?
Sorry, Audi: a stone jumped up and chipped the windshield.
Where I live, diesel is cheaper than gas, and a car theoretically goes 25% further per gallon of diesel compared to gas. Sounds like a deal to me. Finding a diesel station isn’t too hard, but you do need to plan ahead.
Over the course of the few months that I had the Q7, my mileage was approximately 19-19 miles per gallon. I do 75% stop-and-go around town driving. Audi sponsored a long-distance drive for journalists, and they achieved approximately 25 miles per gallon.
This is the Q7s. engine. It has a 3.0 liter displacement. It puts out 221 hp and 406 lb-ft torque. The Q7 goes 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds.
If you’re old enough to remember when diesels were slow, noisy, and stinky, you’re an empty-nester, so you don’t need a seven-passenger vehicle. If you’re not old enough to remember this, don’t sweat it. In any case, other than having to use a different pump at the gas station, you’ll hardly notice any difference if you buy a diesel vehicle these days.
(If you don’t need a seven-page vehicle, you should check out the Audi A3 TDI which apparently gets 40 miles per gallon in the real world. Check out this review.)
I have to say that cupholders aren’t a strongpoint of the car.
On the first try, the Q7 linked with my iPhone, and I was able to access my address book and the database of recent calls.
The circled area lights up when a car is in the blindspot on the left side. If you turn on your lane-change signal, and there’s a car in the way, a yellow light flashes.
This is a video of showing how the front speakers pop out of the dash when you start the Q7. I don’t know if it sounds any better, but it’s sure cool.
If you like looking at the sky, you’ll love the Q7’s sunroof.
It has a two-piece sun visor system that shields your eyes from the front and the side.
It easily passes the “can it our carry hockey gear?” test. Carrying bags and three players is no problem.
I think the switch to close the hatch is on the wrong side of the car. The driver always walks to the left to get into his or her seat, but the switch is on the right side of the hatch.
If you need to drive two very tall people, you can put down the second row of seats. This provides ample legroom for basketball players.
If you put down the second and third row of seats, there’s really a lot of room. I should have tested it with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood, but I never buy plywood, so I don’t care.
The third row works for kids, but only tiny adults.
To get into the third row of seats, you enter from the behind the front passenger seat.
Or, you can use the patent-pending “Kawasaki run-and-jump/enter from the back” plan.
I had to give the Q7 back a week ago, and my entire family misses it. Most interestingly, my teenage boys liked it more than the Audi R8 that I had for a week. Even my wife told me to buy one (prices start at $50900). Other vehicles can have these “modern” features, but I don’t own a real “modern” vehicle. This is a list of what I miss the most:
Cool design. Coolness is in the eyes of the beholder, and I think the Q7 is the best looking vehicle that can carry seven people.
Diesel engine. Diesel is the new hybrid. It’s simpler than hybrid technology, and it doesn’t require the creation and disposal of batteries.
Smart-key system. Not having to put the key in the door or ignition is so convenient. The Q7 detects the presence of its key and unlocks the door. Then you can press a button to start it.
Bluetooth integration with my iPhone. I’ve never owned a car with Bluetooth. It’s so great to just get in a vehivle and be able to make and receive calls through the vehicle’s sound system
Lane-change warning. I loved having the added safety of the vehicle warning you not to switch lanes.
Backup camera. With lots of kids and their stuff around the driveway, this was very useful and reassuring.
If you’re looking for a vehicle that can carry seven people, gets good mileage, and looks cool, the Q7 TDI is something to consider.
If you’re an Audi fan, you’ll love this aggregation of Audi websites and blogs.
Sometimes it’s good to be me. For instance, Audi wanted me to blog about its super, duper R8 sports car, so this kind person showed up at my house and handed me the keys to one. Holy kaw! Pinch me: am I awake?
This produced a stunning upgrade in my automotive image from a Toyota Sienna. R8 Coupe quattro MT6 specs: 420 horsepower, all-wheel drive (“quattro”), 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Sticker price: $126,850 as delivered to me. (The Sienna is the car on the left in case you don’t know what a Sienna looks like.)
The coolest part of the design is that you can see the engine under glass.
Close up of the brakes. Listen to a demonstration of its ABS system here.
This will give you an idea of how low the low-profile tires are.
I love the back-up camera system—not that you have to buy a $125,000 car to get one.
It’s a family car too! After my daughter rode in it for fifteen minutes, this conversation took place:
Daughter: So is this a Honda?
Me: No, this isn’t a Honda. It’s an Audi.
Daughter: Audi? Like my belly button?
Me: No, that’s “outie.” This is an Owdee as in the union of Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer.
This is the only way to carry hockey sticks.
Because they sure won’t fit in the trunk.
There is ample space to carry a 13-inch Macbook, though.
This is the only thing I didn’t like about the interior: the gas and trunk release switches are somewhat hidden.
“Sure, honey, eat your ice cream cone in Audi’s car.”
Driving an R8 gives a whole new meaning to picking up some “fast food.”
You never have to worry about crushing the front spoiler if you drive a Sienna to the fast-food place.
I had to let Mike Boich drive it. After all, he gave me my first job at Apple.
The Dell’Aquilas loved it it too.
Will Mayall, my partner at Alltop. By the way, we do have Audi.alltop for those of you who want to follow all the news and blogs about Audi.
Sachin Agarwal, co-founder of Posterous. Now he’ll tell you that I am truly a value-add investor!
Craig Hosoda, sound and video expert. had a spin in it too.
We tried to attach a digital recorder to capture the sound of the exhaust, but it didn’t work because of the vibration. But you can hear what sitting inside the car sounds like here
Good news, bad news. After a mere week, my buddy came to take away the R8, but he left me a Q7 diesel.
Bye, bye R8! With four kids, it’s not something that I could use, but the day-to-day drivability of this exotic car was truly impressive. Couple the distinctive nature of its design (it’s far less pretentious than a Ferrari, not nearly as common as a 911, and not soul-less like Japanese sports cars) and its all-wheel drive, and Audi has a winner in my book.
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