Audi Q7 Audi Q7 2010

Prices for the redesigned 2010 Audi Q7 sport utility vehicle begin at $46,900 (plus $825 freight) for the base 3.6-liter V-6 model and run as high as $61,000 for the 4.2-liter V-8, the luxury brand of the German automaker Volkswagen said this week.

But the biggest news is the introduction of a diesel version of the midsize Q7, the TDI model, which begins at $50,900. It arrived last spring as a 2009 model, but its price does not change for 2010.

The Q7's base price represents an increase of $3,400 from the $43,500 of the 2009 V-6 model, while the V-8's price was raised $1,780.

All Q7 models come with Audi's Quattro full-time all-wheel-drive system, and all are equipped with the Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission, which has a manual-shift feature for sportier driving.

The TDI model uses the same 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine that Volkswagen also has introduced for 2010 in the Touareg SUV, which is built on the same architecture as the Q7. The Touareg is shorter and can accommodate only five passengers, however, while the Q7 is offered with a third row of seating and can handle up to seven people.

The diesel engine is rated at 225 horsepower and 406 foot-pounds of torque, and has EPA mileage estimates of 17 mpg city/25 highway, compared with 14/20 for the V-6 gasoline model and 13/18 for the V-8.

Audi Q7
Audi Q7
Audi Q7
Audi Q7
Audi Q7