(Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Folding down the second and third row seats in the Q7's spacious interior yields a flat load-floor and a voluminous cargo hold. The longer I spend with the big Bavarian, the more I like and appreciate its refined operation, restrained might and expanded size. This is a highly sophisticated vehicle, capable of overwhelming my automotive expectancies on a multitude of levels. In addition to its array of hi-tech content and impressive performance, it's big, bold and a little brash- you gotta like that.

Impressive:
Smooth ride and operational refinement

(Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Power and performance
Solid build quality
Big and beautiful

Unimpressive:
Likes its fuel (fuel economy TBA)
3rd row torture chamber
MMI complexity
Expensive