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Big Weight Savings, Still Just Plain Big
Given that success, the second-generation Q7 doesn’t need to convey a false sense of modesty, and it doesn’t. The new version is one of the more aggressive-looking SUVs on the road. On paper, it’s a bit smaller than the previous model—and in fact, it has lost a couple of inches. But that is more than offset by its ostentatious new grille and its boxy fenders, which are supposed to allude to Audi’s legendary Quattro coupe. The silver decorative trim on the lower flanks fails to cut the visual bulk, and, as before, the Q7 looks best with its optional extralarge 20- or 21-inch wheels.

Judging from the appearance, it’s hard to believe that more than 700 pounds have been cut out—per Audi—in the transition from old Q7 to new. Whatever the real-world weight loss manages to be, the sveltening is the result of changing from the previous model’s off-road-centric platform to one shared with actual passenger cars. The new axles alone are said to shave a whopping 148 pounds, and the body makes liberal use of aluminum. You can read more about the weight-saving measures