Range Rover Sport Vs Audi Q7 - Prestige Seven Seat Crossovers Compared
Prestige crossovers are all well and good if you have 2.4 children, but what if you have more? Or if the little darlings invite their schoolfriends over to stay? If that sounds like your life, both Audi and Land Rover make cars just for you - the Q7 and Range Rover Sport. Each has a pair of occasional rear seats each to swell seating space to seven, but which is the best all-rounder? We鈥檙e taking a look at how the models stack up against each other. Audi鈥檚 bus is not really styled per se, more smelted. There鈥檚 an awful lot of featureless expanses littered about the car and there doesn鈥檛 seem to have been an awful lot spent at the exterior design stage. That said, it does carry off a somewhat imposing vibe - though that may just be the presence of a giant Audi grille. The new Range Rover Sport though is a handsome beast. No area of metalwork is allowed to press on without the occasional crinkle and they鈥檝e really developed the shape from the previous generation鈥檚 slightly-squashed big boy鈥檚 Range Rover.
Guards to prevent damage to light are also a worthwhile addition if you drive where stones are regularly flicked up. The grilles fitted to older Series Land Rovers look the part and withstand impacts well, and some are available for the current range of vehicles. Another solution is to use moulded Perspex protectors, which clip on to the lights and diffuse impacts from flying objects. The steering and fuel tank can also sustain damage, and a wide variety of guards are available for all Land Rovers from the advertisers in Land Rover. When fitting accessories you鈥檒l also need to consider the rest of the vehicle. A light bar on a Discovery roof is unlikely to cause problem on a chassis requires a decent base to start with. And a winch looks great on the front of a Land Rover but first time you use it, the winch and bumper will part company with the rest of the vehicle.
Ford has been proactive in getting rid of ailing assets lately, including included Jaguar, Land Rover, and even Aston Martin. But one brand that Ford has been slow to remove from its umbrella is Volvo. The Swedish automaker has not attracted promising offers, but recent reports suggest that Chinese automaker Geely is currently a front-runner to purchase Volvo. News sources in China have reported that Geely has submitted a letter of intent to purchase the company from Ford. However, Ford has not yet released any details regarding a potential purchase notes St Paul Used Cars, but no other names of potential buyers have yet surfaced. With Volvo suffering from layoffs and sales setbacks, Boston Auto Loans suggests the automaker could benefit from producing cars in Geely facilities in China. 10 billion. In addition to potential China-based production facilities, Geely also hopes to assist in the development and deployment of the next generation XC90, which should reach Nashua Volvo Service showrooms within two years. While Ford has recently denied the sale, and Volvo remaining silent on the issue, Geely appears to be the most likely candidate as a potential buyer. Volvo Service Jersey City points out that other Chinese automakers have also been mentioned as viable buyers. Since the Swedish government has pledged loans to the automaker to help it limp through the current recession, Volvo New York believes the Volvo brand has become somewhat more attractive for potential buyers. For a Chinese automaker, the Volvo brand would be quite attractive as Volvo has a fairly large dealer network within the lucrative North American auto market, which Chinese automakers have yet to gain. As Volvos estimated value continues to plummet, its likely that Ford wants to see a sale sooner rather than later.
With all seven seats upright, the boot space is pretty tiny, but when you fold away the electrically operated third row you get an impressive amount of space. On the road, it鈥檚 the size of the Land Cruiser that dominates your experience. This is most noticeable in town, where the sheer size of the thing means you have to plot a careful course. The low-geared steering demands lots of turns of the wheel, while the self-centring effect isn鈥檛 strong, either, so you have to work hard to get the lock off once you鈥檝e safely negotiated the turn. To make matters worse, in stop-start traffic you really notice the engine鈥檚 poor refinement. Even at idle, it causes the steering wheel to vibrate, and once you pull away, the gruff note of the 2.8-litre turbodiesel makes you fully aware of how hard it鈥檚 having to work. The ride is firm at low speeds and, even on the motorway, it never settles down like a Land Rover or Volvo. There鈥檚 a lot of body roll in corners, and you can feel the nose rising and falling when you come on and off the throttle and brakes. Still, go off road and the Land Cruiser comes into its own. Muddy banks and rocky outcrops are what it was made for. With its basic ability enhanced by all manner of electronic wizardry, it鈥檚 up there with Land Rovers as one of the very best off-roaders in the world. Trouble is, most people will spend most of their time on tarmac. And that鈥檚 not playing to the car鈥檚 strengths.
