New Audi Q7 is a shorter version of new Q9 with identical dashboard. Seven seats standard in UK and US, tech includes smart turn signals. Europe gets 295 hp diesel V6, US has 429 hp V6 or 591 hp V8 SQ7. Audi has revealed the third-generation Q7, and though this time its position as Ingolstadt’s flagship SUV will be taken by an even bigger utility, the Q7 doesn’t skimp on luxury. That bigger SUV we’re referring to is the Q9, whose interior Audi teased a few weeks back, and which is effectively a long-wheelbase Q7 with a squarer rear end. It’s Audi’s first attempt to take on the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS, while the shorter Q7 we’re looking at today will stick to its 20-year-old mission of attacking the X5. Related: Audi’s Q9 Won’t Chase Maybach After All Compared with the old Q7, which enjoyed a long 10-year life, the new Q7 looks way more muscular and assertive. A taller front end, subtly flared front fenders and hugely swollen rear ones help it project the kind of tough confidence luxury SUV buyers seem to crave, though the 118-inch (3 m) wheelbase hasn’t changed. A large front grille features an oversize mesh-design center, and Q7 gen-3 also brings a switch to the two-deck split-headlight arrangement Audi is already using on models like the Q6 e-tron. We’ve seen the intelligent segmented LED DRLs on other Audis before, but the Q7’s are even more advanced. Because as well as projecting warnings for things like an icy road onto the road ahead, they also project the turn signal onto the ground to warn other road users. Matrix Lights For the US Other clever light tricks include a projected warning for approaching road users when one of the doors is about to be opened, and rear lights than can warn following cars of accidents or breakdowns ahead, and even light up to tell them to back off if they’re getting too close in traffic. And in one final piece of lighting news, the US finally gets the trick Matrix adaptive lights Europeans have been enjoying for years. We’ll have to wait to see the undisguised images of the Q9 later this year to compare the design and dimensions of the two SUVs fully, but the earlier Q9 teaser showed a much longer rear door, a flatter roofline and waistline, and a license plate mounted in the rear bumper, whereas the curvier Q7’s plate is on the rear hatch. Screens Everywhere, Modern Materials Take a look at the dashboard images though, and you’ll struggle to tell the two apart. A large curved OLED display combines instrumentation and infotainment duties, while front passengers get their own dedicated screen. The Q7 also gains an impressive panoramic glass roof that can switch from transparent to opaque in sections. It even remembers your preferred setting when you restart the vehicle. UK and US Q7s come with three rows of seats as standard, but other countries start off with two rows. And for the first time owners can choose two individual middel-row seats instead of a bench, just like on the new Q9, although Q9 passengers will enjoy significantly mopre legroom. Luggage space ranges from up to 722 liters (25.5 cu-ft) with the rear-most seats folded to nearly 2,000 liters (70.6 cu-ft) depending on seating configuration. SQ7 Boosted To 591 HP What you’ll find under the hood of your new Q7 depends very much on where you bought it. British buyers will get a single engine at launch, a 3.0-litre, turbodiesel V6 producing 295 hp (299 PS / 220 kW) and 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) of torque. Mild-hybrid assistance contributes 24 hp (24 PS / 18 kW) and helps improve both efficiency and responsiveness, Audi says. But other markets, most obviously the US, get gasoline engines and skip the oil burner altogether.American Q7s ditch the old SUV’s entry-level inline four for a 2.9-liter V6 that makes 429 hp (435 PS) and gets it to 60 mph (97 kmh) in 4.8 seconds. But the US also once again gets an SQ7, whose 4.0-liter V8 now makes 591 hp (600 PS) instead of 500 hp (507 PS). That’s good for a 3.7-second zero to 60 run. Also: Audi Unveils New Nuvolari Supercar As Extreme R8 Successor With Lambo Power Adaptive air suspension, all-wheel steering, permanent all-wheel drive, and electronically controlled damping are part of the chassis package. The suspension can even use route data to prepare for upcoming obstacles like train crossings, and lower itself to make it easier for the driver and passengers to get in and out. Parking Wizard And Emergency Responder And that’s far from the last of the clever tech. The new Q7 can memorize up to five parking maneuvers up to 200 m (656 ft) in length, back up by itself in stretches of 50 m (164 ft) at a time, and even pull over to the shoulder and call the emergency services if the drivers becomes unresponsive, perhaps while getting too relaxed in the massage seats. Sales start this July, and Audi will be hoping to take advantage of how modern the Q7 looks and feels relative to the now eight-year-old BMW X5. But with a new Neue Klasse-inspired X5 due for release later this year, and the Q9 also joining the market and probably stealing a few Q7 sales, the large SUV class really is going to heat up over the next couple of years. Audi