2007 Audi Q7

I suppose it's possible -- that there's an empty garage somewhere, a space being saved for an Audi sports utility vehicle. I suppose there are Audi loyalists who would like a big SUV but find the current crop from Acura, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Infiniti, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Saab, Volkswagen and Volvo lacking.

And I suppose these are questions Audi product planners considered before they greenlighted the 2007 Audi Q7, which is longer than the 2006 Cadillac Escalade and weighs 5,269 pounds with a 4.2-liter, 350-horsepower Audi V-8.

Make no mistake: The Audi Q7 is an excellent SUV by every measure, every standard. However, there is no shortage of excellent SUVs, but isn't there a shortage of SUV buyers?

Maybe not. At the recent Geneva auto show, an Audi executive said that the current plan is to increase production of the Q7, based on early interest. According to Automotive News, Audi management thinks it can sell 76,000 Q7s per year, with 35,000 of those sold in the United States. As a comparison, these other models each sold about 35,000 cars in the United States last year: BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Lexus GX 470 and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.

With more than 1,000 orders in hand for the Q7, which doesn't formally reach showrooms until May, Audi is heartened.

In price, the Audi is in the premium-SUV ballpark. The Audi Q7 4.2 starts at $49,900, and the Q7 4.2 Premium is $59,900. That doesn't include a $720 shipping charge.

Q7 stands for Quattro -- Audi's brand of all-wheel drive -- and the 7 means seven-passenger capacity. As you might determine from the Q, there is no two-wheel-drive model. Engines are the 4.2-liter V-8 and a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6. The Q7 will launch in the United States with the V-8 engine, with the V-6 coming in the fall. There's also a diesel option that may come here. More about that in a moment.

The Q7 shares a basic platform with its corporate cousins, the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne. To make room for the third row of seats, it has a wheelbase that has been stretched about 6 inches. Overall, it's about a foot longer than the VW or Porsche. It resembles neither.

If you're budget-conscious, wait for the V-6 model. It will be nicely equipped, and the V-6 engine is more powerful than you would expect. But the V-8-powered Q7 isn't overpriced, considering the competition.

In terms of content, the regular Q7 4.2 is no slouch, with standard equipment that includes xenon headlights, side air bags, heated front and rear seats, a 14-speaker Bose stereo with a six-disc CD changer, a power tailgate, a power tilt steering wheel, and leather, wood and aluminum interior trim.

But the Premium does have some nice features, such as a standard "panorama" sunroof (optional on the base model), headlight washers, a heated steering wheel, a rear-view camera, a navigation system, 19-inch tires and wheels instead of 18-inchers -- a lot for an extra $10,000.

Click every option box, and the most you can pay for a Q7 Premium is $65,420. Available options include "side assist" ($500), which uses radar sensors to monitor blind spots on the left and right of the vehicle; "adaptive air suspension" ($2,600), which allows for four different ride heights, depending on conditions; and, for $800, 20-inch cast alloy wheels with either all-season or performance P275/45R-20 radial tires.

Inside, there is no mistaking this is a premium sport ute, even with the standard model. Seats are comfortable and supportive, instruments and controls well-placed, and visibility is good. The third-row seat is best left for kids. Or if you don't need the extra capacity, there's a six-passenger configuration available.

On the road, the Q7 with the V-8 has ample power, in part because of the perceptive six-speed automatic transmission. As with any Quattro model, the all-wheel-drive feature is transparent, just there when you need it. The Q7 would not be my choice for serious off-roading -- mostly because of its size and weight -- but it's capable.

At speed, it's as quiet as any SUV on the market. The ride is rough only on the worst pavement. Drive hard into a tight corner, and the moaning tires will help remind you that this vehicle weighs more than 21/2 tons, but otherwise, it's surprisingly light on its feet.

Of the three engines the Q7 offers, my favorite is the one we aren't getting -- yet, anyway: a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged diesel with 233 horsepower and a meaty 500 foot-pounds of torque. Only at idle, with the stereo off, can you tell it's a diesel, and fuel mileage is likely to be 20 percent better than that of the V-8. Audi execs hint that it may come to the United States -- after all, Audi is debuting its diesel-powered, 650-horsepower race car at the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race on March 18, to make the public aware of how much diesel engines have improved.

So maybe there is room for one more luxury SUV. And if it has that diesel engine, there might be room in my driveway.

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at 407-420-5699 or scsmith@orlandosentinel.com.