Audi Q7: Big, bold seven-seater is a diesel diamond

Moving on, inside the new Q7 you’re greeted with a single-piece curved screen that houses a slim digital readout behind the wheel and a 14.5in central touchscreen nearly all of the controls. Unfortunately, that includes your climate and your fan directions. We’ll forgive the temperature adjustment being in there because it is permanently visible, and the AI-enabled voice control was also hard to fault when it came to temperature requests. But I’m not forgiving the in-screen fan-direction controls. Sorry, Audi.

There’s also a 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen on every Q7, for full-width screenage. It’s a matter of opinion as to whether this is a good- or bad thing. We’re not fans of the trend for passenger screens, but you’ll pay a lot extra to get one on many  of the Q7’s rivals.

Otherwise, it’s a smart cabin with some nice touches, and it’s particularly classy with the Scandi-esque light wood trim. The standard panoramic roof can be opened, and is optionally available with lighting and configurable opacity. Not sure what happens in these ultra-plush SUVs when they need to become even more luxurious in a few years. Retractable chandelier?

While the perceived quality around the dash is very good, it still feels a smidge behind the lustre and detailing of the latest BMW models; There’s just too much gloss black plastic around the upper dash and screen area, in the Q7. But the Audi is a comfortable place – especially if you’ve got the excellent massage seats that feature on all but entry-level S Line.

The practicality stuff has been carefully thought out. The middle row is very spacious and flexible, with sliding seats, climate control and charging ports. Space in the third row has also improved so that an average-sized adult can now sit back there in modest comfort. It still feels like your knees are closer to your shoulders than is ideal, but it’s not bad, and kids will be fine even on long journeys – especially as they get USB-C charging ports in the third row, and the windows let in a decent amount of light.

There aren’t any air vents back there, though. As the owner of dogs and children, I’d give up the passenger touchscreen for third-row vents in a heartbeat.

Cleverly, the middle outer seats lift and tip forward for access to the third row without folding, which is clever as it means you can leave a fixed car seat in place and still get into the rearmost seats. There are also six Isofix points, so this promises to be a great car for anyone with lots of small people.

Boot space is very decent, with 210-litres behind the third row and 722-litres in five-seat mode, so you’ll get a lightweight buggy in, even with all the seats in use. And there’s a cubby beneath the boot floor for the loadbay cover.