Audi Q7 SUV (2006-2015) - Practicality & boot space

The enormous size of the Audi Q7 is both a blessing and a curse. The good news is the sheer space inside: even with all seven seats in place, there's plenty of boot space. Also, visibility is excellent: a raised driving position gives an excellent view of the road, plus the wing mirrors are large and the view out of the back is generous.

The Q7 is less impressive at town driving, where it feels excessively wide and long. All models have parking sensors, but the reality is lots of parking spaces simply aren't big enough for this car. Narrow roads with width-restriction bollards can be a particularly fraught experience, and many Q7s wear battle scars, including kerbed alloy wheels and scraped wing mirrors.

But for some buyers, the ample shoulder, head and legroom, plus the Q7's ability to carry seven passengers, are worth the inconvenience.

A space-saver spare wheel is standard on 3.0-litre TDI models, unless you choose the optional Rear Seat Entertainment System Plus pack, in which case it comes with the same tyre-repair kit provided with the 4.2-litre TDI version.

Audi Q7 interior space and storage

You can't argue with the amount of space given to front and middle-row passengers in the Q7. This is a seriously large SUV, with so much shoulder-room that three adults can comfortably sit in the middle row.

The third row of seats is only really suitable for children, however, but can accommodate adults on shorter trips. Handily, legroom for the third row can be improved by sliding the middle seats forward – still leaving enough room for passengers in that row to sit in comfort.

There’s plenty of storage for everyday items too – the Q7 offers large door pockets in both the front and rear doors, and there are cup holders in the very back.

Audi Q7 boot space

The Q7 offers 330 litres of boot space. Lower the rear seats and they fold flush into the boot floor, freeing up 775 litres, while you can enjoy 2,035 litres of luggage room if you fold the middle row, too.

This is more than either the BMW X5 or Mercedes M-Class can hold, but the Land Rover Discovery's boot is bigger still, with a van-like maximum carrying capacity of 2,558 litres. Its large hatchback boot and wide loading lip also make it easy to slide large boxes into the boot.