BMW X5 v AUDI Q7 v RANGE ROVER SPORTThe benchmark
There’s no denying the Audi Q7 has been the benchmark in
this segment by a mile. It has got the grunt with a three-litre V6
diesel that makes 245bhp and a good 600Nm, delivered with
proper enthusiasm. In Comfort mode, it doles out this creamy
wave of torque that gently picks you up and hustles you, but
slot it into Dynamic mode and it gets a little more committed
to that hustling. Refinement levels are phenomenal, you can
barely tell that there’s a diesel under the hood and this is
further hushed by the sound insulation of the cabin.
What really makes the Q7 special is its ride quality. The
air-suspension works like magic, isolating the cabin nearly
completely from the road under it. It glides over small bumps
like they don’t exist and absorbs big ones with unfaltering
confidence. But the beauty about air suspension is that while
it can make you believe you’re riding on clouds and jack up the
SUV a whole 60mm to go tackle the trail to your farmhouse,
it can also dial itself in. The Q7, a 5052mm-long woolly
mammoth sans wool, can actually go around a bend without
tripping over its tusks. The steering is sharp and it turns in
quickly, not just for a car its size but even in isolation. Around
a bend, there’s very little roll and the suspension feels properly
stable, keeping the SUV very composed. The mild undulations
so typical of Indian roads cannot faze it and it remains flat.
What an SUV. Now that we’re done with our refresher course,
it was time to step into the new BMW.New kid on the block
Oh, the seats, they’re just so bloody comfortable! The BMW X5
has clearly whacked the 7 Series’ seat-spec and anyone who sits
in one will be mighty happy about that fact. But the seats are
just one part of a much bigger story — the new X5 places a hugeTHE Q7, A WOOLLY
MAMMOTH SANS
WOOL, CAN ACTUALLY
GO AROUND A BEND
WITHOUT TRIPPING
OVER ITS TUSKS