maxlxi

In the last week I've put on about 1500 miles on my 08 4.2. I've only had it 3 weeks total but so far I am pleased with the car and the options I selected. I'm offering these impressions to help future buyers decide if they might want to include or skip a particular option.

Adaptive Cruise Control - this has been a pleasant surprise. It functions as advertised and reported previously by others. If the car in front of you slows down, you slow down. If they resume speed, you resume. If they come to a stop, you come to a stop, which de-activates the cruise control. You can still set a max speed like on a conventional cruise control system, but this adds the adjustments for traffic the driver normally has to supply manually. It can be a little disconcerting if the car in front of you slows down and turns or changes lanes immediately before a curve, but after it happens once you are ready for it. Having it resume speed as you are entering a curve can add some excitement to a dull trip.

Audi Side Assist - I like this feature very much. The primary motivation to have it was to overcome my wife's concern about blindspots on other models we've test driven. It is great on multi-lane roads where traffic is jockeying between lanes. The yellow light comes on the inboard side of the outside mirror whenever a car enters the blindspot. This happens if you pass a car or if they overtake you. If you signal a turn into the lane where it detects a car, it flashes very brightly to let you know this may not be the time to move over. You can turn the Side Assist off if you choose, but I haven't found a reason to yet.

Audi Lane Assist - this came with the Technology Package or I probably would not have gotten it. This, too, can be turned off, but I have kept it on, somewhat to my surprise. If you stray to the far side of the lane you are in, the steering wheel vibrates. It feels much like the grooves cut into the shoulders of some roadways. There are some false positive responses and some false negatives as well. You can be in the middle of the lane yet feel the wheel vibrate if the road surface has patches or other features that resemble a lane stripe. If the lane is too wide, the lane assist icon on the dashboard turns yellow, indicating it's lost its reference lines. I can imagine this option being very useful on a long trip and you are pushing to reach a destination. I also found myself wishing Herb Brooks had had this feature in his car.

Cold Weather Package - Even this early in the season I like having the heated steering wheel. My children like having the heated rear seats. I was willing to give up the S-line to get this and I have no regrets.

Panorama Sunroof - So far I like the feel of the interior with it. Have not gone through a summer with it yet so don't know if I will regret having it.

Cargo Mat - I bought the molded mat and probably would not do it again. First, it is available in only one color through Audi. I have not checked further to see if the manufacturer also supplies it in a shade of brown, which I would prefer. Just like with the floor mats I bought, black is not my first choice for a beige interior. Second, it is not a perfect fit for the Q7 - close but leaves un-Audi-like gaps. I think I'll keep looking for other choices.

Audi Parking System - I like the rearview camera but I agree with others that the beeping can get to be a bit much. It takes much more care to park the Q7 in the garage than it did the A6. I must retract the side mirrors, and even then, the Q7 is much wider. The cacophony when I enter or exit the garage is not quite as helpful as it could be. Perhaps I need to refine the settings so that if I am more than 2" away it will be silent.

The other options such as Adaptive Air Suspension, Voice Control, and Towing Package will require further use to develop an opinion of them. I think I will end up liking them, too.

Much more to learn about Nav and MMI in general. My 02 A6 did not have MMI. I suspect there are more efficient ways to get what I want than my current methods, especially with Voice Control available. One of these days I'll read the manual instead of AudiWorld. Nah, AW is much more helpful. Thanks again to all who helped this lurker choose some options.

Sachsi

It recently dawned on me that Audi heated seats = heated bottom cushions only (which by other brands' standards would be half-seat heating).
Does the cold weather package add heated backrests?

Btw, I agree with you on the molded cargo mat. It's pretty worthless unless you drive with the third row seats up all the time.

AutoUnionQ7

i want to know this also. I didn't even notice this until a month ago, when I turned on the heated seats for the 1st time.

pagpc

i agree. bottoms only. a bit of a negative.

K2audi

I am almost positive both bottom and back cusion is heated on our Q7. I will confirm tonight.

DestroVR6

Are you talking about the rear seats or the fronts? I know the front seats are heated bottoms and backs. I'm not sure of the rears as I have not sat back there enough.