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2016 Audi Q7: First Look

The 2016 Audi Q7 will be unveiled officially at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and a major crash diet accompanies the second generation of the popular crossover SUV.

READ: 2015 Nissan Murano: First Drive

The Q7 is one of the first vehicles to ride on a new "MLB Evo" platform penned for the Volkswagen Group's mid-size cars and crossovers. Completely reengineered, the Q7 has managed to drop more than 700 pounds in its transition to the new architecture. From a curb weight of more than 5,000 pounds, the Q7 now checks in at 4,398 pounds in base trim, Audi says, thanks to extensive use of aluminum and high-strength steel.

The handsomely predictable shape doesn't read as sleek as the first-generation Q7, ironically, but Audi does say it's one of the lightest seven-seat SUVs in its class--and one of the most spacious, with more interior volume than before despite somewhat slighter exterior measurements.

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On the powertrain menu, Audi will fit the new lighter-weight Q7 with its first-ever turbocharged four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter unit rated at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque--a powertrain expected to become the core engine for the upcoming Q5 as well. Bigger-displacement options will include a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 with 33 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.0-liter turbodiesel six rated at 272 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.

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