Today's car of the day comes from Dean-O-mite's collection and is Siku's 2008 Audi Q7.
The Audi Q7 is a full-size luxury crossover SUV unveiled in September 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of the Q7 began in autumn of 2005 in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is the first SUV offering from Audi and went on sale in North America for the 2007 model year. Later, Audi's second SUV, the Q5, was unveiled as a 2009 model. Audi has since unveiled a third SUV model, the Q3, going on sale in the 3rd quarter of 2011.
The Q7 utilizes a modified version of the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform. Previewed by the Audi Pikes Peak Quattro concept car, the Q7 is designed more for on-road use, and was not meant for serious off-road use where a transfer case is needed. Although it lacks a low-range transfer case, it has quattro permanent four wheel drive system with a central differential lock, and an adjustable-height air suspension which helps in off road situations.
This Siku is a pretty traditional (approx.) 1/55 scale. I am particularly fond of the separate headlight and tail light lenses, and the simulated rubber tires are also nice. The largest fault in my eyes, is the solid gray wheels - not so much because they are gray, but because they are gray even in between the spokes.
I narrowed this one down to a 2008 Q7 based on information from Wikipedia. Although the Q7 has been available for sale in Europe since 2005, and in North America and other markets since 2007, the 4.2 emblem without an accompanying TDI, is the key. The 4.2 gasoline engine was first available in 2008, per Wikipedia, and the 2009 Q7 received a styling facelift.
Despite its multiple airbags and safety electronics, such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), the Q7 scored only four stars out of five in the Euro NCAP crash test for adult occupant protection. According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, and has since been fixed in cars manufactured after the test which should allegedly lead to five stars. Official tests to prove this remains to be done as of March 2009.
However in the United States, the Q7 received five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety test for both front and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Q7 its Top Safety Pick, with Good ratings in all 14 measured categories of the front and side impact test.
In early 2005, Nissan North America Inc. filed a lawsuit against Audi over the use of the letter "Q" as a model name.
Audi is using the "Q" for the designation of their quattro four-wheel drive system, used in production cars for over twenty-five years (Audi's quattro trademark is actually an umbrella term for several types of four wheel drive systems developed by Torsen, Haldex Traction AB, and Borg-Warner, the latter being used in the Q7). Nissan's Infiniti marque had been using Q as the name for sedans (the Q45) and SUVs (the QX4 and QX56) since 1989.
A settlement between Audi AG and Nissan was reached in late 2006. The agreement stipulates that Audi will only use the Q-prefix for two models, the Q5 and the Q7.
Siku makes beautiful 1:55 models. You can see some of them at my website at Siku Toy Cars.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I believe the Audi you featured is more in the 1/64 scale.