At this point, I thought I knew what to expect. Big car, big cabin, big engine, plenty of buttons, and enough safety technology to make you question whether you are actually driving or simply supervising the vehicle. Then came the Audi Q7 S line, looking sleek enough to make me reconsider my cynicism.

The Q7 S line’s sportier tuning comes through in its exterior treatment. Its S line and Black Styling Plus elements give the SUV a stronger stance, with darkened trim, anthracite Audi badging and illuminated S line entry plates adding to its already assertive edge. Up front, the HD Matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light create a distinctive illumination signature while adjusting intelligently to changing traffic and road conditions.

Through tighter roads and corners, the car provided sharp and precise handling that made its considerable dimensions surprisingly easy to forget.

Apart from its formidable appearance, the Q7’s height provides excellent visibility, while its size gives it an imposing presence on the road. Yet behind the wheel, manoeuvrability was never really compromised. Through tighter roads and corners, the car provided sharp and precise handling that made its considerable dimensions surprisingly easy to forget.

That was perhaps what caught me off guard. The driving experience never took a back seat to all the luxuries and technology. In fact, the bells and whistles were an afterthought to me. It did not even cross my mind to test the safety features and practical functions until my journalistic obligations kicked in. Because honestly, I just wanted to drive it. 

One of my favourite moments came on a trip up Genting Highlands, when I found myself trapped in a parking lot because of a malfunctioning boom gate. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, the windows came down and the volume on the Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System went up. Suddenly, I was the most patient man on all Malaysian roads. For once, even my usual short-tempered self wouldn’t have minded the time it took the gate to be fixed.  

On that same spirited drive up Genting Highlands (you know how intense that can be), a friend of mine managed to fall asleep in the backseat. Perhaps that says more about the comfort than any technical specification could. Maybe he was just tired, or maybe the generous space, plush seats and steady ride had something to do with it. Either way, it got me wondering: would any other car make a winding mountain road feel quite this much like nap time? 

Then there were the massage seats in the front passenger and driver’s seats. The massage function would stay on for approximately 10 minutes after activation, at which point I would simply restart the cycle, giving it zero cooldown time. For the duration of my commute, my back was in a seemingly endless state of circulation. It was unnecessary, indulgent and, naturally, one of my favourite features. I only wished it had the same function in the rear seats too.

The rest of the cabin follows suit. A head-up display keeps important information in your eyeline, soft-closing doors add a subtle touch of luxury to every entrance and exit, while rear-door sunshades make the back feel appropriately executive. It has all the luxuries expected of a car at this level, but none of them felt like the reason I enjoyed it.

Maybe that's because the car feels grown-up on the surface, but there is still something cheeky underneath. It is refined, spacious, and packed with technology, yet it never quite asks you to behave like a responsible adult. Instead, it indulges the part of you that still wants to take the long way home, put the music up and see what the engine can do.

And that's the appeal of a car like this. You can have the soft-closing doors, the massage seats and all the comforts of adulthood, while still leaving a little room for the juvenile instincts that never really left.