Mercedes has been making money with the G-Class since the late 1970s but for some reason, Audi has refrained from bringing out a formidable SUV. This is very strange because the Four Rings are part of the Volkswagen Group with access to enormous resources, but all the “Q” models have a unibody. With no vehicles going anywhere from Ingolstadt, one of the first-generation Q7 owners from Kuwait took matters into his own hands.
If you’re wondering how this high-riding SUV came about, our friends Auditography told us that the owner often had fun in the desert with his friends. However, he always had to get out of his Q7 and jump into a Jeep, Patrol, or Land Cruiser because his Audi did not initially have off-road capabilities. One day, he decided to take the plunge and convert his VR6-powered SUV into an overlanding vehicle with huge ground clearance thanks to a very generous custom suspension lift.
The full list of mods is available in the video description on Youtube, but we’ll highlight the bespoke front and rear bumpers to improve approach and departure angles. You’ll immediately notice the quad exhaust system, lots of additional LEDs scattered throughout the vehicle, and flexible solar panels on the hood. It also happened to have a shower and fridge to relax in after a day of playing in the desert.
As for the interior, it’s mostly stock, except for the 10.5-inch screen on the center console and another screen mounted to the driver’s left to control the many additional LEDs. Of course, the shower and cooler we mentioned are in the cargo area.
Nothing changes under the hood as the 2008 Audi Q7’s naturally aspirated 3.6-liter six-cylinder petrol engine continues to produce 280 horsepower and 266 pound-feet (360 Newton-meters) of torque sent to the Quattro’s all-wheel drive. system.
It won’t be too late for Audi to catch up to the G-Class and capitalize on the off-road madness, but in the meantime, we’re glad there’s such an extreme build.
