AUDI'S popular luxury SUV, the seven-seater Q7, has had a major makeover inside and out and is set to hit the road in the UK in August.

The new Q7 is also stuffed with the latest high tech gear and with new, frugal engines Audi claims it has cut the Q7's fuel consumption by up to 28 per cent depending on engine choice.

At first glance you may think there hasn't been a dramatic change in its overall styling, but I think the changes that have been made give the big SUV a sleeker more dynamic look with a larger hexagonal grille dominating the front.

The grille is flanked by double arrow shaped Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights on SE models or all-weather LED units on the S line specification.

It also comes with new design alloy wheels with 19-inch rims on the SE and 20-inch on the S spec and a powered tailgate is also part of the package for both versions.

Inside the new Audi comes with seven seats with the second row now having a tilt and fold function and the two rear seats can now be folded by a new powered folding mechanism.

If being used as a big family car, adequate storage space is vital. Now the Q7 offers 770 litres of luggage space, even when all seats are in use, and a whopping 1,955 litres if only the front seats are occupied.

This isn't a cheap motor, so you'd expect a bit of luxury and class inside and the Q7 doesn't disappoint. The leather front seats are extremely comfortable and come with four-way electric lumbar support and heating.

Up front there's an 8.3-inch pop-up touch-control monitor used for navigation system, media information and even internet connection which makes contact through a fast 4G connection and also creates a wi-fi hotspot meaning you can go on-line on the move.

Other standard goodies on both SE and S models include cruise control, light and rain sensors, the Audi drive select adaptive dynamic system, parking aid with front and rear visual and acoustic guidance, hill descent and keyless go.

When the new Q7 gets here it will first be offered with the new generation 3.0-litre TDI 6-cylinder engine and in quattro four-wheel drive.

This unit can produce 272bhp giving it a 0-62mph sprint time of just 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 145mph with CO2 emissions of just 153 g/km. Audi claims 47.9 mpg can be achieved on a combined run. Later this year a 218bhp TDI will be introduced and expect the plug-in hybrid Q7 e-tron to be offered.

So, what's it like behind the wheel of Audi's latest.

On the road in the SE model, fitted with 8-speed tiptronic gearbox, which can also be used with paddle change, the Q7 made easy work of a demanding route from a valley floor up to 6,000 feet in the Swiss Alps.

Well, for a pretty large and weighty SUV it handled the hairpin bends close to the snowline with easy, with very little wallowing on the corners and the smooth tiptronic box changed with seamless easy.

In a straight line on the motorway the new Q7 eats up the miles with very little road, wind or engine noise which would make long distance motoring a tireless task.

The overall feeling of quality is something you come to expect from Audi and as far as I'm concerned this latest offering is up with the best that competitors such as Land Rover, BMW and Volvo can put on the forecourt.

What will it set you back for the 3.0 TDI SE?

At £50,340 it's a lot of cash, but you are getting a lot of motor and one of the most technologically advanced and fun to drive SUV's on offer.