Audi Q7 review – a comfortable, practical, upmarket German SUV

Verdict – is the Audi Q7 a good car?

The Audi Q7 is a large and luxurious SUV with a cavernous seven-seat interior that also makes it very practical. If you could do with an MPV but prefer the style and creature comforts of a posh SUV, there aren’t many models to beat the big Audi. Designed to excel on tarmac – it’s no Range Rover Sport off-road – the Q7 is also good to drive, taking long motorway stints in its stride. Powerful diesel and petrol models make up the bulk of the range, but plug-in hybrids are usually available too – when there aren’t supply issues.

Audi Q7 models, specs and alternatives

The original Audi Q7 was launched to an enthusiastic audience who'd long awaited an Audi SUV. Today, it's a rival to the BMW X5, and Mercedes GLE, Range Rover Sport, Porsche Cayenne, Volvo XC90 and the new Land Rover Defender, although it's actually closer in size to the Range Rover and Mercedes GLS. If you’d prefer something a little sleeker, the closely-related Audi Q8 shares lots of parts with the Q7, but gives up its third row of seats in favour of a more sporting edge.

The Audi Q7 is set to be replaced in 2025 with an all-new model. While it’s yet to be seen how the upcoming version compares, the existing version has kept what made the original such a success story – namely its huge, versatile seven-seat interior – while addressing some of the criticisms, including that it was too bulky and intimidating, both to look at and to drive. The latest version has lost none of its imposing presence, but it's leaner and more agile than before.

A facelift for 2019 brought the Q7’s styling in line with the latest Audi Q3 and Q8, namely an even more striking and wider grille and enhanced LED lights at the front and rear. It looks slightly lower and more athletic as a result, while upgraded tech borrowed from its coupe-SUV sibling the Audi Q8, has also benefitted the interior.

For such a big, heavy machine, the Q7 shows an impressive turn of speed, whichever version you choose. The 3.0-litre diesel engine is available with 228 (badged as a 45 TDI) or 282bhp (badged as a 50 TDI), allowing 0-62mph to be covered in just 7.3 and 6.5 seconds respectively. Irrespective of the difference in power, both diesel engines are capable of similar economy figures of around 36mpg.

The single petrol engine offering is badged 55 TFSI and is the most powerful model in the standard Q7 line-up with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 producing 335bhp. It boasts impressive straight-line performance, sprinting from 0-62mph in only 5.9 seconds. It does have a considerable thirst though, with a fuel economy figure of up to 27mpg.

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These engines also come with mild-hybrid technology, allowing some power to be stored in a small battery pack under deceleration to aid the engine when necessary, improving efficiency.

While there used to be a choice of plug-in hybrids, that end of the range is now solely occupied by one model: the 55 TFSI e. This combines a V6 petrol engine with an electric motor for an output of 375bhp. The top-of-the-range 60 TFSI e with 449bhp is no longer available to buy new. The main benefit to the plug-in hybrid is an electric range of up to 51 miles on a charge, which is an improvement over previous versions which were only capable of 26 miles.

One version with very specific appeal is the Audi SQ7, the flagship performance model of the Q7 lineup. A 2020 update saw the 4.0-litre V8 diesel engine discontinued and replaced by an even more powerful 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine that upped the SQ7’s power output to 500bhp. The end result is a two-tonne SUV that sprints from 0-62mph in just 4.1 seconds.

While it can be fun to drive, the Q7 places its emphasis on comfort, and its standard air suspension is great at soaking up road imperfections while still delivering impressive body control. As this is a two-metre-wide car, it’s a good job the steering is very accurate, helping you position the Q7 on narrow roads. Optional four-wheel steering is available to make the Q7 more manoeuvrable at low speeds.

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All versions of the Q7 are plushly equipped as standard and start from just under £70,000. The range now starts with S Line, with Sport having been discontinued. It gets adaptive air suspension, Matrix LED headlights, leather upholstery with heated front seats, 20-inch alloy wheels and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit digital dials, plus privacy glass. The Black Edition model gains adaptive air sport suspension, black exterior trim and larger 21-inch alloy wheels. Costing from over £92,000, the range-topping Vorsprung trim features highlights including 22-inch alloy wheels, a Bose surround sound stereo and four-wheel steering.

Offering practicality and luxury, the Q7 is an impressive family car, with acres of head and legroom for front and second-row occupants. The second-row seats are also on runners, allowing them to slide forwards and backwards to make more space for the third row or boot. Even with all seven seats in place, boot capacity is still supermini-sized, while folding down the third row provides a huge 865 litres.