Any room for Audi’s SQ7?
Nile Bijoux finds out how the Audi SQ7 fares in a crowded and competitive segment.
The SQ7 is Audi’s most unhinged traditional SUV, behind the forthcoming RS Q8.
What’s new about it?
Audi gave the Q7 range a facelift last year and the SQ7 adopts those changes, which include a fresh interior, a redesigned grille, front and rear bumpers, new side sills, chrome trim for the tailgate and revised exhaust tips. Also included are sportier seats and a flatbottomed steering wheel.
The SQ7 is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V8, like its SQ8 twin, offering 320kW of power and a gut-busting 900Nm of torque. Don’t forget to add in a 48-volt mild hybrid system for extra efficiency and low-down grunt.
The new interior is nicely minimal, though some of the black finishes tend to fingerprint, and the MMI multimedia system is lovely to use. It’s a touch screen but with haptic feedback and force sensitivity, so it really feels like you’re pushing a physical button.
Thankfully the one knob Audi retained is the one responsible for volume.
How does it all come together?
Even when shifting well north of two tonnes, the burly powertrain shoves the SQ7 to 100kmh in 4.8 seconds.
The SUV builds speed like a train, which is sort of a mixed blessing because the actual drive experience is more suited for highway cruising (autobahn, preferably) over rolling New Zealand roads.
Being a diesel, it does run out of puff sooner than you might expect, but by that point you’re going so fast it’s probably a good thing.
The steering could be heavier in Dynamic mode and the engine is best suited for squirts of that massive torque when passing pesky hatchbacks before settling back down to sip diesel.
And judging purely by looks, you might think the SQ7 makes a nice rumble but you’d be wrong –largely.
There is a nice V8 sound but half comes through the speakers, which says a lot about European noise standards.
Plus, one of those exhaust tips is completely fake, which is annoying to say the least.
The standard air suspension does well at absorbing road imperfections in Comfort mode while also keeping body roll largely at bay when set to Dynamic but, to be fair, most buyers won’t be looking at the SQ7 with enthusiastic driving in mind.
Most buyers, like those considering an SQ8, are wanting the biggest and best Audi has to offer for flubbing around town, embarrassing an alarming amount of sports cars on the on-ramp and ultra-comfortable road trips down the country. There’s plenty of space in the rear seats for fully grown adults and the boot has plenty of capacity.
Any other cars I should consider?
The $200k SUV segment is brimming with options at the moment. You’ve got the MercedesAMG GLE 53, Porsche’s Cayenne
E-Hybrid and BMW’s X5 M50d all within spitting distance of the SQ7, while breaching the $200k mark by
$9900 gets you the thoroughly mad Range Rover Sport SVR.
Alternatively, if you like the Audi’s underpinnings but aren’t sold on the styling, Volkswagen is bringing in the Touareg V8, which uses the same mechanicals as the
SQ7, sans 10kW. It’ll start at
$141,990 too, which shows it pays to shop around.