2024 Audi SQ7 TFSI Review – A practical hot-SUV

The Audi SQ7 has been with us since 2015 and with a heavily 2^nd facelifted model just around the corner, we spent some time with a 2024 SQ7 to reacquaint ourselves with the luxury SUV before the new one arrives.

While the updated model brings aesthetic and tech upgrades to the luxury SUV, its mechanical bits remain unchanged.

In the SQ7, that means a force-fed 4.0-litre petrol V8 pumping out an adrenalin inducing 373kW at 5,500rpm and a muscly 770Nm of torque. And in an era of electrification, the non-hybridised V8 is rare as a hen’s teeth!

But even at the ripe old age of eight, the SQ7 still feels like the posh SUV that it is.

How much is the Audi SQ7 TFSI?

The flagship SQ7 isn’t cheap as you’d expect, wearing a price tag of $175,400 before on-road costs. That’s $38,200 more than the Q7 55 TFSI S Line below it.

The good news is, however, it’s $4,500 cheaper than the Mercedes-Benz GLE53 AMG which costs $179,900 yet comes with considerably less power at 320kW/560Nm.

On the flip side, you could head into a BMW showroom and drive away in the BMW X5 M60i for just $172,900. It’s also slightly more powerful at 390kW/750Nm.

Like the SQ7, the X5 M60i comes with a turbocharged V8 while the GLE53 AMG employs a twin-turbo V6.

On the inside

The SQ7 gets the same cabin as the regular Q7, which was comprehensively overhauled a few years ago. It feels plush and tech heavy the moment you pull the vault like door shut.

Compared to the Q7, you get fancier sports seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel. Our test car is also equipped with the $13,300 Sensory Package, which amongst others, adds leather to the upper dashboard and artificial leather to the lower interior elements for a properly upmarket touch.

The one-piece sports seats with quilted stitching are very comfortable indeed, with an excellent blend of comfort and support, and complete with adjustable bolsters to hold you snugly in place in the corners.

Cabin space is vast with plenty of room for even lofty driver and passengers. There are big door bins capable of swallowing large water bottles and plenty of storage space in the bin underneath the front centre armrest.

Rear seat space is equally generous, thanks to the rear seats that slide back and forth, as well as recline. However, the big, high-backed front seats do impede visibility for those behind.

There is surprisingly decent space in the third row although you wouldn’t call it generous. Interestingly, the third-row seats don’t get the exquisite diamond-quilting for the leather you’ll find in the first two rows. They also miss out on air vents, which won’t win fans on a hot summer day.

Even with all seven seats in use, the SQ7 still provides around 300L of boot space which is better than some rivals. Folding them away via a boot mounted button yield an impressive 704L of space.

By comparison, the BMW X5 manages only 650L, while the related but five-seat Porsche Cayenne yields 770L. It’s worth noting however the SQ7 is still 150L down on the standard SQ7.

Drop the second row and you essentially turn the SQ7 into a leather-lined van with a massive 2,050L on offer.

The heavy mid-life overhaul has done wonders to disguise the SQ7’s age, with two giant screens for infotainment and climate control. The upper screen takes care of navigation, music, as well as connected internet functions, while the lower screen looks after heating and cooling.

Both offer slick graphics, responsive inputs, as well as a satisfying haptic click with each press of a button to make it easier to use.

As we have mentioned many times before, Audi’s digital instruments is still one of the best in the business with beautiful presentation and configurability.

And while most of the cabin is beautifully finished with excellent fit and finish, the grey leather on the bolsters of our media car is a little faded after around 10,000km on the test fleet.

What’s under the bonnet?

Audi has replaced the turbo-diesel with a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 petrol.

It pumps out 373kW of power and 770Nm of torque and is the same engine found under the Bentley Bentayga. It will hurl the large SUV from 0-100km/h in a mere 4.1 seconds –  that’s serious hot-hatch territory.

Power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro system with a self-locking centre differential and default 60:40 rear: front torque split.

Depending on the road conditions, up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque can be directed to the front axle, and 85 percent to the rear axle.

The SQ7 has an 85-litre fuel tank that requires 95 RON premium unleaded fuel. Combined fuel consumption is rated at 12.1L/100km.

What’s the Audi SQ7 like to drive?

The SQ7 is impressively fast yet comfortable. It’s also surprisingly agile in corners for a large and heavy SUV.

It turns into corners with the sort of sharpness that puts some hot hatches to shame, and the harder and faster you push, the SQ7 will somehow muster more grip to pull you through to the next straight. It does a great job at disguising how high the centre of gravity is.

There are tonnes of torque from pretty much off idle, although you can’t run the engine past the limiter as the gearbox will automatically shift-up, regardless of which drive mode you’re in.

Given the prod, the petrol V8 appears to make all the right kind of epic noises, but you soon realise that most of it comes from the 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, which is slightly disappointing.

Still, the transmission is smooth and well calibrated, kicking down decisively while releasing a satisfying crackle from the exhausts.

The brakes are pretty good, too, although we find it hard to justify $19,500 for the ceramic brakes on our tester unless you intend to hit the track regularly.

Around town, the ride is exquisitely sublime, with the standard air suspension ironing out most road bumps effectively. The suspension can be electronically raise or lower, too, depending on the drive mode. It will also drop the car to the ground when parked for easy entry and exit.

Refinement is excellent, too, with just a hint of road noise on coarse-chip bitumen thanks to the chunky performance rubbers, while wind noise is nearly non-existence.

Despite measuring over 5.0m long, the SQ7 rear wheel steering effectively shrinks the car by a good margin, making tight inner city manoeuvre a breeze.

We can’t fault the SQ7 on the active driver assistance front. The adaptive cruise control operates smoothly and maintains a set gap to the car in front. It will also accelerate automatically after coming to a stop when the car in front moves on.

The lane-keep assist system isn’t overly intrusive either, intervening only when things go haywire.

What do you get with the SQ7?

As standard, the SQ7 comes with the following:

• S-specific front and rear bumpers, grille, side sills and rear tailgate spoiler
• 22-inch alloy wheels
• Red brake calipers
• Aluminium-look mirror caps
• Matrix LED laser headlights with dynamic rear indicators
• Panoramic sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Heated and folding side mirrors
• Power assisted door closure
• Roof rails
• Valcona leather upholstery with diamond patterned contrasting stitching
• S sport front seats with heating and electric adjustment, incl. 4-way lumbar
• Heated steering wheel
• Interior ambient lighting
• Illuminated door sill trims
• 10.1-inch haptic touchscreen
• 8.6-inch haptic touch secondary screen
• 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit
• Head-up display
• Built-in satellite navigation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 17-speaker, 730-watt Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system
• 4-zone climate control

Options highlight:

Dynamic Package:

• Quattro sport differential
• Active roll stabilisation

Sensory Package:

• 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System
• Dinamica black headlining
• Front seat ventilation and massage function
• Seat heating for outer rear seats
• Extended leather package – upper dashboard in leather and lower interior elements in artificial leather
• Air quality package – air ioniser and fragrance

How safe is the Audi SQ7?

The SQ7 carries a five-star safety rating from ANCAP based on test conducted in 2019 on the regular Q7.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with:
  • Vehicle and pedestrian detection
  • Reverse AEB
• Adaptive cruise control with stop & go
• Traffic jam assist
• Lane keep assist
• Blind-spot assist
• Rear-cross traffic assist
• Surround view cameras
• Tyre pressure monitor

Ownership

The SQ7 comes with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, with a five-year prepaid service package costing $4,370.

Verdict