2024 Audi SQ7 TFSI review

Audi gives its big Q7 another freshen up, its second in nine years. Is the beast getting long in the tooth?

There used to be quite a few Q7 models to choose from, as it was one of Audi’s best sellers here. However, things change and the Audi Q5 is now the people’s preferred four-ringed SUV. It’s more attainable, more compact but still premium.

One thing that hasn’t changed much in the past nine years is the Audi Q7, having gone through another facelift to help keep it relevant amongst the larger luxury SUVs.

The new bits this time concern the usual rearranged styling of the grille, bumpers and intakes, while new lights are a highlight, the fronts using HD Matrix LEDs and laser high beams while there are OLEDs on the rear.

Fewer choices now

The range of Q7 options has slimmed down, the 50 TDI being the entry point at $157,990. Your other option is the Audi SQ7, at $203,490. The latter is now an imbiber of gas, the oiler long gone.

That sees the menacing rumble of the diesel replaced by a more sinister snarl of the twin-turbo TFSI unit. The 4.0-litre pumps forth 373kW with 770Nm of torque helping out.

This is processed by Audi’s eight-speed auto and grounded via permanent and variable AWD.

Now that we no longer need to worry about transport-related emissions in NZ, we can revel in the glorious excess of this V8-powered SUV.

While a diesel engine is not considered an environmentally conscious option any more (it once was, remember), it is when the alternative is this.

Where the 50 TDI is rated at 8.1L/100km (211g/km), the SQ7 averages 13.2L/100km and emits 300g/km. That’s the on-paper figure; this machine was averaging 18L/100km, despite its cylinder deactivation.

It sure does sound good though. Not that the old TDI didn’t possess an emotive aural signature. It’s just that this sounds better.

It’s not overbearing for those in the cabin but you know you’ve got a V8 under the hood.

Loaded and luxurious

You also know you’re in a sporty Audi thanks to the appropriately bolstered front seats and the liberal helping of alloy in the cabin. And lots of leather. Being a top-spec model, there is, er, lots of spec.

Niceties include soft close doors (no slamming required, but the kids still will), four zones of A/C, and seat heaters front and rear.

You know it’s an older architecture as there are still some real buttons on the dash while the parking camera image is a little lacking in resolution. The wireless charger also takes up space in the centre bin.

Somehow you can spend more by ticking the Vorsprung package ($15k), which adds items like a trailer assist to help you back that 3.5 tonne load like a pro, a perfumer for the cabin, black detailing, a glass roof, more leather, bigger wheels and a massager for the front seats.

This has a pair of displays on the dash, one for the infotainment, the other for the A/C, which helps simplify operations. These touchscreens have a haptic response; give them a prod and they push back giving it a more tactile feel.

The other bits are typical of the brand with configurable dials in behind the wheel, and a head-up display. The interior is well trimmed and while not the newest on the lot, it is still up to date in a styling sense.

We like how the start button, gear lever and park brake are all clumped together for ease of use. And a smattering of buttons allows instant access to tools like the surround-view camera, self parking and the driver-assist menu.

These assistants are many and well mannered, while the most active, the lane keeping, can be disabled quickly via a button on the end of the indicator wand.

The SQ7 rides on adaptive air suspension of the sport designation, but it manages to ride with dignity despite the optional 22s. It’s quite plush considering it can rumble.

With light and quick steering, and rear-wheel steering, it’s more easily managed in the burbs. And with all that power, the kids will never be late to ballet.

Fast but not furious

This is fitted with the optional Performance Package which adds a 48v active roll stabilisation system, a sports differential and $13k to the bottom line. Worth it? Depends how seriously you’ll be attacking bends.

For what is a large machine, it’s dynamically impressive, if not ultimately engaging. Still it’s an admirable effort. The roll control minimises the lean, helping it track around a corner better.

The rear-wheel steer helps the turn in on the sharper bends, while also stabilising things on longer sweepers (the wheels turning in the same direction as the fronts, which effectively lengthens the wheelbase).

There’s also the active management of torque across the rear axle which helps push the nose into the bend, warding off understeer, which is what a heavy, high rider really wants to do. Even with the dynamic helpers, there is also some subtle intervention from the stability control.

So it pays to temper the enthusiasm on entry, and make it up on the exit; bury the gas early and it’ll pull itself right. The stoppers are solid too, hauling up this mass of luxury and speed in a stable fashion, the dive minimal.

You’ll likely find the Dynamic mode a tad racy and decide to leave it in Auto. Flipping the trans into its S setting is usually enough to whip the 4.0-litre along.

It will rev out to just shy of seven thousand before another cog is quickly slotted. The vee-eight sounds best right up high, but with this sort of tomfoolery, the gas use soars past the 20L/100km mark.

Punchy and practical

While large, so too is the lounging room in the rear, where three individual seats let them claim their personal space, although the middle child doesn’t get much leg room with that big trans tunnel.

The SQ7 seats seven but it’s tight in the third row for adults, even for occasional use. And so it’s a kid’s zone in terms of both access and room for limbs and noggins. These seats are deployed electronically, though the second row has to be in the right place otherwise they get stuck.

There’s some reasonable luggage space left over in behind the third row, while in five-seat mode the hold is cavernous. Along with the powered tailgate, the air springs can lower the load height.

While not the latest in the segment, the SQ7 holds its own against the newer rivals in terms of looks, equipment and dynamics.

It asks less too than the $302k AMG GLS 63 and the $232k X7 M60i, while being just as quick, rowdy and thirsty.

This article first appeared in the September 2024 issue of NZ Autocar Magazine.