With the SQ7, Audi has taken a slightly different approach to solving the quandary of having a large and tall SUV play nice with corners and outrun most of everything else on a straight. With the Porsche Cayenne and now Bentley Bentayga as relatives, Audi had plenty to draw from when it came time to fill this specialised niche.
Audi’s novel idea was to throw a bunch of technology at their second-generation Q7’s powertrain and couple that to a sophisticated suspension for that requisite sporty roadholding. Unlike other high-powered SUVs like the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5M, the SQ7 only comes with as a 4.0-litre V8 diesel.
But where it is set apart is in its unique forced induction system that, in addition to the two turbochargers, there’s a third turbine that’s electrically powered and ready to spool up in an instant, allowing the traditional units to provide oodles of boost at higher revs while the ‘electric supercharger’ handles lower revs and maniacally throws the 2.4-ton SUV toward the higher RPMs.
Yes, the SQ7 absolutely flies down a road in a manner that’s scarcely believable on account of its sheer size. But because it’s a diesel it just happens to be the most economical performance SUV by a long shot, especially at a cruise, and also unlike its contemporaries can actually seat 7 occupants - hence the name.
Exterior
“There are two things left to ensure you've spotted the quick Q7…a) has an SQ7 badged affixed to it and b) has four squared off tailpipes.” - CarsGuide
Compared to how ostentatious some of its rivals are or can be if fitted with the right options, flamboyance isn’t a behaviour that Audi often engages in. Even with the largest wheel option of 22-inches, quad exhaust exits, and lowered (but height-adjustable stance, thanks to its air suspension), there’s just not very much about the SQ7 that would make it turn heads.
Depending on your preferences, that might be chalked up to a plus point or a knock on the Audi leviathan, but given Ingolstadt’s previous styling efforts in the performance arena, this amount of restraint isn’t at all surprising and entirely in character for the brand.
Like the regular Q7, this S-badged version constructed on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform and features a shell that’s blend of aluminium and high strength steel for more strength and less weight.
Fresh out of the factory, it might not be a menacing looking beast but it certainly exudes an aggressive and purposeful air, which is a consistent theme that runs throughout the SQ7, from the interior design choices to the engineering ones.
Engines and Drivetrain
“The SQ7’s maximum torque – which matches a LaFerrari’s, by the way – is available from a paltry 1,000rpm.” - Top Gear
The engine really is the star of the SQ7 here. Unlike other ’S’ Audis like the S3 or S5, the motor isn’t lifted from any other model and tuned accordingly. It’s a genuine world’s first V8 with some very impressive innovations.
While other performance SUVs typically use a whacking grade petrol motor with a diesel option as an afterthought, the sole powerplant here was designed around it and its new features meant to plug the downsides.
Displacing 4.0-litres in a 90-degree V, the block is similar to that found in the bi-turbo petrol engine of the current RS6 Avant. However, the diesel-only SQ7 uses a specially developed 48v electrical system that runs car-wide in addition to the standard 12v circuits, supplying juice to the active air suspension and (optional) anti-roll bars and, crucially, the electric compressor that can go from rest to 70,000rpm in around 0.25 seconds to densely flood the cylinders with oxygen and endows the SQ7 with silly amounts of thrust throughout the rev range.
This compressor works in tandem with a regular duo of sequential exhaust gas-driven turbocharges to generate 320kW and 900Nm from just 1000rpm, granting the nearly 2.5-ton SUV with effectively instant peak torque and a 0-100km/h time of just 5.0 seconds. All the while being able to sip as little as 7.2-litres per 100km.
Concern over a diesel rumble not being as inspiring as a petrol V8s should quelled into nonexistence as the 4.0-litre unit here coupled with the system develops some surprisingly throaty but sonorous vocals that’s a perfect score to the performance it can extract.
All that grunt is channeled to all four wheels with Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system through an 8-speed automatic transmission. This is only the first time this engine with electric compressor technology has premiered on a car and Audi no doubt has big plans for this technology going forward. It’s application of it, in principle, seems simple enough that it can trickle to other models within a reasonable short span of time, giving future Audis - even ‘normal’ variants - a significant performance edge.
Interior
“The interior is as luxurious as you’d expect, building off the excellent stock Q7 cabin with its virtual cockpit digital dashboard and adding some quilted leather seating and higher quality materials throughout.” - Motoring
Audi has applied equal restraint to the SQ7’s interior as well. There really isn’t much to differentiate this over the regular Q7 cabin save for the now-standard leather sports seats, extra lashings of matte aluminium, chrome, or Alcantara, and the odd ’S’ badge.
Again, those preferring more flash shouldn’t be surprised to not find such dazzle in an Audi. Having said that, it is supremely well put together while incorporating some lovely materials. Air conditioning is distributed over an ultra-wide vent that spans the dashboard and features 4-zone climate control.
Being as large as it is and given its profile resembling an estate car, the SQ7 has no problem with interior space, even coming with third row of seats that split 50:50 and fold down electrically. Once they are, it can swallow up to 770-litres of cargo and with the third row seats upright, there’s 295-litres to spare.
Behind The Wheel
“Put simply, a 2.4-tonne, seven-seat SUV shouldn’t be able to move as quickly as the SQ7 does.” - AutoExpress
The second generation Q7 might have the illusion of being a larger car than its predecessor, but when it comes to weight Audi’s new platform shaves off a fair amount of heft while increasing structural strength. Even so, expecting nearly 2.4-tons of SUV to feel sporty through the corners is like expecting the sun to rise in the west.
The SQ7’s party piece really is just how quick it can throw you at that horizon. It’s a silly amount of speed that seems to defy conventional expectations. Show it a corner, though, and things become far more in-line with reality.
And the bottom line is that: it’s an Audi. The steering isn’t nearly as direct or communicative as some of its SUV rivals to the same degree as the A6 isn’t as sharp as the 5 Series, say, and overall the sensation a little muted. More time to admire the excellent interior, then.
Audi has used the unique 48v circuitry to leverage an electro-hydraulic active roll bar that can stiffen the SQ7 when turning a corner or allow for a softer rear-end for better acceleration off the line. It’s another innovative spin on existing technology like the electric compressor. Though, this active roll tech is part of the $13,500 Dynamic Pack which also includes a Quattro sport differential and all-wheel steering.
If fitted, the SQ7 feels uncannily flat through the corners, more composed than any car of this size and type has any business being. In tandem with the wide tyres and clever all-wheel drive system, there’s an almost excessive amount of grip.
This allows it to be a very effective machine on twisty roads, bullying the laws of physics to let it carry more speed in every situation than seems possible. You’ll just not know much about what it’s doing to achieve this.
Safety And Technology
“This seven-seater has unquestionably been liberally drenched in electrickery.” - CAR Magazine
Audi’s standard second-generation Q7 received, unsurprisingly, the full 5-star safety rating from ANCAP and pretty much full marks from every other automotive safety watchdog in existence. It’s also stuffed with an exhaustive list of active safety features.
Adaptive cruise control? Autonomous Emergency Braking? Lane keep assist? Rear cross traffic assist? 360-degree camera? They’re all here. With the SQ7 being the most expensive Audi SUV you can buy, you can pretty much expect to be covered in this regard.
There’s also LED front and rear illumination and daytime running lights including LED rear lights with dynamic indicators. You also get the Audi Virtual Cockpit as standard instead of analogue instruments, a 12.3-inch high-resolution display beyond the instrument binnacle that works together with the 8.3-inch centrally-mounted MMI infotainment suite to create a more immersive and informative experience to the driver.
A 15-channel, 19-speaker Bose 3D Surround Sound system is also included with the SQ7 with a total output of 558 watts. And an even more powerful Bang & Olufsen system can be optioned, featuring more speakers (23), more audio channels (also 23) and 1,920 watts.
Verdict
The SQ7 is a vehicle that really does have very few corners unturned. It has blisteringly quick performance and dynamic chops that would put many other cars to shame. It turned out that creating a sports SUV out of the Q7 required Audi to spare no expense.
And expensive it is, but it’s also one that does things its competitors (including the Porsche Cayenne). Point for point, it could be the most capable performance SUV there is right now. But more importantly than that, it reinforces Audi an innovation leader.
Features seeing the light of day here on the SQ7 won’t be just the bragging rights of a single vehicle but will trickle to other cars in the Audi line-up, giving the Ingolstadt automaker an edge in the efficiency arms race that’s already underway.
Motoring - 90/100 - “…utilising new technology which enables its engine to mitigate turbo lag and its body to resist unwanted roll and pitch, the flagship performance SUV lives up to the hype, reinforcing its brief with polished on-road refinement and safety.”
AutoExpress - 4/5 - “There are few areas the SQ7 hasn’t got covered. It’s seriously rapid, enormously practical and comes with an abundance of clever tech. It takes the notion of a performance SUV up a notch.”
CarsGuide - 4/5 - “The SQ7 is a masterpiece of technology that fails to disconnect but instead involves you in conducting a heavy SUV at completely unlikely speeds.”
Top Gear - “It’s a bit like driving an overweight VW Golf R: a car with uncommonly quick point-to-point pace in manky conditions, but with surprising agility burbling away beneath its all-weather prowess.”
CAR Magazine - 4/5 - “In isolation the SQ7 is a wonderful thing. It’s a total techfest and certainly houses one of the best (and most interesting) motors you can currently buy.”
The Sunday Times Driving - 3/5 - “It’s fast, strong, safe, clever, innovative, interesting, spacious, very well made and, so far as I can see, completely pointless.”
