Midsize Luxury SUV Comparison: two thousand seventeen Audi Q7
Leaning toward style
Beginning Price: $49,950
Above Average: Style points for interior, exterior, infotainment
Below Average: Third row, off-the-line acceleration
Consensus: If you want a head-turner, this is it
Perhaps it doesn’t make sense to choose your SUV more for looks and style than for sheer cargo- and passenger-carrying versatility, but the success of the Audi Q7 shows a lot of luxury SUV customers are making that decision. After driving the Q7 for more than seven hundred miles in this comparison test with many of its newest competitors, we can’t say we disagree with the logic. The Q7’s thoughtfully composed exterior is a complement to any well-heeled buyer’s driveway, and the aura of tasteful, contemporary luxury extends seamlessly to the interior. As one of our testers said, “Awesome, modern-rich interior with two gorgeous displays. I wish every car had a volume knob placed as close to my volume fingers.” And in this day and age, getting the location of infotainment system controls (like the volume knob) right is an significant distinction, a distinction Audi designers have a knack for. In a broad multitude of driving conditions, the Q7 offers superior rail and treating, and it’s as quiet as the interior of a bank vault on Willie Sutton’s day off.
The simplest course is to embark with weaknesses, because for two thousand seventeen the Audi Q7 doesn’t have many to single out. It is effortless to throw stones at the petite and hard-to-enter third row, so if you are going to use third-row seating for more than the occasional extra kid in the carpool, there are better choices in this comparison (Infiniti QX60 topping the list). Then there’s the perceived power lag of the Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and the somewhat recalcitrant stop/begin system, but the power issues are solved if you opt for the higher-displacement Three.0-liter powerplant or (perhaps) simply leave the Two.0-liter in Sport mode at all times. (Of course, the very first of those comes at significant penalty to your bank account and we can’t ensure the 2nd will give you the drivability you want.) Interestingly, our test Q7’s Two.0-liter engine didn’t produce better fuel economy than other, more powerful vehicles in our test drive, maybe because we worked it so hard.
Leading the list of positives is the Q7’s exceptionally magnificent looks. The design just kills it, both inwards and out. Totally redesigned for 2017, the Q7 is sleek, stylish, athletic and lighter in weight than its predecessor. But the Q7 also has internal beauty. Its interior is more elegant and roomier than before, and it is knee-deep in cool stuff, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, virtual cockpit instrumentation, a panoramic sunroof and standard tri-zone climate control. We liked the rail and treating of the previous Q7, but a fresh suspension improves the breed this time around.
All the competitors excelled on the highway, so the splits in the rankings are very narrow, but the Q7 was nominally third following the MDX and XC90. Fact is, on the highway the Q7 offers absolutely nothing to complain about. It is powerful, rapid and essentially silent. Its excellent infotainment system is a good aid to navigating strange byways, and its intuitive operation means you can keep your attention on the road. If your highway driving includes stop-and-go commuting, the intelligent cruise control can take over many of the most tedious functions.
The Q7’s easy-to-handle dimensions and its capability to park with a high degree of confidence won kudos from our testers. Again, the Q7 finished a nominal third behind the two Japanese entries in this category, but we expect its drivers will never complain about its in-city behavior, unless they mumble a few rude things about its sometimes clumsy stop/begin system.
The Audi Q7’s interior doesn’t scream luxury; instead it has that subtle, Grace Kelly stylishness that never ages. The seats are convenient, effortless to adjust, and in this day of complication and mind-boggling obscurity, the controls are straightforward. We love the front seats, like the 2nd row and have come to terms with the third row. The rearmost seating section is hardly commodious but it does fold out of the way with the touch of a duo buttons. A niggling complaint is the puny cupholders. No Big Gulps in the Q7.
Previous editions of Audi’s MMI system have come in for deserved criticism, but we found hardly anything to dislike about the current version, including voice control that recognizes your voice, understands what you are telling and actually does what you want–essentially the opposite of a six-week-old puppy. While many competitive vehicles have a broad array of touchscreen-operated items, the Audi relies on a controller and a touchpad, tho’ your fingers never need to stroke the touchpad to get information or entertainment to happen. Fresh features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The third row in the Q7 emerges to have been sacrificed for style. Yes, there are two seats back there, but they are hard to come in, hard to exit and none too pleasant to occupy. Petite kids will find them just fine, however. In contrast, the 2nd row is fairly comfy and well-appointed.
If you buy the Q7 for its style, don’t expect it to haul like a big SUV, because it won’t. Our testers rated it near the bottom in this category, because it has very little cargo area behind the rear seats if the third row is in use. With the third row folded (the seats fold individually via a power-operated switch) the cargo space increases markedly but remains among the smallest in the category.
The turbocharged Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine was a frustration in fuel economy. It’s EPA rated to supply twenty mpg city and twenty five mpg highway, which landed it in a tie for 2nd among this squad. But in our real-world test, it was second-thirstiest of the bunch. Should you opt for the pricier Three.0-liter version, you will love the immense pleasure of three hundred thirty three horsepower, but presumably suffer the slings and arrows of still less astounding fuel economy.
Audis typically hold their value pretty well, but the Q7 is up against some stellar resale competitors in this comparison. Due to its so-so resale value spectacle and reasonably high purchase price, it doesn’t fare well in the 5-Year Cost to Own measure. There are slew of compelling reasons to choose a $60,000 Audi Q7 over a $50,000 Acura MDX, for example, but just know that our 5-Year Cost to Own figures indicate that you might actually spend $15,000 more over the total buy-drive-sell ownership cycle. Style has its privileges…and its costs.
