Audi Q7 SUV (2024 – ) review

An engine range focussed on power and smoothness means running costs aren’t necessarily something Audi prioritised… plug-in hybrid aside. The 55 TFSI e returns more than 100mpg (on paper, you’ll never get that in real life), making this particular Q7 appealingly tax-efficient. There are a couple of diesels too (45 TDI and 50 TDI), which will both give you more than 30mpg, while the 55 TFSI petrol will return 20-something. Ouch. The SQ7, with its 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine, is not a car you consider if you’re overly concerned with running costs. Fuel efficiency in the teens. Ouch again. Whichever Q7 you pick, insurance costs are steep, with every model in group 41-50 on the 1-50 ratings scale. And because CO2 emissions start very high and go up from there, as well as this being a £40,000+ “luxury car”, both VED and company car tax are substantial. You’re paying for what you get here, basically. No real surprise.

The Q7 is a complex car, with sophisticated hardware (like air suspension and all its safety sensors) and software to match (like the systems behind those sensors). So there’s plenty that can go wrong, but reliability over the last decade appears to have been generally decent. The Q7 has scored pretty well in owner reliability surveys over the last decade, albeit in 2024 a particular survey by What Car? saw it receive a 33 per cent fault rate. Repairs can be costly in a car this complex, too. And the warranty looks a little on the stingy side at three years/60,000 miles, but you can extend that to four.

Regardless of how safe the Q7 actually is, you’ll feel extremely well cocooned, seemingly perched yards above the road in your big, imperious SUV. It is actually safe, of course, equipped with good suite of safety features. Notably, its automatic emergency braking system works at up to 53mph and can detect vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. It’s a shame, however, that some useful safety features like blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are optional or saved for higher trim levels. There are six ISOFIX points for child seats. The Q7 is a five-star car according to Euro NCAP, albeit that was awarded in 2019 and the test is more stringent now.

Comfort is probably the main reason you’ll want to buy an Audi Q7. It’s an absolutely delightful thing to travel in, whether you’re the driver or a passenger… unless you’re in the very back. As usual with a seven-seat SUV, the rearmost seats are in the boot so they’re not really big enough for adults. Other than that, though, this is a massive luxury car with beautifully floaty ride quality and a sense of noiseless serenity that befits the price. Even the diesels are very quiet, and what little you do hear is a smooth and pleasant thrum rather than the tractor-esque chug we’re used to from a diesel engine. Air suspension is standard, so even if yours is a “sporty” Q7 in S line trim and sitting on MASSIVE wheels, it will still have relaxed and largely unflustered ride quality. The driving position is perfect for all sizes of driver, the steering is light, and all-round visibility is excellent. And of course, there’s loads of headroom and leg space in the middle row.

The Q7 is rammed with the best kit that Audi has to offer… or had to offer a few years ago, at least. Nothing wrong with that, but the Q7’s infotainment system does give its age away these days. It’s just not quite as user-friendly as Audi’s newer system, and features a vexing ‘haptic’ system that means you have to prod the screen harder than feels natural to get it to do anything. Other than that, though, you get the best build quality that Audi has to offer. It’s outstanding. Any trim level, from basic ‘Sport’ upwards, will give you all the stuff you want. 19-inch alloys, heated front seats, wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay, three-zone climate control, keyless start and handsfree boot opening… all standard. We advise getting the optional Comfort & Sound pack for keyless entry and a fantastic Bang & Olufsen stereo, but you don’t necessarily need to upgrade to an S line car for your Q7 to feel proper high end.

All Q7s feel powerful and smooth, so your choice will probably be less about performance and more about how much time and money you’re willing to spend at the fuel pumps. All have four-wheel drive (quattro) and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The two diesels will give you the most mileage between fill-ups, both using a 3.0-litre engine in different states of tune (231-horsepower in the 45 TDI and 286-horsepower in the 50 TDI), and we’d suggest that you don’t really need the extra power of the latter. The two 55 TFSI models use a 3.0-litre petrol engine, which is super quiet and quick, but the plug-in hybrid (that’s the one with an ‘e’ in the name) adds an electric motor and battery pack for some electric-only driving and a power bump. It’s not worth the extra outlay unless your Q7 is going to be a company car, in which case it definitely is. The SQ7 is a proper performance car – surreal, in fact, because its 503-horsepower 4.0-litre engine gets this massive seven-seater to 62mph in just 4.1 seconds. Mad. The 15mpg you’ll get is mad too, but in a different way.