2024 Audi SQ7 Review: Seven-Seat Sports SUV Still Hits The Spot

Sensible doesn't have to mean boring, just as long as you've got the right budget. Little illustrates that so neatly as a performance SUV like the 2024 Audi SQ7: A vehicle that sits in the once-unthinkable Venn diagram overlap of "a 500 horsepower family SUV that believes it's a sports sedan in the corners, and a limousine on the highway."

The standard Q7 is a sensible, pleasant family hauler. Offered with a choice of 2.0-liter four-cylinder or 3.0-liter V6 gas engines in the U.S., it's decidedly more practically-focused than anything else. With luxury SUVs seeing increasing sales, though, it was no surprise that the Audi Sport division weighed in to build something a little more exciting.

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Their handiwork isn't quite as extreme as the SQ8 or RS Q8, but then again, those SUVs can't accommodate seven people. Nor, for that matter, is the SQ7 the exact horsepower equal of its ostensible rivals from BMW and Mercedes, though the upshot there is that Audi's sporty SUV is more affordable. So, just what do you get for your money?

Time has been generous to the Q7. A design which proved to be a little too sharp-edged for some tastes when it launched in 2015 — and provoked wistful comparisons to the curvier first-generation SUV — looks far more at home on the road today. In SQ7 form, with Audi's sports body kit and these $1,500 22-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels, there's a pleasing, almost brutalist heft to it, bordering on the Bauhaus.

Hunkering down, both visually thanks to that extra bodywork, and practically courtesy of the standard sport adaptive air suspension, you could almost accuse the SQ7 of channeling wagon vibes. It's not, of course — and the RS 6 Avant fills that niche nicely — but in an age of outsized SUVs, Audi's avoids feeling ridiculously huge.

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Older it may be, but there's no shortage of gadgetry in the 2024 SQ7, too. Audi's Laser Light package ($1,250) with its animated front and rear lighting, and HD Matrix-design LED headlamps, still feel high-tech. It's just a shame their most magical "high beams but without blinding oncoming traffic" talents still aren't supported in the U.S.

The SQ7's star, of course, is its engine. A 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, it brings a playful 500 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque to the party: Sufficient, Audi says, for a 0-60 mph time of just 4.3 seconds, and an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. It also helps make sure the SUV can still do SUV things, with a 7,700-pound towing capacity.

An eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive are also standard, along with all-wheel steering. In Comfort mode, they help make the SQ7 the superlative family cruiser: the gearbox is slushy, low-end torque plentiful, and the ride quality cosseting. Counter-rotating the rear wheels' angle shortens the Audi's turning circle, too, adding to that sense of truncated nimbleness.

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There's seating for seven, though the downside to the overall dimensions is that the SQ7's rearmost row is decidedly snug. Hit a button in the trunk and they power-fold down, expanding the 14.2 cubic-feet of cargo space. There's a total of 69.6 cubic-feet to play with.

The fun comes when you switch to Dynamic mode, the SQ7 automatically lowering its air suspension amid throttle, steering, and other changes. With the transmission in "S" mode, the burly Audi has something of the snorting rhino about it. Plant your right foot and it storms ahead — the combination of that bellowing V8 and the rich, throaty gurgle of the quad exhausts near-guaranteed to bring a smile to the face.

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As is so often the case, the most sonorous pleasure is unlocked above the 3,000 rpm point. You can snick the (disappointingly-plasticky) shifter paddles to keep the SQ7 there, though the gearbox isn't averse to doing that itself if you're pushing hard. My tester lacked the $6,000 S Sport package — which adds active roll stabilization, a sport rear differential, and red-painted brake calipers — but I suspect most drivers won't require it. 

The beefy SUV handles just fine on public roads without that extra tech, and the point at which you might miss it would also coincide with speeds likely illegal, and almost certainly anti-social.

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Without rear passengers' potentially queasy tummies to consider, the SQ7 is easy to hustle. Where some big sporty SUVs feel like they're built for point-and-squirt fun alone — demanding a serious stomp on the brakes as you hit the next corner — the Audi is unexpectedly poised, and carries speed well through turns. That's not to say its anchors are lacking: Even if they're not painted red, the standard six piston front and single piston rear calipers clamping down on 15.8-inch and 13.8-inch ventilated discs, respectively, are more than up to the task.

What makes the SQ7 a double-whammy is how it combines comfort with its pace. The standard spec is as comfortable you'd expect for a vehicle with a $90,400 (plus $1,195 destination) starting price. That means leather, heated front sport seats, quad-zone climate control, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, panoramic sunroof, and wireless phone charging. 

There's also Audi's dual-touchscreen infotainment system — the upper panel handling navigation and multimedia; the lower taking care of HVAC, text entry, and settings — which, in this age of vast, dashboard-spanning displays, feels positively restrained.

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Those with an appetite for options can, of course, unlock further niceties. The Bang & Olufsen Advanced sound system with 3D sound is mighty fine to listen to — it's also $5,000, unfortunately. The Prestige package ($4,500) looks a positive bargain in comparison, adding ventilation to the front seats, heating to the rear seats, a heads-up display, power soft-closing doors, rear sunshades and dual-pane acoustic glass for the side windows, Remote Park Assist Plus, and Intersection Assist.

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A further $2,900 adds the Luxury package, extending the leather across the dashboard, armrests, and center console, plus massaging the front seat occupants. All-in, with the $750 towing package, fancier headlamps, wheel upgrade, and $595 for the Navarra Blue metallic paint, this particular SQ7 lands at $108,090.

That is simultaneously a vast amount of money, and also not particularly outlandish for the sports SUV segment. BMW's X7 M60i starts at $109K plus destination, with a smudge more horsepower and a two-tenths-of-a-second slower 0-60 time. On the flip side, it's a little bigger, and has slightly more adult-friendly third row seats. An X5 M is more expensive still, and faster, but only seats five.

Then there's the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, pairing its 603 horsepower with a $146K+ price tag. It's slightly faster than the SQ7 to 60 mph, and feels more tech-forward inside, though dipping into the options sheet widens the delta with the Audi even more. I also think the SQ7 handles better, which — given the Mercedes is more than 700 pounds heavier — perhaps comes as little surprise.

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Like its rivals, the SQ7 is not the vehicle to buy if you're concerned about fuel economy. The EPA says you could see 15 mpg in the city, 21 mpg on the highway, or 17 mpg combined — that actually puts it right in the middle of the BMW and AMG. In practice — and again, just like the competition — you'll only see those sort of numbers with a gentle driving style. The Audi will even deactivate half of its engine cylinders if you're coy with the gas pedal. Expect something several points lower if you're enthusiastic.

It's easy to be cynical about luxury performance SUVs. After all, despite the efforts of Audi (and BMW, Mercedes, and the growing number of other automakers competing in the category), there's only so much you can do to stave off the laws of physics. A sports sedan or coupe will always have an edge.

All the same, that sedan will struggle to transport seven, or handle a huge Home Depot or Costco haul, or do any of the other everyday, mundane-but-still-important things that SUVs are prized for. If you sacrifice some sporting prowess along the way, well, just how many fast car owners actually take full advantage of their vehicle's true capabilities? Arguably the biggest hit you take is in bragging rights, and as anyone who has watched the performance car industry for a while will know, that baton of "fastest and most fun" is regularly passed around.

Needing a legitimately capacious third row for regular use would be a good reason to cross the Audi off your shortlist. Otherwise, it's practical, fast, and almost magically settled in the corners for something its size, plus the SQ7 delivers its talents with a soundtrack that I'm not sure I'd ever tire of. Whether you bring the family along or leave them back home, even in the face of compelling and newer competition, there's little here to dislike.