Audi SQ7 2020 Review

Much has changed in the performance vehicle landscape since 2016, but for the Audi SQ7, its point of difference has not.

‘The world’s fastest seven-seat diesel SUV’ is a tag the original Audi SQ7 wore proudly at its launch, and still does today – four years on.

Granted, it’s a bit like claiming a Guinness record for the world’s fastest tortoise, but in a luxury/performance SUV segment increasingly growing in popularity, the SQ7’s feats are as tangible as any other modern go-fast machine.

For 2020, the Audi SQ7 scores more technology, equipment and safety, along with a minor price reduction. It is also complemented by a new five-seat SQ8 ‘coupe’ stablemate.

With its fastest SUV tag still intact, the underbody credentials of the SQ7 go unchanged. That’s no bad thing.

Naturally for a vehicle that uses the $100,000-plus Q7 as its base, the Audi SQ7 is by no means cheap.

But its official purchase price of $161,500 (plus on-road costs) does represent a $400 reduction on the immediate predecessor, despite the claimed inclusion of $15,000 worth of additional equipment. That said, the SQ7 first landed in 2016 with an official $153,616 purchase price.

The price of entry gets you an electrically-augmented twin-turbo diesel V8 (more on that below), sports suspension, 22-inch wheels, Audi’s HD Matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light, metallic paint and beefy brakes with red callipers.

On the equipment front, the SQ7 comes with four-zone climate control, soft-close doors, Valcona leather upholstery with diamond pattern stitching, panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable heated S sports seats and a seven-seat layout complete with electric rear seat adjustment and a powered tailgate.

Up the front of the cabin resides a revised infotainment system comprising two screens within the centre fascia - 10.1-inch at the top, 8.6-inch at the bottom, the latter offering haptic feedback – and a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit display within the instrument cluster.

There’s also a 19-speaker BOSE sound system, Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay and digital radio, MMI navigation plus and wireless phone charging

As ever, the optional packages are abundant. Buyers can fork out an additional $10,900 for Audi’s Dynamic package, which brings active roll stabilisation (more below) and a quattro sport differential.

Then there’s the Sensory package, priced at $13,300, which brings a 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, extended leather package, electric sunblinds for the rear side windows and manual sunblind for the rear window, Alcantara headlining, air quality ioniser, massaging front seats and rear seat heating.

The Audi SQ7 is backed by a three-year/unlimited-km factory warranty in Australia, while servicing intervals are 12 months/15,000km.

Audi offers a capped-price servicing plan available when purchasing the SQ7. It costs $2870 over three years or $3840 over five years – hardly cheap.

The Audi SQ7 foregoes a spare tyre due to its seven-seat layout (it gets an inflation kit instead) while the braked towing capacity is rated at 3500kg, matching the best of the dual-cab 4x4 utes.

Like all Q7 models, the Audi SQ7 boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating in Australia, back-dated to 2015.

The standard safety suite is extensive, with eight airbags, stability control, traction control and ABS, along with front and rear parking sensors with 360-degree cameras, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, lane departure warning, lane change warning, rear cross-traffic alert and intersection assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, hill descent control and Audi Drive Select driving modes.

The new dual touch-screens and virtual cockpit displays bristle from the dashboard of the new Audi SQ7, complementing already-strong foundations.

With the top screen taking care of infotainment, sat-nav and settings, and the bottom screen catering for the climate control modes, it is easy to get up to speed with the SQ7’s technology.

Premium materials adorn the touch points within the cabin, while the seats naturally adopt a sporty bent, with ample bolstering and cushioning.

There are two USB ports up front, two at the rear, and air vent coverage all-round, with 12-volt outlets sprinkled across the cabin including the boot area.

Similarly, the Audi SQ7 accommodates passengers with deep door pockets, a strong array of open cubbies and storage and a cavernous 895-litre boot area. The rear-most seats are electronically controlled and tend to feel cumbersome if you’re in any type of rush, but otherwise, the proportions and passenger amenity here is sound.

The Audi SQ7 retains its family-friendly status with a total of five ISOFIX attachments across the rear two rows – a key point of difference in this segment.

Externally, the Audi SQ7 can be picked from mainstream Q7s by the twin slats in its singleframe grille, aluminium mirror housings, four chromed exhaust pipes and five-spoke turbine design wheels.

Underneath the skin, the changes are much more significant, starting with the engine.

Shoehorned under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 with 320kW at 3750-5000rpm and 900Nm between 1000-3250rpm, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The engine offers an official 0-100km/h sprint of 4.8 seconds, augmented by an electrically-powered compressor (EPC) designed to mitigate turbo lag.

How? According to Audi, the EPC forces air through mechanical turbochargers when the engine is in the lower reaches of the rev range, reducing the spool-up time.

Supplying energy to the EPC is a 48-volt electrical subsystem that features a compact lithium-ion battery in the lower level of the boot.

The same electrical architecture supplies power to an optionally available electromechanical active roll stabilisation system, which comprises electric motors on the front and rear axle along with a three-stage planetary gearbox.

In ordinary driving the stabilisation system decouples the front and rear stabiliser bars via the electric motors, endowing the vehicle with excellent road comfort characteristics.

In sportier driving, with the right selection engaged, the planetary gearbox twists the bars against each other with up to 1200Nm of torque, keeping the chassis taut and drastically reducing body roll.

Among its arsenal of tricks, the SQ7 also features rear-wheel steering with a double-prong effect. In low-speed scenarios, the rear axle turns at five degrees in the opposite direction of the front axle, reducing the turning circle by 1.3 metres (to smaller than an Audi Q3); in higher speed situations, the rear wheels turn up to two degrees in the same direction as the front wheels to improve stability.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the SQ7 feels a disjointed science experiment on the road with its surfeit of equipment, but the truth is it feel cohesive and incredibly fleet-footed.

The star of the show, as before, is the V8 diesel, which is smooth, linear and efficient when required, but can deliver a knock-out punch (relatively) on the right back road.

For all of the marketing promise of no turbo lag, the on-road translation is a remarkably smooth and progressive transition along the tachometer and the SQ7 effortlessly piles on speed.

The eight-speed automatic is key to this progress, though it is prone to the occasional low-speed hesitation; a very small blemish ultimately outshone by the engine’s broad torque curve and ample mid-range.

In sporty driving, the engine finds its natural cadence between 2000-3000rpm, helping it avoid the stigma of diesel bandwidths being narrow and short-lived.

The diesel soundtrack is strangely enamouring, too. So much so Audi deliberately pipes more noise into the cabin artificially via a sound symposer – used predominantly in the sportiest Dynamic drive mode.

Our test car, fitted with the optional $10,900 Dynamic package, simply hunkers down through flat turns, shaking off mid-corner imperfections with aplomb.

In tighter scenarios, where the natural SUV tendency is to pile all weight to the outside tyres and understeer amid a cacophony of squealing rubber and protesting electronics, the electromechanical system magically restrains the SQ7’s 5067mm proportions and sends you on your merry way. Incredible.

The Audi SQ7’s circa 2.5-tonne mass isn’t completely disguised – there’s still some body roll and it doesn’t like arriving too fast at a corner – but the underbody wizardry combined with a judicious electronic safety and beefy 400mm front-350mm rear discs endows it and its driver with incredible on-road confidence.

Equally, the Audi SQ7 isn’t averse to the bumpy stuff, exuding similar levels of control and poise to keep the cabin largely isolated from what’s happening underneath. Pitter-patter undulations are dispatched almost clinically, while larger obstacles are swiftly recovered from. No mean feat.

Noise insulation is middle of the road for this segment – not benchmark but far from mediocre – keeping in tune with the SQ7’s sporty positioning.

The Audi SQ7 isn’t just a world-beater but one of the most polished SUVs going.

A prodigious diesel driveline, voodoo-like engineering and opulent interior builds on the hallmarks of the regular Q7 – that is, abundant space, five-star safety and family-friendly traits.

Unlike other ho-hum high-riders, the Audi SQ7 is an SUV to get excited about – for its performance and practical attributes combined.

How much does the 2020 Audi SQ7 cost?
Price: $161,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 turbo-diesel
Output: 320kW/900Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 205g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)