BEST 7 SEATER SUV EVER! Audi SQ7 review
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TechTranscript
00:00This SUV can tow three and a half tons. It's got seven seats and it's got heaps of luxury appointments as well.
00:06And it's also got a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 engine under the bonnet. So this is a menace.
00:13It's the Audi SQ7. It's one of the best seven-seat SUVs on the planet, especially if you like performance.
00:20I'm going to tell you all about it in this review.
00:21If you haven't already, please like, subscribe and ring the bell to keep up to date with all of my reviews and
00:26let's get to it!
00:30Greatness doesn't come cheap, people, and this car is an example of that.
00:36It's about $175,000 before on-road costs and before option packs because you might actually want to tick a few boxes
00:42with this vehicle if you are considering it. And hey, what's an extra $25,000, $30,000 in options anyway?
00:48Look, there are some options that you might love. Things like laser headlights and OLED taillights
00:54that can actually warn someone if they're getting a bit too close to you, which is really great tech.
00:58And you can also get the sensory package which includes things like massaging and cooled front seats,
01:04heated second row seats and a 23-speaker sound system if you want that.
01:08But otherwise, the standard equipment list is actually pretty good for this car.
01:11You're getting things like LED lights. They are excellent Matrix LED lights, LED taillights as well.
01:17You've also got 22-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, push-button start, an electric tailgate
01:24and on the inside you're getting Valcona leather seat trim, beautiful seats and lovely design on the inside
01:31with a couple of touchscreens, one for your media, one for your climate controls.
01:35You've also got a fully digital instrument cluster and there's plenty of other great features inside which I'll show you shortly.
01:42But let's talk about some alternatives to the SQ7.
01:45You might be surprised, there's not actually that many 3.5-tonne towing 7-seat V8 SUVs like this on the market.
01:52But there are some good alternatives I'll still tell you about anyway.
01:57In Australia, there's nothing else quite like this car.
02:00There's no other 7-seater with this much grunt that offers this kind of value for money.
02:05I mean, value is all relative I guess, but there are some alternatives that might stack up better for you.
02:10Depends on how much you can spend.
02:12But the first one is the Land Rover Defender 130.
02:16It's available with 8 seats and a thumping V8 engine as well.
02:20It could be a really good option for you, especially if you do plan to use all three rows of seats
02:24because it's a very, very big vehicle and it will suit your needs if you're after that level of practicality.
02:30There are some question marks over the reliability of the Land Rover Defender at the moment,
02:34but there is a big price to pay for that high-spec version of the Defender 130.
02:39You're looking at more than $215,000 before owner costs, so this thing stacks up really well as an alternative to that.
02:46But there's also other options out there like the BMW X7 M60i with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine.
02:55It's an absolute smasher of a vehicle.
02:58It's big, it's brash, and it's actually beautiful in some people's eyes.
03:02You tell me what you think in the comments.
03:04I haven't actually done a review of that car just yet,
03:06but hopefully I'll be able to bring you some content on the X7 at some point.
03:10Well, there's another option that you might want to look at.
03:12It's the Nissan Patrol, and I know that might seem like an absolutely oddball option.
03:17It is more of an off-roader than anything else, but it is a very, very practical vehicle.
03:22It's got three rows of seats, eight seats in fact, and it comes with a Warrior version available,
03:28which is really, really good off-road and surprisingly good on-road and brilliant at towing too.
03:34So, the Nissan Patrol Warrior could be a really excellent alternative to this,
03:39and all the money you save by choosing the Nissan instead of this,
03:42I guess you could spend on the fuel bill because it's a thirsty thing.
03:48This version of the SQ7 is fitted with the standard silver trim package,
03:53which you might find to be a little bit dated looking.
03:57There's a black pack option as well, which I actually think does add a fair bit more wow factor to the experience.
04:03And also, you've got these 22-inch wheels, which you can get other wheels if you don't like the look of those.
04:09I think these look really good.
04:10And hey, this car does have adaptive air suspension, so you can lower it down.
04:14It's in a pretty low setting right now, and you can raise it up if you need to as well.
04:18Now, I'll show you the interior practicality soon.
04:21It doesn't look overly different to any other Q7 that's come before it,
04:25even though this is the facelifted version.
04:27It's very mild in terms of a facelift.
04:30Let's have a look in the boot.
04:31Oh, you get a new badge at the back with the little rhombus.
04:34And of course, it's got an electric boot with gesture control, but I can't get it to work,
04:37so let's just push the button and see what we are dealing with.
04:41Now, this is your five-seat configuration, so if you are going to use this as a five-seater with plenty of boot space,
04:48it is plenty of boot space.
04:50You'll see the number on your screen now, and that is a fantastic amount of cargo capacity.
04:55Now, there is a cargo blind that usually runs across the back there.
04:59I've removed it so I can show you these electric third-row seats.
05:03So, you've got buttons on the side here.
05:05You can just push the button there, and it will raise the seat up for you.
05:10I mean, that's a little bit over the top, but it is a nice luxury feature.
05:15Just pop the headrest up there.
05:17I'll do the other side as well, just for illustrative purposes.
05:20I reckon that this is a nice feature to have, but like I said, you probably don't need it.
05:25Put those seats up.
05:26Okay, and now you'll be able to see the seven-seat configuration cargo capacity on your screen now,
05:33and that is huge.
05:35That's a heap of space.
05:36I'll get into the third row shortly to show you how much space is available there.
05:40I just want to show you a couple of other things in the back here.
05:42You can lower the boot down if you want to load heavy items,
05:45or you can raise it up depending on where you're sitting or parked.
05:48And you've got a little mesh section here, a little light in the back,
05:52and on the other side there's another light.
05:54And underneath the boot floor, well, you've got a tyre repair kit and no spare wheel,
06:01so that might be a deal-breaker.
06:02But I don't think they'd be able to fit a 22 or 23-inch wheel underneath the boot anyway.
06:06That's a subwoofer as well.
06:08So, look, I reckon that it is a hugely practical huge SUV, as it bloody well should be, hey?
06:14Let's go check out the inside.
06:19I know there are some people out there who think that Audi design is a bit boring,
06:23but personally, I love this Teutonic German, very, very technical design.
06:29This spells luxury to me more than big blingy screens and silly-looking shiny plastics.
06:36And not to say there's not a few shiny plastics in here, but I do like this design a lot.
06:42I think it's a very practical and very smart-looking cabin,
06:46and it does have all the luxury elements that you would expect.
06:49Now, being the SQ7, it's also got sporty elements that you would expect.
06:52So it's got the sporty steering wheel, which doesn't have a flat bottom.
06:55I wish it did.
06:56And it's also got this red stitching across the dashboard, and it runs onto the doors,
07:02and it runs onto these beautiful quilted leather seats,
07:05which are fantastically comfortable and very, very adjustable as well.
07:10And the only thing that I wish you could maybe do a little bit more of is get down low in your seat as the driver,
07:17but this is basically the position I'm in.
07:20I'm sort of sitting up in an SUV position.
07:23I guess that's the point of it.
07:24It is an SUV.
07:25It's not the RS6, but check out my review of that one if you haven't already.
07:28Now, you've also got plenty of screens to contend with as well.
07:31You've got your virtual instrument display here, virtual cockpit, I think Audi calls it.
07:36It does have a bunch of different views available, so you can jump through different menus.
07:41Being the SQ7, it's also got different sporty menus as well.
07:46You can go into your sat-nav, so you can have your maps on the screen as well if you want to.
07:51And it is a very, very high-tech and beautiful piece of design in my opinion.
07:55It's still one of the best you can get in terms of the digital instrument cluster.
07:59It looks like I'm in a desert, but I'm definitely not.
08:02All right, there's also sat-nav on this screen as you would expect,
08:06and you've also got smartphone mirroring, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless if you wish to use those.
08:12This screen itself takes a little bit of learning.
08:14There's a few menus upon menus that you will need to get used to, but I think that it is a very simple system.
08:20My main bugbear is that the volume knob is down here and not up there,
08:25and you have to do some things on this screen that will then show up on this screen.
08:29So for instance, if I want to switch on the climate control down there,
08:32yes, that's where your climate control panel is, and there's a bunch of other controls.
08:36So you've got your heated seats, your ventilated seats, because this car has the optional package.
08:41It's got the heated steering wheel, and there's also perfume as well if you want that on.
08:46But if you want to turn off the climate control, how would you do that?
08:50You'd hit this little button down here, and that would show up another menu on the top screen,
08:54which is a bit confusing, I reckon.
08:56So I'll turn it off just to keep things simple.
08:58That's a pretty decent screen to get used to as well.
09:01No physical buttons though, so it's all sort of a haptic push screen situation.
09:06There are some physical buttons down there.
09:08So you've got your parking system button and your safety systems button down there.
09:12Nice little gear shifter with the perforated leather finish, which matches the steering wheel.
09:17And you've also got a pair of cup holders down there, 12 volts,
09:21and a covered centre console bin with a couple of cables in there right now.
09:24And there's also a wireless phone charger too.
09:27So I reckon it looks fantastic.
09:29It feels pretty plush, and it is a lovely experience up front,
09:33even if it's not as blingy as some of those other options.
09:36Like I said, I don't love this highly reflective black stuff.
09:39But hey, let's go into the second row and see how much space there is to play with.
09:44So the second row space is actually really exceptional back here.
09:48This seat in front of me is set for my driving position.
09:51I've got heaps of knee room, heaps of foot room,
09:54and I can slide this seat forward so I could get to a position
09:58where I'd give anyone in the third row a bit more space.
10:00I'll show you that in a sec.
10:02And you can do that for each of these seats.
10:04In fact, they are three individual seats.
10:06They can slide independent of one another,
10:08and they all have ISOFIX points and top tethers as well,
10:12which is a really, really nice thing to have to configure your family the way you want them.
10:17And in this middle section, you've also got a flip-down armrest
10:21with pop-up cup holders, which is a nice little practicality element.
10:25And there's mesh mat pockets on the seat backs.
10:28You've got bottle holders in the doors as well.
10:32And there's a climate control system.
10:34It's not on right now because the car's not on.
10:36And there's vents here too.
10:38So that's pretty good.
10:40You get more vents up in the pillars as well, which is also a nice addition.
10:45And there are sunshades on the back windows as well,
10:49which I really think is a great feature to have.
10:52There's also this little section here, which looks like it's an ashtray,
10:55which is peculiar.
10:58But hey, what do you think?
10:59I reckon it's a pretty spacious second row experience.
11:02Very comfortable.
11:03Just be mindful that there is a transmission tunnel intrusion to contend with.
11:07If you've got three adults with big feet, that might be a slight consideration.
11:11But I'm just going to slide this seat back forward to the position
11:14where I'll be able to get into the third row more comfortably.
11:17And let's do that now, shall we?
11:19Righto, so I've positioned this seat so I would be comfortable
11:22sitting behind my own driving position.
11:25And it is a pretty clever mechanism.
11:27Let me show you.
11:28So you can just use this little lever down here to fold down the seat back,
11:33and then you push where it says push and lift it up.
11:37And it's quite a hefty mechanism.
11:39So smaller, weaker people, I'm very, very strong, obviously,
11:44might not be able to do that as easily.
11:46I'm just going to get back here in the position that might be comfortable,
11:51might not be.
11:52Let's see.
11:53Push this back up.
11:57My hot tip from the third row is you need a short driver
12:00to be comfortable in the third row of this vehicle if you're six foot tall.
12:03Because if that seat was further forward, this seat could be further forward
12:06and I would have a bit more leg room.
12:08But look, it's not necessarily a deal breaker, I don't think.
12:11If you are using this as a child hauler primarily,
12:15it will be roomy enough, I would say, to fit younger kids in the back
12:19or even up to like 175 centimetres, I would say.
12:23Because headroom in here, I'm 182.
12:25It's like, yeah, just a little bit tight.
12:28But overall, the backseat experience could do with some improvements.
12:32There are no vents in the third row, which is not fantastic.
12:36You do get lights, which is good.
12:38But there is another really great feature back here.
12:40You've got ISOFIX points in both seats.
12:43So ISOFIX there, one in the seat that I'm in,
12:46and top tether points for both as well.
12:48And that means that you can fit five kid seats in this car.
12:52There's not many SUVs on the market that can do that.
12:55There's not much in the way of other amenities in the third row.
12:57You've got an armrest, which is hard, scratchy plastic,
13:00and it's got a cup holder.
13:02There's another one of those on this side,
13:04but no charge ports or anything like that.
13:06So it could be better, but I don't think that it's too bad.
13:09If you're planning to use this as a five plus two
13:11or a bonus third row car, it could be really good.
13:14Or if you want to use those child seat points
13:16and put the whole fam in, hey, it might be okay.
13:19Just won't be the best you can get.
13:24Under the bonnet of the SQ7 is a 4.0-litre
13:27twin turbocharged petrol V8 engine.
13:30It's an absolute cracker of a thing.
13:32It's got an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters,
13:35and it's also got quattro all-wheel drive,
13:37as you would expect from the Audi brand.
13:39Now, you can make this car even more dynamic if you wish.
13:42There is an active anti-roll bar system
13:45and a quattro sport differential available as part of package,
13:48but yeah, I don't think it really needs to be that much more dynamic.
13:52It's a pretty amazing piece of machinery.
13:54And look, it can also tow three and a half tonnes.
13:56The unbraked rating is 750 kilos.
13:58Braked capacity is 3.5 tonnes,
14:01and it'll do maximum tow ball down weight of 350 kilos as well.
14:06I'll also put the gross vehicle mass
14:08and gross combination mass numbers on your screen
14:10so you can do the maths before you hook up the speedboat.
14:14There is so much to like about the drive experience in the Audi SQ7.
14:19Like, I'm not sure that it does anything badly in particular.
14:23It's just a really well-rounded, impressive, comfortable, powerful
14:28and nicely balanced SUV.
14:31For the size of it, it doesn't drive like a five-metre-long, 2.5-tonne SUV.
14:37It drives like something far smaller,
14:41far more nimble and far more joyful as well.
14:44Look, I don't know that everybody needs a car like this,
14:48but if you want a car like this,
14:50then hey, I think that's one of the best you can get.
14:53So what is most impressive about it?
14:55Well, if you hit this little button down here and go into dynamic mode,
14:58and then you, yes, you go like this.
15:04Ah!
15:05That's what's impressive about it.
15:08The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine is an absolute scream.
15:12It is so powerful.
15:14It offers so much grunt,
15:16and it is super refined and super likeable as well.
15:20It just does the job so beautifully,
15:23and I mean, it is a very likeable engine
15:26and one that I just can't get enough of, honestly.
15:29It's just so good.
15:33And it's teamed to an eight-speed automatic transmission,
15:36and there's paddle shifters as well if you want to take matters into your own hands,
15:39but it is a terrific powertrain.
15:42There's just such linear power delivery
15:44and a soundtrack that is absolutely amazing.
15:47I mean, I actually wish there was a bit more noise in the cabin from this engine
15:51because it's otherwise a very calm experience
15:55in terms of the engine performance
15:57and the noise that you're getting out of it.
16:01The other beautiful thing about the SQ7
16:03is you don't have to be in dynamic mode to really enjoy this drive experience.
16:07You can put it into, let's say, comfort mode
16:10and things ease up beautifully.
16:12You still get the amazing performance from the engine.
16:15It's just a bit lazier in terms of the way that it comes on,
16:18which is actually a bit more usable in some situations.
16:21And also, it's got the adaptive air suspension,
16:24which means that it goes a lot more comfortable
16:27when you are in the comfort mode.
16:29Not that it's uncomfortable in dynamic,
16:31it's just a bit firmer in terms of the responsiveness
16:34over bumpy sections of road.
16:35But no matter which mode you're in,
16:37it's still an absolute mammoth of a car
16:40and an absolute beast when it comes to the drive experience.
16:43It's so fast and so fun
16:46for a vehicle of this size and this shape.
16:49It shouldn't really be this fun, but it is.
16:51And it's just amazing, I reckon.
16:54I also really like the way this vehicle steers.
16:57It's direct, it's accurate.
16:59It's not necessarily the last word in terms of driving feel
17:02through the steering wheel, but I don't think it needs to be.
17:05It's absolutely brilliant in terms of the way
17:08that it gets the power down to the ground
17:10and helps you hang on to that power
17:12as you're pushing through corners.
17:14And also, I have to say, that will be made easier
17:18by the fact that it's got 10-inch wide tyres.
17:21But it's not just the sort of car that you can thrash on a Sunday.
17:26It's also the sort of car that you can have fun in on a weekday
17:29because it's a really comfortable, enjoyable luxury car experience
17:34as well as being super powerful and super responsive.
17:38The other thing about this car is that it has four-wheel steering.
17:43And what that means is, according to Audi,
17:46this car has a smaller turning circle than a Q3.
17:51That's phenomenal.
17:53Look, a Q3 is a much, much smaller SUV,
17:56but because this car has steering
17:58that can basically turn both sets of wheels
18:01to help you in slow-speed situations,
18:04so it'll go the opposite direction at lower speeds
18:06and the same direction at higher speeds,
18:09it means that this feels more agile than it maybe actually should.
18:13It's technology that makes this car, which is very big,
18:17feel much smaller than it is.
18:19And that's part of the reason it is so appealing.
18:22It doesn't feel like a mega SUV,
18:24even though the performance on offer is mega.
18:28This car, if there was ever a vehicle
18:30that you could label the jack-of-all-trades,
18:32I think this could be it.
18:34The fact that it can tow up to 3.5 tonnes
18:37with the maximum towball downweight of 350 kilos,
18:40I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want to pay the fuel bill for that experience,
18:43but actually, that's a good segue.
18:46Let's talk about fuel consumption, shall we?
18:49All right, let's talk about fuel consumption.
18:51And look, there is an argument that if you're spending
18:53this kind of money on a car like this,
18:55then it doesn't really matter how much it costs
18:57to keep it running in terms of the fuel,
18:59but it is a thirsty thing.
19:01There is no denying that.
19:03The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure
19:05is on your screen now, and that is not a low number.
19:09And you might see that in highway driving
19:12if you're doing it sedately,
19:14but if you're driving it like I have been
19:16on this launch event with Audi
19:18in the southern areas of Sydney and the surrounds,
19:21yeah, it was a spirited drive.
19:23It was all about trying to explore the enthusiasm of this vehicle.
19:27It's got plenty of that, and it's, yeah,
19:30it's shown a pretty high number.
19:32You'll see it on your screen.
19:33That's what I saw on the display anyway.
19:35So, look, you tell me what you think.
19:38Is that a big deal or not?
19:40And you need to keep in mind also
19:42that it does need premium unleaded petrol,
19:45and it does have a pretty big fuel tank,
19:47so it's not going to be cheap every time you go back
19:49to the servo to fill it up from empty.
19:55All versions of the Audi Q7 come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating,
19:59which is valid until the end of 2025,
20:01and it comes comprehensively equipped
20:03with heaps of standard safety technology,
20:05things like autonomous emergency braking.
20:08There's pedestrian and cyclist detection.
20:10You've also got lane-keeping assistance
20:12with active lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control
20:14with traffic jam assist,
20:16so it can actually do the braking, the accelerating
20:18and the steering for you in some situations as well.
20:21And there's also blind spot monitoring,
20:23rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors.
20:26You've also got a surround-view camera,
20:29as standard as you would expect
20:30for a vehicle of this size at this price.
20:32And it's got eight airbags,
20:34dual front, front side, second-row side airbags
20:38and curtain coverage for all three rows of seats.
20:41So it does stack up well as a family hauler
20:44with all the safety cred you'd expect,
20:45and none of that safety tech is annoying,
20:47which is another big tick.
20:51Audi Australia offers a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty
20:54and you can also option it with a five-year service plan,
20:58so you can prepay for your services,
21:00don't have to worry about that nasty bill shock every year.
21:03Your service intervals are every 12 months
21:05and 15,000 kilometres.
21:07And hey, if you think that that's not enough,
21:09you want more, you want more coverage.
21:12So you could get a seven-year package for this vehicle
21:15and that means that you're getting
21:16an additional two years of warranty,
21:18an additional two years of cap price servicing
21:21and an additional two years of roadside assist.
21:24Otherwise, you still get five years
21:25of roadside assist included anyway.
21:27That's good to see.
21:28And there's also the option
21:30of a guaranteed future value calculation.
21:32So if you're worried about resale value,
21:34you'll be able to know what the resale will be
21:37after your loan period.
21:38And you can either pay the car out
21:40or you can get a new car, whatever you want.
21:42That's a pretty handy little bit of ownership advice.
21:45Make sure you go and do the calculations
21:47on the Audi website.
21:51I bloody love this thing.
21:52I think it's a fantastic seven-seat family SUV.
21:55There are some things that maybe could be better,
21:57but I reckon for the money,
21:58you can't get any better than this.
22:00And it is a proper luxury performance vehicle.
22:04Just happens to have three rows
22:06and three and a half ton towing.
22:07What do you think about it?
22:08Let me know in the comments section below.
22:09Do you think it costs too much?
22:11Would you choose something else?
22:12I'd love to hear from you.
22:13And if you haven't already,
22:14please ring the bell to keep up to date
22:15with all of my reviews.
22:16Much more coming.
22:17Thanks for watching
22:18and I'll see you in the next one.
22:36Transcribed by https://otter.ai