Imagine gliding through the world in a soothingly comfortable four-poster bed with a built-in stereo system so wonderful, that it practically makes your ears cry with pure pleasure. That’s what spending time in an Audi SQ7 is like — as long as you’re inside it, your body hums like a happy tuning fork as the 23-speaker/1,920-watt Bang & Olufsen stereo works its magic, and you’re in a state of total bliss. Interestingly, audio is also the thing we loved most about the new Aston Martin DB12.
What’s the story behind the Audi SQ7’s design?
Sadly, sometimes you have to get out again, and then you might be confronted by the strange state of this giant Audi’s face… which looks like someone started doing a facelift before throwing down their tools and giving up.
Audi has long been admired for its design, but the new grille on this SQ7 wipes away all the good work of the past and replaces it with a kind of gap-toothed grimace, made out of disturbingly cheap-looking plastic so weirdly lacking in style or substance that it would just about stop you from buying one.
It’s even more of a shame because the rest of the car pulls off the trick of being hulkingly handsome, which isn’t easy for any vehicle as vast as this (it’s more than five metres long, almost two metres wide, and 1.7 metres tall).
Tell us about your first impressions.
Initially, it feels like it’s all about comfort and cruising, but this Q7 adds an S for sporty. This means you can turn your relaxed ride into a racing-sim by switching to a sportier mode; gripping the lovely dimpled leather steering wheel and summoning the glorious noise and power of this car’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine — the same one you’ll find inside related vehicles like the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, and even the wild Lamborghini Urus.
In the Audi, it generates 373kW and 770Nm and will fire you (along with up to six passengers) to 100km/h in a sneeze over four seconds. And you might even want to turn the Bang & Olufsen down, just briefly, to fully appreciate the barking, growling V8 sounds that this sporty SUV produces.
Tech & connectivity — what’s the word?
Inside, however, things are properly pretty with supremely comfortable seats which combine with the Audi’s excellent ride quality (active roll stabilisation tech helps here) to provide that four-poster, featherbed feeling of relaxation. It actually betters any bed, however, by adding massage functions. Ahh.
There are giant screens as far as the eye can see and theoretically, you can wirelessly connect your phone to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. In reality, it works better, every time, with a cable.
And did we mention the stereo? It must might be the highlight of the whole machine.
Who’s the buyer and what’s the most memorable thing about the Audi SQ7?
While the SQ7 will spend most of its life luxuriating well-heeled Eastern Suburbs families to Saturday sport in a kind of raised limousine mode, it really can turn on the fun. With hugely capable brakes, epic amounts of torque, and properly sharp, enjoyable steering feel it’s a blast when attacking tight winding roads.
It’s also almost certainly the last vehicle like this you’ll ever be able to buy with a V8 engine, as Audi heads rapidly towards full electrification.
One thing you should know before taking a test drive.
It ain’t going to be cheap.
Theoretically, you can have all of this Audi goodness for $174,815, which is the starting price for an SQ7, but realistically, you’ll want to tick all the option boxes that had been filled with the vehicle we tried. Particularly the $14,400 Sensory Package, which includes Valcona leather and that incredible stereo.
With that, and a few other handy dynamic upgrades, our test vehicle reached $209,215. It felt worth almost every cent.
If you’re revved up for more motoring content, then consider checking some of our other favourite car-related stories at BH, including news, reviews, and hands-on experiences.
