By William Byrd
I’ll say it now, 2025 can go to hell. If you read my last two reviews for the new Genesis GV80 Coupe and the latest redesigned Camry, you’ll know it’s been a rough year for this intrepid car reviewer. So, I was excited to spend some time in the new 2025 Audi SQ7. This one costs north of one hundred grand and has a 500 horsepower V8 with massaging seats. Sadly, I didn’t get to do a full review between weather and life events, but I still got enough for a quick take.
2025 Audi SQ7 Overview
Mercifully, Audi continues to sell a range of petrol-powered S and RS vehicles. Meanwhile, they also seem committed to EVs, with many e-tron versions already available in showrooms. The SQ7 is the top of the “7” SUV range and starts at a lofty $90,800 for the Premium Plus. Upgrade to the Prestige trim, and you’re looking at $96,900.
Naturally, our SQ7 tester came with more bells and whistles. Quite a few more bells and whistles. You can read through the added options below.
Ok, technically, the Prestige package, which adds over $6,000 was already included in the bottom line, but Audi added the S Sport package for another $6,000, a nice Bang & Olufsen Advanced sound system with 3D sound for $5,000, another $3,700 for the Luxury package, 22-inch wheels for $1,500, the Black Optic Package for $1,100, and a $750 trailer hitch.
All in, the Bratislava-built SQ7 rings in at $116,640 out the door. Yikes, let’s see if our quick take test comes out with a purchase recommendation at the end.
2025 Audi SQ7 Inside & Out
The SQ7 has been a popular luxury family hauler for almost 20 years. It has always been an attractive, though understated, SUV. The 2025 model is no different. It eschews many scoops, slats, and vents in favor of a relatively staid design. The overall design of the SQ7 isn’t drastically different than the normal Q7.
Exhibit A:
The overall design is similar, with the SQ7 delivering a slightly more aggressive exterior. Our host of upgrades makes our SQ7 look a bit cooler, but still not drastically different than the standard Q7.
The interior is somewhat more dramatic, featuring quilted leather seats with red leather trim. It’s quite bold and not for everyone, but personally, I love it. You would assume that a $100K+ Audi SUV would be quite comfortable to live with daily. And you’d be right. It’s incredibly comfortable, with high-quality materials, heavily adjustable seats, and that ever-increasing must-have for me: massage seats.
Cue the “Homer-drooling.gif.”
The tech isn’t bad either, and although the latest Audi infotainment system isn’t perfect, it’s still decent, particularly since I use Apple CarPlay primarily. One feature that truly had me thinking, “wait what…how,” was the traffic light countdown. I’m not sure what kind of “internet of things” connectivity it uses, but it was spot on. It only seems to work at certain lights.
The things that didn’t work well were minimal. Apple CarPlay connected easily but dropped and wouldn’t reconnect, even with a cord. Eventually, it rectified itself after restarting the vehicle. Additionally, while backing up in a tight space, it panicked and braked even though I wasn’t very close to anything. Not a terrible trade-off for what it can prevent.
Out on the road, the SQ7 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. That’s impressive for a 5,300-pound SUV. This performance is surprisingly close to the new Chevy Blazer SS EV that I just tested, which achieves that mark in 3.4 seconds. The SQ7 features a 5.0L hybrid V8 with 500 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. Honestly, being half a second slower than a 600+ hp EV isn’t bad at all.
The duality of a great luxury performance vehicle is that it can be both enjoyable to drive and comfortable for long-distance rides. I religiously clicked the massaging seat button and utilized all the various modes. Unfortunately, the vehicle swap occurred on the day of my sister’s funeral, so we didn’t have the chance to embark on a three-hour highway trek. During the time I spent in the SQ7, it was fantastic.
Summary
The real consumer question here is, can you justify spending over $100,000 on a non “RS” model? While the badging may feel like a lesser trim, the higher-end Audi vehicles in “S” trim are fairly impressive. Also, and this is relative, it is quite a bit cheaper than the RS models. The RS Q8 that I tested was significantly pricier, with the 2025 model starting at over $136,000.
There are likely many buyers, particularly in the D.C. area where I live, who wouldn’t hesitate to spend money on a well-equipped SQ7 as a family hauler. I’d love to have one as a daily driver.
Jeff Glucker
Perhaps the Hooniverse audience has grown beyond my socioeconomic status, but I’m finding fewer articles that I even want to scan, much less read. And it’s not because of writing quality— it’s the subject. A $100k Audi SUV? Not even on my radar. The only option that would make this less appealing is an EV powertrain.
My wife’s Q5 had a burned-out bulb in the thin lamp mounted in the rear bumper (the Q7 above has one similar). The LED bulb itself cannot be replaced— the entire lamp assembly, including the control board, must be replaced. The total came to over $1100. That’s insane. I’m sticking with older cars. My next daily driver’s year model will definitely begin with”19”.
Zentropy: Agreed. Sometimes, I come here and I wonder if I’ve accidentally surfed onto the Robb Report.
The number of people reading this site who can pony up over $100K for a car? Damn few, I’d wager.
Give up trying to appeal to the “temporarily embarrassed future millionaire” crowd, please. Enough.
The problem is that the average new car transaction is $48k+ – which is wild! But I am trying to add more stories about cool stuff I find on Craigslist or race cars, or motorcycles, and the lot. It’s just become a lot tougher alongside the day job.
I totally understand that new-car material is more accessible, and I can’t even imagine the work it takes to keep the site going. But some of the new cars featured here aren’t (in my opinion at least) very hoon-worthy. Sure, that Q7 has a preceding “S” to denote it’s supposed sportiness, but it’s more of a well-to-do suburban family kid hauler than it is a cool-car flex. If I’m dropping six figs on a car, it will sure as hell be more fun— or at least more interesting— than that.
And I too apologize for the apparent bitching, because I’m a longtime reader of the site. Things have just felt off-target lately, relative to what lured me here to begin with.
Understood, and I’m quite liking the non-new car stuff lately, it makes for a more well-rounded site.
Bitching about the rich kid toys is a side effect of watching my retirement $$ being eaten alive of late, no doubt about it, so probably a bit touchy there, apologies.
Thanks for keeping the site lit!