AUDI SQ7 Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Audi surprisingly introduced a second facelift for its flagship SUV model, the Q7, in January 2024, and that update also included the sportiest version of this vehicle, the SQ7.

When the German automaker introduced the second generation of the Q7 in 2015, customers expected a new generation to be unveiled in 2023. Moreover, in 2019, the four-rings brand unveiled the facelifted version of this model. Things were according to the plan and Audi’s habit of changing and refreshing vehicles in its lineup. Then, the pandemic started in 2020, and the sales plummeted, a situation that continued with an acute microchip shortage that lasted for a few years. As a result, the automaker considered that a second facelift should be good enough for its customers, but at least it didn’t keep them waiting for the most potent version of the car, the SQ7.

One of the most significant changes Audi made to the SQ7 was the vehicle’s front fascia. It received new headlights that sported upper LED daytime running lights instead of lower ones, like in the 2019 model year. As an option, customers could get the vehicle fitted with HD Matrix LED and laser lights that automatically activate at speeds above 70 kph (44 mph). Audi’s signature design element, the single-frame grille, was slightly reshaped and adorned by a wide honeycomb pattern. On the lower side of the bumper, the car manufacturer added side scoops that resembled arrows pointing toward the car’s center.

From its profile, the SQ7 boasted a different look than the rest of the range. It featured black door mirror caps and no chromed trims around the window line. Furthermore, the black side sills and unique wheels stood apart from the rest of the Q7’s range. Audi installed OLED taillights at the back for the first time in its flagship SUVs family, while the LED lamps were standard. Besides the SQ7 black badge on the tailgate, the top performer of the Q7 family featured wide exhausts mounted under the rear apron.

Inside, customers could enjoy the high-bolstered front seats sporting SQ7 logos embroidered on their seatbacks. Between the front occupants, the automaker installed a wide center stack that housed the gear shift and two cup holders. Audi focused on reducing physical buttons inside its vehicles. As a result, the HVAC control panel was a touchscreen placed at the bottom of the center stack, which, in turn, sported the MIB3 infotainment system. Fronting the driver was a digital instrument panel known as the Audi Virtual Cockpit that featured dedicated menus for the SQ7 sport-oriented driving modes.

Under its skin, the SQ7 had the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 gasoline engine that produced 507 PS (500 hp) as its predecessor. It sent its torque in all corners via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the rest of the 2024 Q7 range, the SQ7 came fitted as standard with all-wheel steering and wider brake calipers on both axles.

Audi took its biggest, heaviest, diesel engine and installed it into its biggest, heaviest SUV. This is how SQ7 was born and the result is not bad at all. It is tasty and wanted in the U.S.

Installing a V8 turbodiesel into an SUV it is not the weirdest idea. But when everybody downsizes their engines, Audi just brought the big, truck size, 4.0-liter TDI engine. And just to be sure that they will rock the world around the vehicle, they installed a complex feeding system with two turbochargers and one electric compressor. The power output is 435 hp while the torque is also in truck-zone with 900 Nm (663.8 lb-ft). Thanks to an 8-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, the big 2395 kg (5280 lbs) SUV can accelerate from standstill to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds. The maximum speed is limited to 250 kph (155 mph).

From the outside, SQ7 TDI can be distinguished from the other Q7 range thanks to the special front look Two huge air-inlets are placed left and right of the octagon black with six vertical chromed stripes grille. In the rear, four oval-shaped exhaust pipes can be noticed underneath the bumper.

Inside, the luxury and sportive look is at home. Bucket-seats in front and a slightly formed rear bench are good for a comfortable ride. But in case of a rush, the passengers in the back will need to hold tight.

Boot capacity is 803 liters (28.3 cu ft) for the 5 seat variants and 705 liters (24.8 cu-ft) for the 7 seater version.

The battle of the most powerful diesel engine on the market was gained in 2016 by the Audi SQ7. It had the sprint to beat any hot-hatch on the market and room to carry seven people.

The SQ7 didn't go for the three-liter barrier like the BMW or the Mercedes-Benz. The Audi engineers thought that a V8 is better than an inline-six or a V6 and, yes, no replacement for displacement either. So they put an engine that had more power than a Porsche Carrera and twice its torque inside a 2.2 tone vehicle.

The outside look of the SQ7 was distinctive compared with other versions of the Q7. The silver rim and horizontal lines on the grille, silver rear-view mirror cases, and the side-sills are all made to improve the aesthetic of the vehicle. It is true, that some of these features are also available as an S-Line trim level. But the four square exhausts in the back will tell a difference.

Inside, it is just like a well-equipped Q7 with sports leather seats for all seven places in the car. But the real masterpiece is under the hood, where all the magic happens.

The 4.0-liter V8 turbodiesel engine was fed by a complex system of two turbochargers and one electric power compressor (EPC). This effectively cuts the turbo-lag. It gives a punch in a quarter of a second. The two turbochargers are introduced in sequential order. There is a smaller turbo for low and mid-range engine speeds and a larger one for higher revs. And this is how the magic happens and the 2.2-ton SUV can sprint from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 4.8 seconds.