Introduction

The Audi Q7 is a three-row family crossover SUV that can do it all: take the kids to school, get bags of manure from the lawn and feed store, drive to and from the city for work, or take road trips. True, every family crossover SUV can do that. But how many of them can do it in the luxury offered by the Q7?

For 2020 the Q7 gets a tweaked exterior, with sharper headlights and vertical vanes in the snout. Inside, it gets a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and improved touchscreens. Under the hood, it gets a more powerful V-6. It also gets standard automatic emergency braking. 

The 3.0-liter turbo V-6 now makes 335 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. 

There's also an SQ7 on the way, using a turbo-V-8 making 500 hp, with all-wheel drive. 

All Q7s offer a smooth ride with an available air suspension that makes them even smoother. 

The EPA rates the 2020 Q7 with a turbo-6 at 17 mpg city, 21 highway, 18 combined and requires premium fuel. 

The Q7 hasn't been crash-tested yet, although the IIHS has rated it 'Superior'? at avoiding forward crashes. 

New for 2020 is a driver-attention monitor that can slow the Q7 to a stop in its lane and turn on hazard lights if it detects a problem with the driver, such as a medical emergency. 

Optional active safety features include a surround-view camera system, traffic sign recognition, and turn-assist features that can alert the driver or stop the car if it detects an imminent crash with an oncoming vehicle. 

Lineup

The Audi Q7 is available in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. 

The Premium costs $61,795 including destination, with standard equipment including dual touchscreens for infotainment and climate controls, leather upholstery, three-zone climate control, 19-inch wheels, power-adjustable heated front seats, panoramic sunroof, power-folding third row seats, a folding second-row bench, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. 

The Premium Plus adds an impressive 19-speaker audio system, softer leather, and the option for more safety equipment. 

The Prestige costs more than $10,000 over the Premium, while adding a concert-quality 23-speaker audio system, a head-up display, a surround-view camera system, air suspension, and open-pore wood interior. 

Walkaround

The changes to the headlights, grille and taillights are slight. The big grille is still trapezoid-shaped, but vertical vanes replace last year's horizontal ribs. The front bumper has been reshaped a bit to accept the new headlights that, in top trims, illuminate in a brilliant display. 

The sides are as sculpted and as sinewy as a large crossover can be, with a crisp shape and stamped metal wheel arches. The liftgate has been slightly restyled with a horizontal chrome strip running the entire width. 

Interior

It looks better from the inside, with a gorgeous layout of soft leather upholstery, real wood and metal, and ambient lighting bathing the occupants in style if not opulence.
The new twin touchscreen layout dominates the instrumentation. They're taken from the upper-scale Audi Q8, and combine a standard 10.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment with a 8.6-inch touchscreen for vehicle controls.
Five adults will be comfortable in the first two rows, but the third row is mostly only for kids. If you don't need a third row, the Q8 has only two rows and more room for five.
The front seats are heated and power-adjustable. An optional package cools and massages them, and gives them more contour, not that the standard seats don't have enough. 

The second-row bench is comfortable on long hauls with good bolstering and an excellent 39 inches of legroom. What's more, it folds in a 35/30/35 split for pleasing cargo versatility. 

The third row also splits, to accommodate either one or two kids, as leg room is a scant 29.2 inches. Behind the third row there's 14.2 cubic feet for cargo, but with that row folded there's 35 cubic feet, and with both rows down there's a vast 70-plus cubic feet. 

Driving Impression

The Q7's drivetrain is perky and the suspension is mellow. The standard four-wheel independent suspension coddles the occupants, but the optional air suspension makes the ride downright glassy. The standard 19-inch wheels generally offer the best ride, although 20- and 21-inch wheels are available. 

The turbo V-6 makes more power than last year, with 335 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It's capable and versatile, and can accelerate up to 60 mph from a standstill in less than six seconds. It's rated to tow up to 7,700 pounds, when properly equipped. 

Audi's drive mode selection toggles between auto, comfort, and sporty modes that control throttle sensitivity, shift points, and steering weight. With the optional air suspension, the drive modes also dictate ride height. Auto mode is the relaxed way to travel in good weather, while the mud, sand or snow modes find traction when you need it. 

Summary

The three-row Audi Q7 works best for well-off families with three or four kids (the Q8 is better for two or three).The powertrain and drivetrain of turbo V-6 and 8-speed automatic with all-wheel-drive is flawless, the interior luxury, matchless. 

 

-by Sam Moses with driving impressions by The Car Connection.