2025 Audi Q7 and SQ7 Stick to the Plan for Luxury Utility

• The 2025 Audi Q7 and SQ7 add revised styling and some new tech features.
  

• These Q7 and SQ7 models ride on the same MLB Evo platform that debuted in 2015.

• Audi says the 2025 Audi Q7 will start at $61,795 for the base Q7 45.

Audi’s Q7 showed off the evolved MLB platform in 2015 and hasn’t slowed down since. Still riding on that same architecture, Audi is giving its family hauler—and its high-performance counterpart—a once over for ’25 and keeping its platform alive. These seven-passenger people movers are getting updated styling and some additional tech but stick to the same bones.

Under the hood, you’ll find one of three powertrains. Base ’25 Q7 45 models pack a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 that sends 261 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic. Stepping up to the Q7 55 nets you a pair of extra cylinders with a 3.0-liter V6 that bumps output to 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.

Rounding out the available powertrains is the turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that’s stuffed under the SQ7’s hood, which sends 500 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic. Of course, all of these Q7 variants come with standard all-wheel drive.

While we didn’t spend time with the base Q7 45, we did sit with the two more powerful Q7 models. In Q7 55 trim, the 3.0-liter V6 works as well as it always has, pushing this luxe people mover around with ease.

In the more sportif Dynamic drive mode, the Q7 pulls in a nice, expectably linear way. The eight-speed automatic manages that power well, as does the Quattro all-wheel-drive. The only real downside with the V6 is that the exhaust note isn’t exactly compelling, but Audi has a fix for that.

This isn’t anything new, but the SQ7’s 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 is still a treat, even while it’s pushing around nearly three tons of upscale utility.

Cycling through the menu to find the Normal drive mode will net you a nice growl from the exhaust, with an enjoyable amount of control from your right foot—it’s not aggressive, but fun. Throwing it into Dynamic mode opens the exhaust and unleashes the bark and bite from this V8.

Like its less potent sibling, the Dynamic drive mode also changes the accelerator pedal map, which gives you more throttle on tip-in, and it changes the transmission shift logic. The eight-speed holds the shifts longer and is more agreeable to letting you hang the V8 at higher RPM. Of course, there are also flappy paddles on the steering wheel if you don’t trust Audi’s transmission logic and want to take matters literally into your own hands.

The acceleration from this 4.0-liter V8 isn’t exactly earth-shattering like you might find from a sub-three-second rocket ship, but it’s more than quick enough to put a smile on your face as you’re passing your neighbor.

Of course, the powertrains are largely carryovers from the previous model year. What’s new is some styling features and some added tech. The styling is light, admittedly, but worth noting. New Audi badges sit in the grille and on the hatch. This new design looks two-dimensional and comes in two colors: white with a black border or grey with a black border.

Joining a new set of Audi rings is a similarly redesigned front fascia, a new grille, and a revised rear fascia. These subtle styling changes don’t dramatically shake up the Audi people mover’s styling, but they will help car spotters discern these Q7s down the line. There are also some new wheel options and three new color options, which include the muted Sakhir gold metallic.

Alongside the styling, the interior isn’t a huge departure from the previous years of the Q7. While other automakers are moving to full-width screens, this Audi still sports the Audi MMI infotainment touchscreen and the company’s digital cockpit instrument cluster. The materials throughout the interior felt solid, with a touch of quality you’d expect from a high-priced crossover.

The overall interior quality might be overshadowed by its tight third row, but the adjustable second-row seats should give those sitting in the third row enough space to fit. Of course, third-row space is solved entirely by opting for the two-row Q8 models, but that’s a tale for another day.

With the third row up, interior cargo space is par for the course with these premium three-row people movers. There’s space to manage your Costco haul or a couple of carry-on bags. However, if you want a cavernous space, you’ll find it with the third row flipped down.

Suspending both of these Q7-based testers was Audi’s air suspension. Base Q7 models will sport a set of steel springs, which weren’t available to test. The overall suspension concept is the same between both models with a five-link suspension controlling the wheels at each corner.

Where these models differ significantly underneath is at the front of the SQ7. This model gets Audi’s absurd electromechanical stabilizer bar, or Active Roll Stabilization as Audi calls it. In layman’s terms, this system places an electric motor between two halves of a stabilizer bar to help better control body roll.

Sure, this system isn’t exactly groundbreaking now, and other automakers have their ways of actively managing body roll, but it’s genuinely impressive how well this system fights nearly three tons of mass during corner entry.

The final real change will happen at the point of sale. The ’24 Audi Q7 started at $60,695. Moving up a year, this ’25 will start at $61,795, and that’s before you start moving up the chain of trims and powertrains.

The range-topping SQ7 gets a bump, too, and now sets you back $92,690, which is only a similarly modest price bump over last year’s $92,190. These ’25 Audi Q7 and SQ7 models are heading to Audi dealerships right now.

Do you think people care that this Audi is riding on an older platform? Tell us your thoughts below.