Once again upgraded, and sporting Black Edition trim line, the flagship SUV in Audi’s line-up now looks even meaner and angrier than ever, its audacious, self-confident appearance underscored by prominent new colour-framed air intakes, neatly integrated into the seven-seater’s basic architecture.
Combine this visage, with sinister black mirror housings, the Singleframe grille surrounded in black, and dark privacy glazing for the rear windows, with 22″ gloss black wheels and tyres, adaptive sport air suspension, all-wheel steering and the distinctively sporty, sonorous sound of the established four-litre V8 engine from Audi…and you get the idea of the new SQ7 TFSI quattro Tiptronic Black Edition.
Loud and proud – at least with start-up – the SQ7 in my view is the embodiment of Audi’s engineers’ technical prowess, showing the proverbial middle-finger to the eco-brigade…further exacerbated by the even more radical RS Q8 Performance.
This is the only logical reason I can see for adding the SQ7 to the Q7 range, other than giving the Audi Sport department something to keep them busy while the German marque pushes ahead with its electrification strategy and associated e-tron models.
Impressive performance
The SQ7 is a seriously impressive piece of automotive kit, even though I find the notion of a big SUV with supercar-type power quite illogical. With 373 kW and 770 Nm of torque on tap, and all that power distributed to all four wheels by a fast-shifting eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, the SQ7 zips from 0-100 km/h in a neck-wrenching 4.1 seconds.
As far as I am concerned, this is overkill for what is, in essence, a family vehicle. However, if this is still not fast enough, the RS Q8 Performance (with the most powerful Audi ICE engine ever, delivering 471 kW and 850 Nm) will get you there in just 3.6 seconds.
Yes, it is fun for a while (also to listen to the V8 spooling up through the gears), but before long, one returns to driving normally, and then all that power becomes superfluous. Still, dropping a gear and scything past slower traffic is a, uhm, blast.
The SQ7’s refreshed exterior incorporates new front and rear sections, vertical inlays for the octagonal grille and slightly higher-positioned headlights. Also available for the first time in a Q7 are HD Matrix LED headlights with laser, digital daytime running lights with selectable light signatures and digital OLED rear lights with four selectable light designs.
Inside, nothing much have changed from the normal Q7 except that the carbon twill inlays come at R19,800 extra, the ventilation and massage function for the front seats for a cool R31,400, seat heating front and rear for R9,400, contrast stitching and elements for the artificial leather for R14,000 and the third row of seats in our test model for another R26,500.
Still not added in is the nearly R25,000 for the fancy pearl effect paint job, the OLED rear lights (R23,000), the HUD (R32,500) and Audi Pre-Sense front (R9,400). That’s a lot of money for extras, but at least the SQ7 is spacious and comfortable, with generous length, headroom, and elbowroom front and back, as well as up to 867 litres of luggage space (with backrests up).
Best driving experience in class
On smooth tarmac, the SQ7 is poised, balanced, and controlled, thanks to its adaptive air suspension sport, which adjusts the ride height by up to 90 mm while also providing level control. On the highway, the suspension lowers automatically by up to 15 mm, depending on the current speed.
In addition, all-wheel steering ensures an increased level of safety and comfort, and in my view, the SQ7 offers the best driving experience in its class. The adaptive air suspension system can also lift the ground clearance by up to 60 mm at low speeds during off-road driving. But let’s be honest: nobody is going to drive off-road in this monster.
Last Word
The SQ7 is a good contender in the premium super-SUV segment, but it will most likely not sell well (even though its standard price is a heady R2,574,500, and as tested R 2,783,600), since it does not offer the bragging rights of the RS Q8, or a X5M or E63 AMG, and logic (or lack of it) dictates that there’s no point in buying something in this class if it’s not the fastest.
Report by FERDI DE VOS | Images AUDI SOUTH AFRICA
