Audi SQ7 – performance and 0-60mph time
Hitting 62mph in just over 4sec flat, the SQ7 has most hot hatches – and some serious sports cars – covered off the line
If you’ve just climbed out of a super SUV like Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid or a Range Rover Sport SV, the SQ7 doesn’t feel massively explosive. But by any other measure, it’s a seriously fast family bus, with a hard-hitting urgency and relentless pull that feels unnatural for something this size. The V8 peaks at 500bhp but you feel the torque most, with a 568lb ft wallop coming in from 2000rpm and lasting until 4000rpm. Extend it into this mid-range and beyond and it sounds good too, with a bassy, satisfying crescendo that isn’t too ostentatious.
The four wheel drive system makes that punch readily available unless conditions are very slippery. Deploy it all from rest and the SQ7 will reach 62mph in 4.1sec, and run on to a limited top speed of 155mph. The acceleration figure is impressive even when considered against more expensive, more powerful rivals – the X7 M60i’s extra weight means it takes 0.6sec longer to complete the benchmark sprint, despite having an extra 23bhp at its disposal from a larger 4.4-litre V8.
Even the £153,595, 604bhp Mercedes-AMG GLS63 can’t match the Audi for raw acceleration, reaching 62mph in 4.2sec. It goes without saying that no seven-seat SUV buyer should be concerned about giving up a few tenths in raw performance metrics, but the Audi stacks up well against its more powerful competitors, especially given its price. And when you aren’t using launch control and battering the redline, the SQ7 can settle into an easy, satisfying stride thanks to the lump of low-end torque on offer.
