Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2023 BMW X5

Safety
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Q7 and X5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the X5.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q7 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The X5 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q7 and the X5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the BMW X5:

	Q7	X5
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	99	209
Neck Injury Risk	25%	34%
Neck Stress	186 lbs.	308 lbs.
Neck Compression	37 lbs.	112 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	61/46 lbs.	636/584 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	342
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	118 lbs.	220 lbs.
Neck Compression	38 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/29 lbs.	527/418 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the BMW X5:

	Q7	X5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	130 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	290	308
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	557 lbs.	796 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Engine

The Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 331) than the X5 40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 gets better mileage than the X5:

			MPG
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/22 hwy
X5
	AWD	4.4 turbo V8	16 city/22 hwy

Both the Q7 and the X5 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Q7s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the X5 M50i.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the X5:

	Q7	X5
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.7 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.6 inches

The Q7 stops much shorter than the X5:

	Q7	X5
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X5 (285/45R20 vs. 275/40R21).

Suspension and Handling

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the X5 xDrive40i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the X5 xDrive40i (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X5 (9.7 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The design of the Audi Q7 amounts to more than styling. The Q7 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .36 Cd. That is lower than the X5 (.36 to .38). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Q7 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Q7 has 1.9 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the X5.

The front step up height for the Q7 is .9 inches lower than the X5 (18.6” vs. 19.5”). The Q7’s rear step up height is 1.3 inches lower than the X5’s (18.7” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the X5’s in almost every dimension:

	Q7	X5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.5”/44.7”/80.7”	n.a./40.7”/70”
Max Width	52.5”	49”
Min Width	42.6”	44”
Height	30”	31.5”

The Q7’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X5’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the BMW X5 is limited to 7209 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the X5’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the Q7’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the X5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The X5 doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The X5 doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The X5’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the X5 because typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the X5, including $385 less for a water pump, $1137 less for a muffler, $46 less for front brake pads, $167 less for a fuel pump, $409 less for a timing belt/chain and $1542 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi Q7 will be $965 to $6803 less than for the BMW X5.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the BMW X5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Q7 was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 6 years. The X5 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

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