Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2023 GMC Acadia

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
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 GMC Acadia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Q7 and Acadia 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 Acadia’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.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Acadia doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Q7 offers an optional backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

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 Acadia doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q7 and the Acadia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 GMC Acadia:

	Q7	Acadia
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	319
Neck Stress	118 lbs.	203 lbs.
Neck Compression	38 lbs.	99 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/29 lbs.	210/60 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 GMC Acadia:

	Q7	Acadia
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	156 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	290	381
Hip Force	557 lbs.	760 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Q7 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Acadia’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Acadia’s (12/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 2 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 33 more horsepower (261 vs. 228) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q7 45 TFSI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 271) than the Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6. The Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 25 more horsepower (335 vs. 310) and 98 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 271) than the Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Q7 has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Q7	Acadia
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches

The Q7 stops much shorter than the Acadia:

	Q7	Acadia
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the Acadia (255/55R19 vs. 235/65R18). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Acadia (285/45R20 vs. 255/65R17).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Acadia SLE/SLT’s standard 65 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Acadia’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Acadia AT4. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Acadia.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Acadia doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 5.4 inches longer than on the Acadia (117.9 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Acadia.

The Q7 Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the Acadia Denali AWD pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Acadia SLT AWD (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (8.3 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 2.5 inches higher than on the Acadia (9.7 vs. 7.2 inches).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has .7 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Acadia.

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the Acadia.

	Q7	Acadia
Behind Third Seat	14.8 cubic feet	12.8 cubic feet

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q7. The Acadia doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Q7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (4400 vs. 1000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Acadia is only 4000 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Acadia. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than GMC. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 12% lower rating, GMC is ranked 15th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Acadia (except SLE), the Q7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Acadia, and is not available on all models.

The Q7’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Acadia’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Q7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Acadia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q7 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Acadia doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Q7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Acadia’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

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 Acadia 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 Acadia 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 Acadia doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The Q7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Acadia.

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 Acadia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q7 with a number “5” insurance rate while the Acadia is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the Acadia because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the Acadia, including $88 less for a water pump, $8 less for front brake pads, $44 less for a fuel pump and $560 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the GMC Acadia, 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 Acadia has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

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