Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2022 BMW X7

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 X7 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 X7 doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

Both the Q7 and X7 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 X7’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.

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 X7 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 X7 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Q7 and the X7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q7 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 220 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X7 has not been tested, yet.

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 gets better mileage than the X7:

For better stopping power the Q7’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the X7:

The Q7 stops much shorter than the X7:

The Q7 Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the X7 pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the X7 xDrive40i (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Q7’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the X7’s (41 feet vs. 42.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X7 (9.7 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Audi Q7 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 800 pounds less than the BMW X7.

The Q7 is 4 inches shorter than the X7, making the Q7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q7 has 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear shoulder room and 1.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the X7.

The front step up height for the Q7 is 1.4 inches lower than the X7 (18.6” vs. 20”). The Q7’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the X7’s (18.7” vs. 20.5”).

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the X7.

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 X7’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.

Maximum trailer towing in the BMW X7 is limited to 7500 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

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 X7’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 X7 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 X7 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 X7 doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi Q7 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The X7 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 X7’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Q7 will cost $1445 to $7605 less than the X7 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi Q7 will be $16158 to $57078 less than for the BMW X7.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the BMW X7, 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 X7 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the BMW X7 by 32% during the 2021 model year.