Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2022 Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Q7 and E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Q7’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q7 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

Both the Q7 and the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras 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 Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	99	190
Neck Injury Risk	25%	30%
Neck Stress	186 lbs.	186 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	61/46 lbs.	387/481 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 Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	149 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	290	326
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	557 lbs.	836 lbs.

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

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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q7’s reliability 12 points higher than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Q7 has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (22.5 vs. 21.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	14.2 inches

The Q7 stops shorter than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	167 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (255/55R19 vs. 245/45R19). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (285/45R20 vs. 245/45R19).

The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 Prestige offers optional 22-inch wheels. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (117.9 inches vs. 115.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a 2.55 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (8.3 vs. 5.75 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 3.95 inches higher than on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (9.7 vs. 5.75 inches).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has 2.4 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

Third row passengers in the Q7 sit facing forward, making them more comfortable and giving them a better view. The third row passengers in the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon face rearward.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q7’s middle row seats recline. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s middle row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
Behind Third Seat	14.8 cubic feet	0 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	37.5 cubic feet	24.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	69.6 cubic feet	64 cubic feet

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s in almost every dimension:

	Q7	E-Class All-Terrain Wagon
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.5”/44.7”/80.7”	n.a./46.3”/78.9”
Max Width	52.5”	43.3”
Min Width	42.6”	32.2”
Height	30”	32.2”

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

Ergonomics

The Q7’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Q7 will cost $4480 to $5980 less than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon because typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon, including $393 less for a water pump, $144 less for a muffler, $23 less for a fuel pump and $481 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 $274 to $13800 less than for the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q7, 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 E 450/E 53 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the Mercedes E-Class/CLS by 27% during the 2021 model year.