Compare the2023 Toyota HighlanderVS 2023 Audi Q7

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Highlander has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q7 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Highlander’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q7 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Highlander and the Q7 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Highlander	Q7
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.4%	44%

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Q7:

	Highlander	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	102	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	19 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.52/.4	.57/.7

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, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Highlander	Q7
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	187
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	128 lbs.
Hip Force	300 lbs.	350 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	337
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	888 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q7 last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q7.

There are over 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

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 Highlander’s reliability 15 points higher than the Q7.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 67 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Audi is ranked 6th.

Engine

The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 4 more horsepower (265 vs. 261) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Highlander
	FWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/22 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Tires and Wheels

The Highlander has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Q7’s (37.4 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The Highlander is 4.4 inches shorter than the Q7, making the Highlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The Highlander has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more third row headroom than the Q7.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The Q7’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Highlander	Q7
Behind Third Seat	16 cubic feet	14.8 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	37.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	69.6 cubic feet

Towing

The Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q7’s (5000 vs. 4400 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Highlander’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Q7’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Q7 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Highlander is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

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

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by almost 12 to one during 2022.