Compare the2023 Audi SQ7VS 2022 BMW X7

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Audi SQ7 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 SQ7 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 SQ7 and X7 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The SQ7 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.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the SQ7 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 SQ7 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The SQ7’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 165 more horsepower (500 vs. 335) and 237 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 331) than the X7 xDrive40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The SQ7’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 553) than the X7 M50i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi SQ7 is faster than the X7 xDrive40i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

For better stopping power the SQ7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the X7:

The SQ7 stops much shorter than the X7:

For better traction, the SQ7 has larger tires than the X7 (285/40R21 vs. 275/40R22).

The SQ7’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the X7’s standard 45 series tires.

The SQ7 Premium Plus handles at .91 G’s, while the X7 xDrive40i pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The SQ7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the X7 xDrive40i (25.2 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the SQ7’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the X7’s (41 feet vs. 42.8 feet).

The SQ7 is 3.7 inches shorter than the X7, making the SQ7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The SQ7 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 SQ7 is 1.4 inches lower than the X7 (18.6” vs. 20”). The SQ7’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the X7’s (18.7” vs. 20.5”).

The SQ7’s cargo area provides more volume than the X7.

The SQ7’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.

The SQ7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the X7’s (7700 vs. 5950 pounds).

Laser headlights, standard on the SQ7 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 SQ7 Prestige has standard 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 SQ7 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 SQ7 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 SQ7 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The X7 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The SQ7 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.

The SQ7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the SQ7 will retain 50.51% to 51.06% of its original price after five years, while the X7 only retains 46.76% to 47.92%.

The SQ7 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 10% during 2021.