Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2023 Lexus LX

The Q7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The LX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q7 and LX 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 LX’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 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 LX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Q7 uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The LX uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Q7 and the LX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, 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 235 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The LX has not been tested, yet.

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the LX’s (12 vs. 6 years).

There are over 25 percent more Audi dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Q7’s warranty.

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

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7 55 TFSI’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The LX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

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

The Q7 stops much shorter than the LX:

For better traction, the Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the LX (285/45R20 vs. 265/55R20).

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 LX Premium/Luxury’s 65 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the LX’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the LX Premium/Luxury.

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 LX doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Audi Q7 has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Q7 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Q7 flat and controlled during cornering. The LX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the LX (117.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Q7 Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the LX 600 F Sport pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the LX Base/Premium (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the LX Luxury/Ultra Luxury/F Sport (9.7 vs. 8.3 inches).

The Audi Q7 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 900 pounds less than the Lexus LX.

Unibody construction lowers the Q7’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The LX doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The design of the Audi Q7 amounts to more than styling. The Q7 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .36 Cd. That is lower than the LX (.376). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Q7 get better fuel mileage.

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

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the LX’s in almost every dimension:

The Q7’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The LX Ultra Luxury doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

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

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 LX 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 LX 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 LX.

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 LX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the Lexus LX by over five to one during 2022.