Compare the2023 Audi SQ7VS 2023 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The SQ7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model X doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The SQ7 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 Model X 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the SQ7’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

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 Model X doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The SQ7 has a standard Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the SQ7’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The SQ7 has a standard Audi Connect CARE, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the SQ7 and the Model X 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rearview cameras.

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 SQ7 is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	SQ7	Model X
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	557 lbs.	625 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Audi dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the SQ7’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 13 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	SQ7	Model X
Front Rotors	15.8 inches	15 inches

The SQ7 stops much shorter than the Model X:

	SQ7	Model X
70 to 0 MPH	155 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	113 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the SQ7 has larger tires than the Model X (285/40R21 vs. 265/45R20). The SQ7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (285/40R21 vs. 265/35R22).

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 Model X’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the SQ7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Model X.

Suspension and Handling

The SQ7 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Model X’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The SQ7 Prestige offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Model X doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The SQ7 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Tesla doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Model X.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the SQ7’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Model X (117.9 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

The SQ7 Premium Plus handles at .91 G’s, while the Model X pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The SQ7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Model X (25.2 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The SQ7 has .6 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room and 8.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model X.

Cargo Capacity

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

	SQ7	Model X
Third Seat Folded	35.7 cubic feet	33.8 cubic feet

The SQ7’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the SQ7’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the SQ7’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The SQ7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model X’s (7700 vs. 5000 pounds).

While the Model X w/22” wheels can only tow 3500, any SQ7 can tow a minimum of 7700 pounds.

Servicing Ease

A Service Interval Display is standard on the SQ7 to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, spark plug replacement, air filter replacement, tire rotation, and vehicle inspections, based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

Ergonomics

The SQ7’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model X, the SQ7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The SQ7 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The SQ7’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model X’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the SQ7 has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 Model X’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 Model X doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The SQ7’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 Model X doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the SQ7 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The SQ7’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

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 Model X doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The SQ7 has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The SQ7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model X.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the SQ7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the SQ7 will cost $3335 to $4215 less than the Model X over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi SQ7 will be $2629 to $8186 less than for the Tesla Model X.