Compare the2023 Audi SQ7VS 2023 Tesla Model Y

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

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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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 Y 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Audi SQ7 weighs 893 to 928 pounds more than the Tesla Model Y. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Y:

	SQ7	Model Y
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	145 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	337	358
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	557 lbs.	682 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.

Engine

The SQ7’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 175 more horsepower (500 vs. 325) and 93 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 475) than the Model Y Long Range’s standard electric motors. The SQ7’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 45 more horsepower (500 vs. 455) and 81 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 487) than the Model Y Performance’s standard electric motors.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi SQ7 is faster than the Tesla Model Y:

	SQ7	Model Y Long Range	Model Y Performance
Zero to 60 MPH	3.5 sec	4.4 sec	3.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	9.1 sec	9.6 sec	9.1 sec
Quarter Mile	12 sec	12.7 sec	12.1 sec
Top Speed	151 MPH	136 MPH	150 MPH

Brakes and Stopping

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

	SQ7	Model Y
Front Rotors	15.8 inches	14 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches

The SQ7 stops shorter than the Model Y:

	SQ7	Model Y
70 to 0 MPH	155 feet	161 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the SQ7 has larger tires than the Model Y (285/40R21 vs. 255/45R19). The SQ7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (285/40R21 vs. 255/35R21).

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 Y’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the SQ7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Model Y.

Suspension and Handling

The SQ7 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the SQ7 flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 Y doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the SQ7 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Model Y, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

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 Y.

The SQ7 has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The SQ7 has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The SQ7’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Model Y doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the SQ7’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Model Y (117.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the SQ7 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

The SQ7 Premium Plus handles at .91 G’s, while the Model Y Long Range pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The SQ7 has 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 4.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.3 inches more third row headroom, 2.7 inches more third row legroom and 8.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model Y.

Cargo Capacity

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

	SQ7	Model Y
Third Seat Folded	35.7 cubic feet	30.7 cubic feet

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 Y 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 Y’s (7700 vs. 3500 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 Y.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model Y, 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 Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the SQ7 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The SQ7’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y 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 Y 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 Y doesn’t offer extendable 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the SQ7 keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Y.