Compare the2024 Honda PilotVS 2024 Audi Q7

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 Pilot 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 Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q7’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q7, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

The Pilot’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 Pilot 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, 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.

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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Q7:

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Pilot 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.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Pilot for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q7.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 31 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 Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 14 places higher in reliability than Audi.

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 24 more horsepower (285 vs. 261) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Q7 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 55 TFSI requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q7 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q7 (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Q7.

The Pilot stops shorter than the Q7:

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Q7 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare 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.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the track on the Q7.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Q7’s (37.7 feet vs. 41 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Q7’s (37.8 feet vs. 41 feet).

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 800 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q7 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q7 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The Pilot has .6 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.4 inches more third row headroom, 3.3 inches more third row legroom and 10.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

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

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

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

The Pilot’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q7’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Pilot 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 Pilot TrailSport/Elite/Black Edition 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.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $2810 to $4755 less than the Q7 over a five-year period.

The Pilot will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Pilot will retain 55.18% to 56.17% of its original price after five years, while the Q7 only retains 48.76% to 50.57%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Pilot will be $23352 to $29335 less than for the Audi Q7.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Pilot third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q7 isn’t in the top three.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by almost four to one during 2023.