Video: 2025 Audi Q7 Review: Aging Gracefully

But as luxury SUVs go all in on technology, the Q7 at risk of falling behind, or is it a relative bargain, even at an as-tested price of $88,790? Let's find out. Part of the argument for why the Q7 is falling behind starts with its interior technology. You've got this 10.1-inch touchscreen display, and below it, another touchscreen for climate controls and a few other functions. But this is a relatively small screen. The display still works mostly well. It can be a bit slow, especially to recognize mobile devices. But overall, the graphics, while dated, are nice. The functions are mostly okay. I have a love-hate relationship with the long-press feedback system that Audi uses, where you have to really press into touchscreen functions to get them to work. On the one hand, it prevents inadvertent button presses. On the other hand, if you switch to something like CarPlay, then it goes back to just a normal touchscreen, and then you get all confused. It's something you'll probably get used to the more and more you drive this, but I still haven't gotten used to it yet. So, there's a bit of a learning curve. One of the other updates Audi gave the Q7 for 2025 is native app support. So with an Audi connect account, you can go into their app store and download things like Spotify and Amazon Music, log into those accounts directly, and operate them right from the touchscreen. That's nice to have, I guess, but you already have wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. I'm very interested to meet someone who won't use those functions, but will log into their Spotify account in a car. Again, nice to have, seems kind of redundant, but that's pretty much it as far as tech updates for 2025. The other area where the Q7 is starting to lag behind is in its powertrain. This is the more powerful turbocharged V6 option with 335 horsepower, but it's also not very fuel-efficient with a combined 20 MPG rating. That trails the BMW X5 xDrive40i in both horsepower and fuel economy, and the same for the Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 in horsepower and fuel economy. It's also less horsepower than the Genesis GV80's turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, but it does get better fuel economy. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo also offer plug-in hybrid versions of their competing SUVs, whereas Audi sticks to gas-only for the Q7, for now. The Q7 with this turbocharged V6 is not the best at efficiency, but it is a very familiar and predictable powertrain. Now, it's not surprising that a SUV that hasn't had a full redesign in almost a decade is starting to feel a bit behind the times, but Audi isn't also going out of its way to fix something that isn't broken, and that's one of the things that makes this nearly $90,000 SUV feel like good value for the money. Tech isn't the only path to luxury, but if you're not getting the latest tech in the Q7, what are you getting that makes it good value? It starts with really high-quality materials throughout most of the cabin. There are some plastic bits as you get low, below the belt line here, but for the most part, this is just all very nice, very, very well built. Looks very cohesive. I think the color choices in this one are a little bit busy for me, but the materials are all fantastic. On top of that, you have very comfortable front seats with a massage function that comes with the Prestige Package. Comfortable second row as well. Lots of comfort and convenience features as well. You get four-zone climate control, you have a head-up display. The Prestige Package comes with a premium stereo, but if you're looking for more, for an extra $4,900, you can get an even more premium version of it. It's just a very, very comfortable cabin, and also a very quiet cabin. The Prestige Package gets you double-pane glass on the side windows, and it makes it, honestly, one of the quietest non-EV vehicles I've been in in a long time. And quietness, to me, is another way to convey that luxurious feeling. With the Prestige Package, you also get an adaptive air suspension that gives you an incredibly comfortable and well-damped ride with really, really good body control. Even with the Black Optic Package, which bumps up the wheel size to 21 inches, there's just excellent body control. You will feel bumps and imperfections as you go over them, but none of that translates to the cabin. It's just comfortable and serene. Still powerful, though, with the optional towing package, which is really just a trailer hitch. You can tow up to 7,700 pounds with this Q7, and with the optional adaptive four-wheel steering, it's incredibly nimble for a vehicle of its size, especially in, you know, tight confines like a parking garage. It's just a really well-done, well-executed package overall, and one of the nicest driving vehicles I've been in quite some time. The wild card in the Q7 equation is the third row. It should be pretty obvious, I don't really fit back here. That's not really uncommon for me in third rows of any vehicle, and normally, I just leave it at that. But let's take a little bit of a different approach. So, on the one hand, if you're going to need a third row all the time, Q7 probably isn't for you. There's not a lot of space. There aren't really any amenities back here either. It's a cup holder on each side. You have some child seat attachment points, but that's really about it. You're going to want more space, and that's going to mean probably more money or a less prestigious brand. If you only occasionally need a third row, however, the Q7 makes a great case for itself. You need the third row, put the seats up, you got it. You don't need the third row, fold them down. There's power folding controls here in the second row and in the cargo area. And competitors don't really do a lot better. The X5 doesn't offer a third row at all. The GLE's is optional. The XC90 is also pretty cramped in the third row, as is the GV80. At this size of vehicle, the third row is not really a place for adults, which also means that if you want to size up and get a fairly comfortable third row, you're going to have to pony up thousands more for something like an X7 from BMW or the Mercedes-Benz GLS. But, again, if you only need a third row every now and then, this isn't so bad. (upbeat music) It's not cheap, but a similarly equipped X5 xDrive40i, it's going to cost you about the same and it doesn't have a third row. A three-row Mercedes-Benz GLE with similar equipment will actually probably run you more than this. Now, the Genesis GV80 does undercut this in price, but it's less fuel-efficient and the driving experience isn't as refined. The Volvo XC90 is also a relative bargain compared to the Q7, but I don't think it's nearly as nice inside either. My point is: If you're looking for a luxury three-row SUV, especially if you don't need that third row all the time, the Q7 gets nearly everything right and is still very much a winner, even as it's starting to show its age. For my full review of the 2025 Audi Q7, you can find it on cars.com/news. (upbeat music ends)