Review: 2025 Audi SQ8 still has it, but Q7 falls behind

• Refreshed 2025 Audi Q7 three-row SUV follows updates from the refreshed 2024 Audi Q8 five-seater, which carries over for 2025
• A new front end, updated technology, and four different DRL displays highlight the changes
• Twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 and excellent handling still grace the SQ7/SQ8

Adulthood is full of tough decisions. Where to live? Who to live with? Which Audi large crossover to buy—the SQ8 or the revamped Q7?

This was the question posed outside of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Mountain range. Changes to the new models are minor: a new front end, customizable light signatures, new digital cockpit themes, and exposed tailpipes return to the more family-minded Q7 three-row crossover SUV. 

The changes are staggered, too. The refresh applies to the 2025 Audi Q7 and SQ7, but the same refresh technically applied to the 2024 Q8 and SQ8. Since 2024 is more than half gone, and the 2025 model arrives in weeks if not days, we were advised by Audi to treat them both as 2025s, with a minor price adjustment. 

The last time Audi launched its largest crossovers was peak pandemic, and the experience was virtual. Now it’s visceral. 

2025 Audi SQ8

2025 Audi SQ8

2025 Audi SQ8

2025 Audi SQ8

Audi SQ8 moves like swagger

• 2025 Q7 55 TFSI: $66,995; 3.0-liter turbo V-6, 335 hp, 369 lb-ft; 0-60 mph 5.5 sec

• 2025 Q8 55 TFSI: $75,595; same specs as above

• 2025 SQ7: $91,995; 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, 500 hp, 568 lb-ft; 0-60 mph 4.0 sec

• 2025 SQ8: $98,795; same specs as above 

Driving the 500-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 SQ8 can make all of the tough adult decisions worthwhile. It was a joy to drive. The performance pinnacle for the Audi crossover lineup is as good as it ever was, even with the arrival early next year of the RS Q8. That V-8 will be tuned to 631 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, which will make this relation of the Lamborghini Urus the most powerful production engine in Audi’s lineup. Audi’s targeting a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds. 

It’s hard to imagine how much more effortlessly it will feel compared to the SQ8’s V-8 and its 568 lb-ft. From a dead stop, it takes a beat to bridle those horses, but getting to triple-digit speeds while still on the long on-ramp outside Park City happens way too easily. For more immediate activation, click off stability control, press the brake for a second, mash the throttle, release the brake, and launch. It seems quicker to 60 mph than 4.0 seconds, and many independent tests corroborate that. 

The 8-speed automatic transmission masters the shifts with the fluidity of an Olympic swimmer. The paddle shifters are fun but unnecessary; in Dynamic mode the transmission already lets you tip into the 6,800-rpm redline before it shifts. The turbo whirs underscore the high-strung V-8 rumble, and while some EVs might launch with more thrust, the V-8 still stirs souls. 

The SQ8’s and SQ7’s real charm happens out in the wild, not from a dead stop. The surge at about the 2,500-rpm mark induces a grin if not a giggle, and a downshift of the perfectly sized wheel-mounted paddle shifters encourages single-lane highway passing as if it were a sports car. Equally remarkable is how it tones down into quiet cruising for more serene highway driving. The duality is delightful.

Part of that quietude comes from the acoustic glass on the side windows, bundled in the Prestige trim for $7,000 more (base SQ8 is $97,795, including destination). A note on standard and optional features: All Q7s and Q8s come with all-wheel drive, while rear-wheel steering is optional on Q7/Q8, but standard on the SQ models. 

All four models I tested had the technology. The rear wheels turn counter-phase, or opposite the front wheels under 37 mph, virtually shrinking the wheelbase and trimming the turning radius by 3.3 feet. I snapped off a u-turn on a narrow access road without putting it in reverse, and it makes parking easier. 

Turning in-phase with the front wheels at higher speeds has a more pronounced effect, turning quicker and tighter on the sublime valley roads winding through the Wasatch range. 

The SQ testers’ Continental SportContact 285/35R23 summer tires helped, but a couple of other technologies kept the faith around blind corners and steep drop-offs. Both the SQ8 and SQ7 testers came with the optional $6,000 S Sport Package with an electromechanical limited-slip rear differential that put more torque on the outside rear wheel for better grip, and for rotating at speed when that concrete licorice unwound into the aspens. 

2025 Audi SQ8

The package also included two anti-roll bars front and back with a motor in the center of each, effectively splitting the stabilizer bar in two. In parts where the side of the road crumbled into gravel, the passenger side flexed more while the driver side on solid ground remained firm. On even pavement and in more spirited driving, the two halves of each roll bar rotated in opposite directions to counteract pitch and lean at each wheel.

The result was excellent grip at speeds defying the SQ8’s 5,214-pound curb weight. It drove more like an Avant wagon. The SQ8 shredded all destination estimates and blurred the beautiful mountain scenery. In a lesser car, I would’ve stopped to take it all in. In the SQ8, I wanted more canyons to carve.

The testers also came with an air suspension and adaptive dampers that’s standard on the Q7/Q8 Prestige and the SQ8/SQ7. The delta in the air suspension is only 30 mm, or 1.2 inches, so it can get to nearly 10 inches of ground clearance in off-road mode, but a gravelly access road should be the end of your off-road intentions.

Everything in the SQ models felt more tightly wound, sport-tuned suspension, bolstered bucket seats, and steering. As much as I loved the chunky steering wheel, the steering seemed to stray from center more than in the Q7/Q8, but the sensitive inputs matched the SQ’s attitude. 

Since the four models tested were equipped similarly, aside from the $6,000 S Sport Package exclusively available on the SQ models, that twin-turbo V-8 becomes about a $24,000 question over the Q7/Q8 TFSI 55. The V-6 was pleasing in its own way, but if you’re going to upgrade with the rear-axle steering and air suspension, get the V-8.  

2025 Audi Q7

2025 Audi Q7

2025 Audi Q7

2025 Audi Q7

Audi Q7 and SQ7 three-row seating proposition

• Q7 interior specs: second-row legroom and headroom 38.8 in 

• Q8 interior specs: second-row legroom 40.2 in; headroom 38.1 in

• Q7 cargo volume behind third, second, front: 13.6 cubic feet, 68.1 cu ft

• Q8 cargo volume behind second, front: 30.1 cubic feet, 60.7 cu ft

While the SQ7 rivals the 0-60 mph times of the Rivian R1S and Tesla Model X, and even the Dodge Durango SRT, I haven’t driven a better handling three-row SUV, when properly equipped at $116,540, in my tester’s case. If you want the performance, but need the limited-use third row, it’s a tough call here. The Q8 has better legroom in back, but the Q7 has better headroom.

The Q7’s third row only adds 77 pounds, yet the sexier roofline of the Q8 adds $9,000 to the TFSI 55 and about $7,000 to the SQ8. That alone might lead some shoppers to pick the Q7, even if the third row is more circumstantial than practical. 

The Q7 second-row seats split 35:30:35 but the middle section doesn’t flip forward out of the way, it just folds flat. Stick the surly teen in the third row and it can become a leg rest, but the passengers in the outboard seats might not appreciate it. The third row power-folds down from the door or cargo area, but the second row is a manual fold then flip. If heads fit in the third row, toes might not, at least not without some negotiations with the second row. It’s more cumbersome and cramped than other luxury three-row SUVs, ranging from the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE to the Rivian R1S. 

One note for front passengers with the massaging seat option: You don’t need to use the touchscreen. Press and hold the center button on the seat-side control panel to activate. It’s a nice convenience.

2025 Audi Q7

2025 Audi Q8

2025 Audi Q8

Audi Q7/Q8 technology and 2025 updates

• 2025 Q7 follows the refresh of the 2024 Q8, with a new front end

• Updates include four DRL signatures to choose from, as well as new interior themes

• Apple CarPlay connectivity remains a problem

Revisiting these most important models in the U.S. market reminded me how good the in-car technology is, even if the Apple CarPlay connection opens up the tech gremlins. Several times, and with several other journalists, connecting with a wire to ACP resulted in my home screen on the 10.1-inch upper touchscreen going dark, though the side menu let me access media and navigation. It required a hard reset. Audi is aware of the problem and says it’s being addressed. 

2025 Audi Q7

Still, Audi’s technology and crisp HD displays render smartphone connectivity as archaic, except for text messaging. The 3D color mapping in either the touchscreen or the peerless 12.3-inch instrument cluster shines brighter and is more intuitive than rivals. 

The clean steering wheel layout lacks bizarro sliders or haptic buttons, making it easy to change views in the cluster or access relevant info. In this age of maxiscreens, the Q7 and Q8’s still look progressive and attractive without being overloaded with visual distraction. Part of the uncluttered feeling comes from the adaptive cruise control stalk on the underbelly of the steering column. The wireless smartphone charger sits beneath the center armrest, lessening the visual clutter but also requiring me to note the no-phones-left-behind warning after shutting off the engine. 

The dual touchscreens in the center stack, including an 8.6-inch climate control screen below the touchscreen, was inoffensive as well. The haptic feedback and button-like responses made it easy to use, though I still prefer dials and toggles. Still, Audi’s cockpit is far cleaner and intuitive than rivals, especially fellow Germans, though all the touchiness and shiny black surfaces house all the fingerprints. Keep the glass cleaner handy. 

New for 2025 are customizable interior themes that dress the touchscreen in natural landscapes, like wallpaper for a smartphone, and the car’s ambient lighting matches each theme. The Northern Lights theme casts a purplish glow around the dash, doors, and foot wells, for instance. There are also MLS soccer themes available for $17.99, while the landscapes start at $12.99 as a one-time cost. 

Since the Q7 hasn’t changed dramatically, its cramped third row makes it a hard recommendation against the recent explosion of three-row crossovers and SUVs in the luxury segment. But the SQ7 and, more alluringly, the gorgeous SQ8, appeal for their effortless performance, for a price. 

Audi provided airfare and lodging for Motor Authority to revisit the 2025 Q7/Q8 models.