2020 Audi SQ7 Review

Do you ever take a look at your garage and think, "What this could really use is a seven-seat midsize luxury SUV with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 500 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque?" Good news — Audi is producing a new version of its successful Q7 crossover to address your oddly specific needs. The upcoming 2020 Audi SQ7 doubles the base Q7's cylinder count and power output, then adds a handful of performance, styling and luxury upgrades to boot. That sounds like a winning formula to us, especially since we currently rank the Audi Q7 at the top of its class.

In our testing, the Audi Q7 with the optional supercharged V6 makes the 0-60 mph run in a respectable 5.9 seconds. That's quick by class standards, but it won't strike fear into the hearts of your third-row passengers. And they won't respect you if they don't fear you. According to Audi, the SQ7 rockets to highway speeds in just 4.3 seconds — roughly half a second slower than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, which is driven by a slightly more powerful version of the same motor.

But the SQ7 isn't just about straight-line speed. There's also an available sport differential, which can increase the ratio of power shunted to the rear axle from the standard 40:60 front/rear split to 20:80. You can also spec active stabilizer bars to help reduce body roll in corners. Standard all-wheel steering keeps the SQ7 pointed ahead at higher speeds and reduces the turning radius in parking lots.

Aside from the requisite badging changes, plenty of visual upgrades distinguish the SQ7 from its sober siblings. These include quad exhaust tips and trim that extends into the Christmas-ham-sized air intakes. Inside are ventilated front sport seats with thicker bolsters to keep driver and passenger from slipping and sliding in turns.