The German carmaker’s latest SUV warms up the Q7 formula. But is it really worth the £20,000 premium over the standard car?

If you’re on the lookout for a practical, seven-seater family car with good old fashioned German reliability and refinement, then you can’t really go wrong with the Audi Q7.

While the Q7 doesn’t have the seven-seater SUV space all to itself, with the Mercedes-Benz GLE and Land Rover Discovery keeping the big Audi honest, it’s arguably the most well-rounded car in the segment and is unlikely to set your wallet on fire.

But Audi knows that some car buyers want their family SUV to be a bit more potent. Whether that’s for the parent who wants to dump their kids at school and race home for damn peace, or for the executive who wants to show up to six colleagues that their family wagon is just as powerful as a V8-engined R8.

That’s where the SQ7 comes in. The warmed-up SUV is, on paper, the ultimate family car. Seven-seats, a gigantic boot (if you tuck the rearmost seats away) and a massive diesel V8 delivering supercar-levels of performance. But at £76,720, is the SQ7 really worth nearly £20,000 more than the standard model?

Given that the SQ7 is all about performance, let’s kick things off by taking a look under the bonnet. Audi has equipped the new SQ7 with a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 diesel engine that chucks out 429bhp and a ridiculous 900Nm of torque, with the latter figure matching that of the McLaren P1.

In true Audi style, power is directed to all-four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. Stomp on the accelerator and you’ll jump from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, which is pretty impressive given the car weighs 2,330kg. You’ll hit the car’s limited top speed of 155mph if you keep your foot planted, but you’ll only be able to do that on an open stretch of German autobahn.

While our test route in rural Surrey was about as far removed from an autobahn as you can get, we were still able to get a feel for the extra grunt under the SQ7’s bonnet. With so much power under foot, it really does give you the impression that nothing can get in your way. Cars holding up traffic along two-way roads can be dispatched easily with a squeeze of the accelerator, which is accompanied by a satisfying show and a remarkably tuneful burble from the V8.

Audi does a remarkable job at disguising weight through its light and razor-sharp electronically-assisted steering system. Granted, the idea of stepping into a massive seven-seater SUV can be a little intimidating to the uninitiated, but the SQ7’s wonderfully responsive steering system makes it feel like a regular family hatchback on stilts.

But, of course, you’re not sat behind the wheel of a family hatchback – you’re in one of the most expensive Audi’s available, and that’s reflected in the cabin.

Like the flagship Q8 SUV and the luxurious A8 saloon, the Q7’s dashboard is adorned with a trio of screens. In the centre of the dash sits two touchscreen panels, with the lower screen housing the car’s climate control settings and the top one being the primary infotainment display. There’s a 10.25-inch display behind the steering wheel, containing the Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster.

We often bang on about how great Audi’s MMI infotainment software is, and that’s because it’s one of the best on the market. It’s intuitive to use and responsive to commands, plus you can customise the digital instrument cluster to display different information. Want the sat nav to take priority? Simply flick the rotary dial on the steering wheel to cycle through different display modes. You can also see performance information through the digital instrument panel, as well as control apps through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – both of which come as included in the price.

And that all makes the SQ7 a rather tranquil place to be on a long drive. In its softest setting, the SQ7 is pillowy smooth, absorbing every bump and pothole you throw at it with a shrug. And it’s quiet, too. The V8 burble only enters the cabin when you switch the car into sportier modes, while harsh bumps are swiftly dealt with so they don’t send a shockwave through the cabin.

While flicking the car into Dynamic mode doesn’t exactly turn it into a portly, lanky R8, it does give the car a sharpness that should scratch that itch for some extra performance. The most notable difference, aside from the louder exhaust, is a sharper steering response, allowing you to scythe through twisty turns on b-roads without worrying about toppling over.

So it’s faster than the standard Q7 and a bit more luxurious on the inside. But is it really worth the extra £20,000 over the base Q7?

Nope. The base Q7 Sport 45 is hardly gutless and there are more powerful options, such as the Sport 55, which boast a significant increase in power at a fraction of the cost of an SQ7. Plus, you get all the same interior luxuries, minus a flat-bottom steering wheel and sports seats, on both models and let’s not forget that Audi offers an extensive options list for you to pick the perfect spec.

Sure, the SQ7 packs plenty of power and is surprisingly nimble for a two-tonne SUV, but the Q7 Sport 55 is the better option if you’re wanting to blend performance with practicality.

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