2025 Audi Q7 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The most noticeable design update on the 2025 Q7 is the new front fascia, complete with standard Matrix-design LED headlamps and cool-looking daytime running lights (DRLs). The front spoiler has been tweaked, as well as the rear diffuser, and the new grille features vertical inlays within its octagon frame. Still, Audi says it has reduced the exterior styling elements for a tighter, more cohesive look.

However, buyers can add some customization if they wish. The front bumper, door trim, and rear diffuser can be optioned up in different finishes, and the Black Optic package adds black accents, Anthracite Gray Audi rings in front, and blacked-out chrome exhaust tips. One cool new feature is the laser-etched badging on the B-pillar. Buyers will have the brand and model right there to show off to friends or to remind themselves that they are indeed driving an Audi Q7.

The 2025 Q7 is available in nine colours in Canada, including two shades of white and blue and the new Sakhir Gold. Our money is on the Waitomo Blue Metallic colour, but we’re partial to brighter hues. This year includes five wheel options with two new designs in 21- or 22-inch diameters.

The interior of the Q7 doesn’t get nearly as many updates. Sure, there are some new wood and carbon trim inlays, but buyers don’t really get a choice here. If you want interior trim options, look to Mercedes-Benz. Interior colours for the Q7 are pretty staid as well: just your standard black, gray, brown, or beige.

That’s not to say things don’t look good inside. The copious amount of piano black is a fingerprint nightmare, but the stacked infotainment screens are built into the dash, and the HVAC vents stretch nearly the entire width of the dash, emphasizing the car’s proportions.

Buyers of the base Q7 have their choice of two different engines. The 45 TFSI is a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine that produces 261 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. The 55 TFSI is a 3.0-litre turbo V6 with 335 ponies and 365 pound-feet of torque, which is standard on the Progressiv and Technik trims.

Our tester was the top Technik trim, and overall the larger engine is a good little motivator. Power delivery is smooth and easy, and the eight-speed automatic puts the power to all four wheels admirably—until you try to have a little fun.

Comfort mode is just that: smooth sailing, with a shift pattern that focuses more on efficiency than enjoyment. Dynamic mode pushes the transmission to get sportier and firms up the steering, yet we were still a bit disappointed. While the steering weight is fantastic, it’s tough to know just how much grip is left on the all-season tires. Further, the transmission doesn’t reliably downshift on braking, often waiting until the power is asked for on corner exit. It's likely most folks won’t be driving their family-moving Q7 like we did, but we do have to acknowledge that Mercedes does a better job at tuning its Sport mode, even in non-AMG models.

The good news is the Q7 can be driven in manual mode for more driver control, and the brakes are nice and firm. Further, the 2,300-kilogram (5,100-pound) SUV handles like a dream. Some of this is likely due to our tester’s available all-wheel steering, but the car exhibited minimal body roll even when zooming through some tight, slalom-like turns.

Other drive modes include Individual, All Road (which partially turns off ESC features), and Off Road (which turns them all off and limits speed). We didn’t get a chance to explore these features, but Audi says All Road is for flat dirt roads and Off Road is for trails that are a step above. The Q7 would need a lift and reworked front and rear bumpers to really go anywhere rough, but you should be able to get to your cabin on the lake just fine.

While a day behind the wheel is not long enough to really evaluate fuel economy, Natural Resources Canada rates the Q7 with the 55 TFSI power plant at 13.0 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 10.0 on the highway, and 11.7 combined. That’s a fair bit more than similar three-row offerings from Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. If you’re looking for better fuel economy out of the Audi, you’ll have to jump down to the smaller engine with its 12.0 L/100 km city, 9.2 highway, and 10.7 combined, but even that barely catches up to the larger engines from competitors.

All 2025 Q7s get heated front seats, while four-way lumbar support for the driver’s seat, a 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats are added with the Progressiv trim. Our top Technik trim adds such niceties as a Bang & Olufsen stereo system and rear door sunshades. The Luxury package adds a massage function for the front seats, front passenger seat memory, and an air quality and fragrance function.

We love a good massaging seat, and these get the job done, but they stop too soon for our taste. When we want a massage, we want it to last, thank you very much. Fortunately, the heated seats do not quit, so you can have a warm posterior your entire drive.

The Q7 has three rows of seating, but you'd better believe that third row is made for kids and only for kids. Folding the second row is a bit cumbersome, and there is barely enough room to squeeze back there once the second row is out of the way. A grownup in the third row will have their knees to their chin, and moving the second row to its most forward position doesn’t provide much more legroom. However, there are LATCH attachments at all seating positions in the second and third rows, and the third row can fold electronically.

Cargo space measures 402 litres behind that third row, expanding to 1,011 and 1,970 litres when the third and second rows are folded. This falls below rivals like the Genesis GV80 and Volvo XC90.

Small storage is at a premium as well. The usual space forward of the cupholders is taken up by the HVAC control screen, and the centre console is unusually shallow: we’re talking only-a-few-centimetres shallow. The door pockets in front can hold a large water bottle, but there is a small space towards the rear of the door that things could get lost in. It was definitely difficult to get a hand back there.

Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI) infotainment system is housed on a 10.1-inch centre screen with a smaller screen below for HVAC controls. Also on tap here is a large configurable digital gauge cluster. The menu structure is user-friendly, but the screen, especially while scrolling through radio stations, can be a bit sluggish. The screen also requires a hard push on its tiles rather than a light tap. Fortunately, there is some haptic feedback to let you know when you got it right, but we felt like we were just stabbing at the screen every time we wanted to change the temperature or switch to the navigation screen.

Speaking of navigation, Audi was one of the first to offer Google Maps as its native nav system, and it’s still a dream. Plus, it can be displayed over the entire gauge cluster in satellite view while wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto runs on the main screen. It’s the best.

New for this year is the Audi App Store, offering downloads of third-party programs like Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music. Included in the price of the Q7 are online navigation and traffic light information for a trial period.

The 2025 Q7 has all the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) you’d expect in a luxury SUV, like blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, cruise control (and adaptive cruise control on upper trims), and the like. It can even park itself in both parallel and perpendicular spaces. However, other manufactures provide smoother tech than what’s here in the Q7, a major reason we feel this car needs to graduate to its next generation.

For example, engaging lane-centring and adaptive cruise control should take some stress out of driving, especially in traffic jams. However, the Q7's lane-centring is haphazard, often ping-ponging within the lane itself. It’s not as robust as other systems, either. A Mercedes-Benz will automatically change lanes if the driver signals. The Audi can’t handle that kind of task. However, we like that the ADAS features, including adaptive cruise control, can be customized in the Audi. In addition to the commonplace following-distance setting, you can set adaptive cruise for a sportier drive with quicker acceleration and later braking into turns if that’s your thing. There is also a physical button to take drivers directly to the ADAS settings and a shortcut button on the end of the turn signal stalk that controls lane-keeping assist.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2025 Audi Q7 five out of five stars as an overall rating, as well as for side crash. The Q7 earned four out of five stars for front crash and rollover. The NHTSA does not give its approval to the Q7’s forward emergency braking or dynamic brake support systems but does say that the vehicle meets performance criteria for forward collision and lane-departure warnings.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not yet rated the 2025 Audi Q7, but the organization awarded the 2024 model top marks of "Good" in crashworthiness, seatbelts and child restraints. The car earned an "Average" mark in pedestrian front crash-prevention and an "Average" for Q7s not equipped with the Matrix-design LED headlamps.

In Canada, the 2025 Audi Q7 starts at $79,150, including the $2,850 destination charge and other fees. Ticking the box for the larger V6 engine adds $5,000 to the bottom line. However, a Technik tester model with every single option crosses the $100,000-dollar threshold into luxury tax territory.

Honestly, it’s tough to justify buying the tippy top trim here when the ADAS features are outdated and the driving pleasure only meets you halfway. We think the best way to go here is to stick with the base trim and add the more potent engine.

If the latest and greatest in interior tech and ADAS features are what you’re looking for, you’re better off with the Mercedes-Benz GLE. Sure, it will cost a bit more, but the transmission is better tuned, and the highway driving assist is much more robust. The stunning Genesis GV80 starts at a similar price point to the Q7. Offerings from Japan include the Acura MDX and Lexus TX, both starting below $75,000. BMW stopped offering three rows in the X5, and Porsche doesn’t have any seven-seaters available either.

The 2025 Audi Q7 offers up delicious design both inside and out, as well as superb all-wheel-drive handling and a peppy turbocharged powertrain. It’s even fun to drive, provided you use the paddle shifters and don’t rely on the computer to do the shifting for you. However, some of its ADAS features, while configurable, fall below the competition.

Note: Images show a US model.