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Audi SQ7 review: seriously stonking SUV

AUDI SQ7 003
WLTP to be the basis for company car tax from 2020

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1 August 2016

Audi SQ7 4.0 TDI quattro 435PS 8-speed Tiptronic

What is it?

IF you ever wanted a business car that was eminently practical but a blitz to drive, then the new Audi SQ7 4.0 TDI quattro with 8-speed Tiptronic is the answer, albeit at the extreme end of the SUV scale.

Smart, presentable, a seven-seater should you need it – and the most unlikely firebrand too. Take 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds – that’s as fast as the two-seater Porsche 718 Boxster and just shy of a Ford Focus RS.

Audi SQ7

Then there’s the 900Nm torque from 1000rpm which gives you the thumping sky-reducing acceleration that doesn’t let up. Or the Driving Dynamics Sports package with electromechanical active roll stablisation programme powered by a 48v battery to keep it all together.

And because you have your eye on the business case, there’s the strongest residual values in the class, the SQ7 retaining 48% of its value after three years/60,000 miles according to CAP Monitor, the RV prediction experts.

So, then, quite some package this Audi SQ7. What’s it like?

What’s hot?

  • What’s it like? Just awesome. Plant your foot and all of that 900Nm propels you towards the horizon at monumental speed….meanwhile the electromechanical active roll stablisation programme is working overtime to keep things on an even keel
Audi SQ7
Virtual cockpit
  • And due to the above, you won’t roll over in the corners either
  • The V8 diesel engine has a shedload of firsts. There’s an electric powered compressor (EPC) that ensures there’s no turbolag by working in tandem with the two sequential turbos. And if you want more acronyms, then there’s another first – AVS (Audi Valvelift System) to help get as much potential out of that V8 as is possible. And a 48 volt subsytem that powers the EPC and the active roll system
  • An eight-speed S tronic gearbox smooths out the changes, and in dynamic mode will auto blip the throttle on downchanges
  • But you don’t always have to drive in sports car mode. The Audi SQ7 can be very civilised too. The Audi Drive Select System has seven modes that can adjust the way the car drives to suit your mood and modulate the exhaust sound. On the motorway it’s quiet and very civilised
Audi SQ7
Plush quilted leather seats
  • The rear row of seats are for children only, but they can be electrically lowered and raised when required
  • The interior is luxuriously appointed in quilted leather and features Audi’s Virtual Cockpit instrumentation, which means you can adjust the information you want to view on the dashboard. It’s really effective and very good indeed. There’s also a 12.3 in colour display too
  • We took the SQ7 off road by selecting the Drive Control lift/offroad mode which raises the big car up on its air suspension – no mud because it was summer (although that doesn’t always follow) – and the big Audi was comfortable and able on the grass and the rutted byways. There’s hill descent control too and the quattro four-wheel drive system auto selects where to send the torque (up to 85% at the rear, up to 70% at the front) whether off road or on road.

What’s not?

  • It’s an impressive car, this SQ7, but it’s not cheap either; although the price starts at £70,790 on the road (which undercuts the Range Rover for example), expect to pay closer to starting price  Range Rover Autobiography money by the time you have finished adding the options – which pushed our review car to £95,160.
  • While there are more business-friendly versions of the new Audi Q7 – there’s a 3.0 V6 TDI with CO2 emissions of 150g/km and the hybrid plug-in e-tron Q7 with just 48g/km CO2 and an amazing company car tax banding of just 7% – the SQ7 plays a different game: its CO2 emissions are 190g/km as standard or 199g/km with the 21 inch optional alloys fitted to our review car. So it’s probably best outside the company car system shall we say…
  • …If you’re a business owner or SME director, you’ll be looking to fund this privately with some sort of cash for car scheme or perhaps a lease purchase finance arrangement
  • And expect running costs to match the SUV’s exalted performance

Verdict on the Audi SQ7

Seven-seaters don’t come more special than this: immensely family practical, great for directors who need that combination of rough-tough ability and carrying capacity, melded with the premium badge sophistication required for business use. The SQ7 does it all.

Taking your family out for a spin will never be so much fun – or so fast! On the road or on the grass.

The lowdown on: Audi SQ7 4.0 TDI quattro 435 PS tiptronic

Doors and body style 5-door SUV
Engine/gearbox: 4.0 V8 twin turbo with EPC / 8 spd auto
CO2 Emissions: 190g/km
Economy: 37.2mpg
Power/torque: 119bhp/295Nm
0-60mph/top speed: 4.9secs/155mph
Insurance group: 49

…and what the Audi SQ7 will cost you

P11D value £70,415
Monthly business rental (ex VAT) £1111
Road tax (VED): £500 first year
Company Car Tax Band 2016/17 to 2018/19: 37%, 37%, 37%
Benefit in Kind 2016/17 to 2018/19: £26,054, £26,054, £26,054
Annual/Monthly fuel benefit (20%): £1,643/£137
Annual/Monthly fuel benefit (40%): £3,286/£273
Company car tax at 20% yearly/monthly: £5,211/£434
Company car tax at 40% yearly/monthly: £10,421/£868

 

Audi SQ7
Audi SQ7 is a premium seven-seater

 

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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