New Audi SQ7 Arrives With Angry Face And Fancy Lights

Pretty much every ‘premium’ car manufacturer sells a big, posh seven-seat SUV these days, so it’s sometimes easy to forget that the Audi Q7 was one of the very first. The original launched way back in 2005, and the current car came out in 2015. Audi likes to prolong the life of its luxe family haulier, which is why it’s today revealed a second facelift for the second generation of the Q7 and its performance derivative, the SQ7, nearly nine years after they launched.

The most notable change is a revised front end, which, especially on the SQ7, has amped up the aggression. Audi is making a lot of noise about the lighting tech they’ve fitted: as part of a seemingly ongoing competition between German manufacturers to see who can fit their cars with the most piercingly bright headlights, all versions of the Q7 have matrix LED units as standard. Range-topping Vorsprung versions also get actual lasers that activate with the high beams on at above 43mph. We pity any woodland creatures that wander out in front of one on a dark, quiet road.

The rear lights, meanwhile, are new digital OLED units. Owners can select one of four different lighting signatures at both the front and rear, because the German big three are apparently really running out of ways to one-up each other. As with the A8, Q8 and Q5, the rear lights of a stationary Q7 will now light up if anyone gets within two metres of the back of the car. We’re not sure why. Other visual changes include three new colours and a fresh wheel design, and there are updates to the software such as third-party app support - Audi specifically mentions Spotify and Amazon Music.

We know you’re probably most interested in the V8-powered SQ7, though. When it was last updated, its 4.0-litre diesel V8 was replaced by a twin-turbo petrol unit of the same configuration and displacement. There’s nothing so radical this time - in fact, the SQ7’s output of a nice, round 500bhp remains unchanged with the facelift, as does the eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. That means a healthy 0-62 time of 4.1 seconds, and an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph in the tradition of the German exec express. Cylinder deactivation should go some way to reducing fuel bills.

The SQ7 comes in two trim levels, the ‘standard’ Black Edition and the more tech-heavy Vorsprung, with its squirrel-blinding headlights. Order it in Vorsprung trim, and you get the torque-vectoring sport differential, optional on the Black Edition, as standard. The SQ7 Vorsprung also comes with active roll stabilisation, with electric motors on each axle powered by a 48v supercapacitor. Rear-wheel steering is an option on both versions.

UK order books for both the updated Q7 and SQ7 open in March, with the first deliveries expected in May. Prices kick off for the base car at £66,605. The SQ7 Black Edition starts at £92,420, rising to £111,370 for the Vorsprung. The update should nicely see out what’s likely to be the final combustion-powered Q7.