The rest of the powertrain is what you’d expect; a Tiptronic eight-speed—that’s the torque-converter transmission, not the dual-clutch—and Quattro all-wheel drive are standard. (Electrification? Nope. This is strictly a conventional internal combustion powertrain, with no hybrid variant announced, at least not for the U.S. market.) Steel springs are standard, and an adaptive air suspension is optional. Equipped with the optional towing package, the Q7 can pull trailers up to 7,700 pounds.
Automatic Entrance to a Lovely New Interior
As mentioned, the interior of the 2027 Q7 is all new, and as also mentioned, it’s largely shared with the Q9. That includes one of our favorite features—the Q9’s (optional) power doors. Tug the door handle (or tap a button on the Audi app), then stand back as the doors swing open. Stepping on the brake pedal closes the driver’s door, and there are door-close buttons on the roof as well as the door itself. Parents, you might want to encourage your kids to use this feature while getting out, as the doors will stop before they encounter an object, animate or inanimate. That should reduce the chances of dinging the vehicle next to you.
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Three screens span the dashboard, including a standard screen for the passenger. Audi has simplified the control layout, decluttered the center console, and significantly upped the quality of materials. Options include 100-watt USB-C ports (with twin 25-watt wireless charging pads standard), massaging front seats, a 4K dashcam, and a “4D” Bang & Olufsen stereo with speakers that vibrate the front seat bottoms. Also notable (and optional, and openable) is the panoramic sunroof. It uses a Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) layer instead of a traditional blind, segmented into nine areas that can switch between clear and opaque. After dark, there are 78 LEDs embedded in the glass that provide lighting.
As with the Q9, the Q7 will be offered in both six- and seven-seat versions, marking the first time that the Q7 will be offered with bucket seats in the second row as an alternative to the three-way split-fold bench. The Q7 has a shorter wheelbase and overall length than the Q9, and most of that space comes out of the second row, though it’s still generously sized and comfortable.
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We’ve long complained about the current Q7’s third-row seat, and the new one, sadly, isn’t much better. It sits nearly flat on the floor and offers very little legroom. Smaller kids might not complain, but don’t put your adult friends back there unless you’re looking to shed their friendship.
All seats fold electrically, but they operate at a snail’s pace. A manual override would be welcome; by the time the second-row seats slide forward for your kids to access the third row, they’ll have grown too tall to fit back there. The third-row seats are just as painfully slow to fold, and we suspect most owners will fold them down and leave them. Cargo space is 15.1 cubic feet when the third row is in place and 43.9 cubes when the seats are folded down.