The Audi Q7 is the brand’s biggest SUV, at least for a little while longer until the Q9 finally launches. The German automaker hasn’t stretched the SUV as part of its 2027 redesign, but the new one might stretch your budget. This year, the Q7 is $8,900 more than last year, but at least buyers are getting more for their hard-earned dollars. By that, we mean more horsepower, and there’s a boost for the SQ7 as well. Here’s what all you get for that non-insubstantial increase.
2027 Q7 Gets Different Engine, More Power
2027 Audi Q7 exterior imagery.Audi
Audi’s latest Q7 starts from $72,195 (including $1,295 destination), a massive jump from the $63,295 starting price last year. That’s because Audi has made the wise decision to drop the 2.0-liter turbo-four with 261 hp that struggled to move the big seven-seater, especially when loaded. Audi told CarBuzz that 70% of Q7 buyers were picking the V6 version, so it made sense to drop the unloved one.
In its place, the base model Q7 gets an engine that’s even better than last year’s 3.0-liter V6. There’s now a 2.9-liter V6 under the hood making 429 hp, 94 more than the old mill. It is more expensive than that one, though, by $2,800. Audi also calls your attention to the new driver assist systems and the gigantic new unit that combines a digital dashboard and center screen into one display.
Standard-issue driver assists include automatic emergency braking, forward and rear collision avoidance, 360-camera, and more. It also delivers automated parallel and perpendicular parking, and even has a feature to steer your trailer while you’re backing up, similar to what we see on many full-size trucks and SUVs.
SQ7 Has RS-Levels Of Power Without The RS Price
2027 Audi Q7 interior.Audi
The new and quicker SQ7 sits on the other side of the showroom. It still has a V8, but this year the 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine gets a huge boost from 500 hp to 591. It will cost you more cash, though, at $99,995. That’s $4,900 more than the 2026 version of this performance SUV.
At least Audi kept the destination charge the same for the new year. It’s still $1,295, one of the cheapest destination charges you’ll find in the new car world. This, despite the Q7 coming to the US all the way from Bratislava, Slovakia.
To help justify the extra cost, Audi is keen to compare the 2027 Q7 to the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, not the X7 and GLS. The Q7 has long been a sort of middle-ground SUV between the two larger models from its fellow Germans, offering a third-row option while walking softer in both price and size.
So if you want a luxury German three-row SUV, it’s the cheapest. It’s also by far the smallest. If you consider it that way, perhaps spending a bit more than a BMW X5 for a few more seats makes sense? Either way, Audi has decided it needs the larger Q9 to go straight after the GLS and X7, and it is coming soon.
Base Trim Engine
2.9L Twin-Turbo V6
Base Trim Transmission
8-Speed Automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
429 hp @ 5,500-6,800 rpm
Base Trim Torque
442 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,500 rpm
0-60 MPH
4.8 Sec
Segment
Midsize Luxury SUV
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2027 Audi Q7 exterior imagery.Audi
A 5% increase in price isn’t nothing, but considering what you get, it’s not that much. It’s hard to find an extra 94 horsepower for $2,800, no matter where you look. And this time it comes with a new interior to go with it. What’s really surprising, though, is that Audi – a luxury brand – tried to explain away the price change. It’s something even Toyota and Hyundai don’t bother to do, and it points to price sensitivity in a part of the market that should never see it.
