2022 Audi Q7 offers tight handling but tight spaces as well

2022 Lexus GX 460 Luxury vs. Audi Q7 55 TFSI Quattro: Three rows, two drastically different approaches.

This week: Audi Q7

Price: $77,745 as tested. Black Optic Package boosts the wheels to 21 inches with all-season tires, and adds black optics outside for $1,750; another package costing a lot mentioned below.

Conventional wisdom: Motor Trend likes the “refined ride, supple cabin materials, sleek tech,” but not the “lackluster fuel economy” or that it’s “pleasant, but not thrilling to drive.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Living large.”

Reality: More fun, less space.

Competitors: Acura MDX, Land Rover Discovery, Lincoln Aviator, Lexus RX 350, Lexus GX 460.

Catching up: Last week we rode in the GX 460, which was spacious, off-road worthy, and comfortable, but old-fashioned. How does the Q7 compare?

What’s new: The big SUV from the German automaker gets some standard equipment upgrades.

Up to speed: The 3.0-liter V-6 creates 335 horsepower. It motivates the Q7 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, according to Audi, besting the Lexus by a second and a half.

The engine is an upgrade from the standard 2.0 turbo four with 248 horses. A 500-horsepower SQ7 would be pretty fun, I’m sure.

Shifty: The 8-speed Tiptronic transmission features and nice T-bar console lever with push-Reverse, pull-Drive operation. Controlling the gears can happen there or via the paddle shifters.

The transmission exhibited a bit of hesitation and gear-hunting more than I’d expected, and there was a real dead spot when pulling from a corner at 5 to 10 mph.

On the road: The standard all-wheel-drive Q7 provides a delightful way to get from place to place, on the highway, in town, in the country. Its compact shape allows for some sporty handling, and curves could be slipped through without a lot of body roll. All-wheel steering for $1,500 probably added a lot to the handling.

Driver’s Seat: Audis continue to be a great place to experience the road. The Q7 featured a handsome gray dashboard with shiny ebony touches and beautiful graphics from the gauges as well. Information selections from the steering wheel are easy to adjust and follow.

Friends and stuff: Second-row comfort was not bad among three-row SUVs, but it still was lacking a bit. Compact individual seats allow for making the most of the space, but they tend to be firm and lack comfort, and the Q7′s are no different. Headroom was generous in any position for either the second or third row.

If people want ample legroom and foot room in the middle row, then only pets can sit in the rear, as floor space is that compromised. Even moving the middle row forward all the way to create more third-row foot space won’t help, though, because the tracks that the middle seats ride on still jut into the remaining space.

So the third row is pretty much a no-go for all but the kiddies. Third-row entry-exit is also a bear, even with the middle-row tucked out of the way, because the door is small and the wheel well big. For a moment, I truly thought “Mr. Driver’s Seat falls face first from a Q7″ might have been the headline.

Advantage, Lexus.

Cargo space runs from 14.2-69.6 cubic feet, but Audi doesn’t provide the middle number behind the second row.

Play some tunes: The Bang & Olufsen 3D sound proves a delightful audio companion, turning your favorite songs into masterpieces. It’s not quite the level of the Mazda CX-50, which made me want to go drive around more just to listen to my songs again — true story! — but it’s definitely a top-notch system. It’s part of the $10,800 Prestige Package, and it almost seems worth the price of admission even if it didn’t include adaptive cruise, 20-inch run-flats, adaptive air suspension and more.

Audi touchscreens are beautiful and require a heavier push than most, so accidental changes are harder to make, which is mainly a benefit. Google Earth shows you the way, so you can look at the sights as you pass by, also a cool feature.

Advantage, Audi.

Keeping warm and cool: Attractive dials control the temperature and silver buttons control everything else. The touchscreen is easy to read and follow, but the buttons drift down into the console, encroaching what could be more console storage. The cup holders end up doing triple duty, although the storage bin is ample.

Fuel economy: Is there a hybrid version? I averaged in the neighborhood of 16 mpg, a truly disappointing number. Of course it takes premium. Toss-up.

Where it’s built: Bratislava, Slovakia

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Q7 reliability to be a 3 out of 5.

In the end: The GX 460 offers a nice ride and plenty of luxury touches. But it’s old school, which has its ups and downs.

The Audi adds a lot more fun to the ride and definitely showcases the technological advancements of the last 10 years. Of course, it is $7,000 more than the Lexus and requires some squeezing.

Buyers in this category might be happiest of all in the Acura MDX.