Audi SQ7 – ride and handling
Refined and handles its imposing bulk well, but far from involving
The SQ7 isn’t a car that engages you in the process of driving and shrinks around you, which you can probably tell just by looking at it. But it immediately feels keener and more manoeuvrable than you’d expect, and without losing sight of its core priorities as a family car. Refinement is excellent and the ride is well balanced and controlled – not as sumptuous as a Range Rover, but taut and absorbent (although those 22-inch wheels can crash into really harsh potholes and ridges).
The steering is light and feel-free, as is typical for the class, but builds weight – too much for most tastes, in fact – if you switch to Dynamic mode and lean on the front axle. The Balanced setting is a better compromise. The rear-wheel steering makes the SQ7 feel more agile than you’d expect, subtly pivoting the car into corners without feeling unnatural. Again, it doesn’t turn the SQ7 into a Caterham, but helps make it keener and more direct than a typical three-row SUV.
Push on and the SQ7 fights physics harder, and doesn’t always win. There’s a reassuring level of grip to lean on, but drive beyond this and there isn’t enough feel to suggest when mass and momentum will overcome the tyres. It needs a smooth, measured style to get the best from it, at which point it’s possible to cover ground rapidly – you just won’t have much fun doing so.
With that said, there is some semblance of throttle adjustability if you commit hard and early through a corner, which can even turn into a quick flick of oversteer if you’re aggressive. As a matter of fact the SQ7 is more playful than the last SQ8 we drove – supposedly the more dynamic SUV of the two – but reaching this point doesn’t feel natural, and brings the enormous mass and forces at play into sharp focus. It’s much happier when driven well within its limits.
