What Are The Best Years For The Audi Q7 (Revealed!)

Deciding which year Audi Q7 is the best is more challenging than picking out which one is the worst. 

Let’s face it, Audi knows how to make a high-quality luxury vehicle. This one is even capable of towing over 7,000 pounds with the 3.0 TFSI engine equipped. 

The Q7 came about as a rival for the Range Rover Sport, and it has dominated the competition ever since. But is it worth buying an Audi Q7? Time to find out.

What Are The Best Years For The Audi Q7?

There really are no bad years for the Audi Q7, but the 2017 Audi Q7 is the one to get – that is, if you get lucky enough to come across one. Its redesign brought major upgrades and provides one of the quietest and smoothest rides you can get.

Just what makes the 2017 Audi Q7 so remarkable? How reliable is a Q7 anyway? 

Are Audis prone to long lives, or do they meet early demises? Read on to learn all this and more about the Q7.

Which Year Audi Q7 Is The Best?

Hands-down, the 2017 Audi Q7 is the best of the best. This was the first major redesign made to the Q7 since its debut in 2007. 

After that ten-year stretch (in which many awesome Q7s were made), Audi decided to bring the Q7 up a few notches. 

They listened to consumer demands. The Q7 was given a more wagon-esque design and the interior was equipped with luxurious elements pulled from the A8 sedan. And the tech upgrades were plentiful.

For being such a huge vehicle (Audi’s largest, in fact), the 2017 Q7 is easy to drive. It handles turns with ease and provides a lot of outward visibility for the driver. 

All of the driver-assist features that come included (forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic braking, to name a few) are now all standard equipment on new vehicles. 

They help take the burden off of the driver in many situations and enhance vehicle safety.

Tech features included on the Q7 include 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot connectivity, Audi’s MMI infotainment system, a CD player with the standard 10-speaker sound system, and – on the line-topping Prestige trim level – a head-up display that projects driving info onto the windshield in front of the driver for easy viewing. 

If you look online, you will see many positive reviews for the 2017 Audi Q7.

It might not have the sportiest performance, but it is a calm, well-mannered luxury SUV. 

Buyers are impressed by the Q7’s build quality, the fuel economy (about 25 mpg on the highway), and the head-up display. 

A few buyers have noted problems, such as the engine hesitating when you step on the gas. 

The 2017 Q7 might not feel as quick and responsive as some of the older models.

Is The Audi Q7 A Reliable Car?

The Audi Q7 reliability rating sits at 2.5 out of 5 on RepairPal.com’s scale, which is average for the luxury SUV segment. 

This ranks it 8th out of the 19 vehicles listed in its segment. It falls right into the estimated annual repair cost average for other luxury SUVs. 

It is also considered average when talking about how many times per year it gets brought into the shop. 

As far as the seriousness of problems goes, the Q7 falls below the luxury SUV segment’s 19%, sliding in at 13%, aligning it more with non-luxury vehicles.

What Is The Best Audi Q7 Engine?

The Q7 has hosted a number of engines over the years, most of which are considered strong enough and capable. 

Many people like the supercharged V6 engine that makes 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. It was replaced in 2020 by another optional 3.0-L V6, but the verdict is still out on that engine. 

The super V6 is matched up to an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission that delivers power to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. 

Whenever a wheel needs power, it gets it in a prompt fashion.

The base 2.0-L 4-cylinder engine from the 2019 model and prior model years is decent enough though. It musters up 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. 

It gets this huge crossover vehicle going at a respectable clip, but the super V6 is the real stand-out performer here.

Is An Audi Q7 Worth It?

Buying an Audi Q7 isn’t cheap. Be prepared to spend more than you would on, say, a used BMW X5. 

Audi prices a bit high and has high-end parts that can be costly to fix. That is pretty par for the course with luxury vehicles, and at least with Audi, you get a vehicle backed by a history of reliability and endurance. 

It all depends on how much room you project having in your budget for future repairs.

Now, you should be aware of a few common problems with the Q7 models. They are prone to developing engine misfires. 

The vehicle will shudder and buck while driving after starting the cold engine. That can trigger the check engine light to come on. 

Some drivers can wait for the engine to warm up for the vehicle to stop bucking, but this isn’t the case for every Q7. 

Getting the Power Control Module software updated might help solve the problem for some owners, but others could simply just have to deal with an engine misfire.

There is also a fuel pressurizing issue common to the Q7. 

A popping noise coming from the trunk area is usually the first indicator something is amiss. 

Sometimes, after fueling up at the gas station, the Q7 will simply fail to start back up. 

Once started back up, diagnostic codes of P2404 and P0441 will come on, which indicate a fuel pressurizing problem. This is simply from air going into the pump tank and being released as a way to test the system. 

The culprit? The Evap purge (N80 valve) on top of the intake manifold. That part will have to be replaced to get things back to normal.

Are Audi Q7 Expensive to Maintain?

The Audi Q7 models are expensive to maintain compared to other non-luxury SUVs. But, in the luxury world, they are right on par. 

Expect to shell out close to $1,000 per year to do maintenance and repairs on a used Audi Q7. 

Luckily, severe issues do not frequently come up, even with age. 

When they do, if you already have that buffer in place, you can rest assured that you probably won’t need to make another trip to the mechanic shop soon after.

Wha Is The Life Expectancy Of An Audi Q7?

A good Audi Q7 will make it past 200,000 miles. In fact, any diesel variant you buy could easily double that number.

 It is all about how thorough you are in properly maintaining a Q7. 

They have shown to be one of the more reliable and long-lasting luxury SUVs on the road. And the best part?

Even the older models do not look all that dated. Nor do they really feel that way.

Audi hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years, and in this case, that is a good thing. 

The Audi Q7 is fashionable, techy (but still user-friendly), and capable of living a long and healthy life as a daily driver.

Closing Thoughts

By all accounts, the Audi Q7 is a solidly built, reliable, spacious (in all three rows nonetheless), and comfortable vehicle laden with technology and safety features. 

Buying them new certainly costs a pretty penny, so getting one used is often more ideal. 

Just bear in mind that luxury SUVs come with pricey repairs. But, with the Q7, you should not be seeing your mechanic too often.