urs6_ma

Thinking about replacing my allroad. Wife has a '13 Q7 TDi, love the motor.

I'd like something a bit sportier, so looking for either newer style Q7 with 3 liter and air suspension, or the CD with air. Also need roof rails, and those are rare on the Cayenne (and cannot be added aftermarket).

So...Q7 or Cayenne?

My boy racer days are over...but I still want a sporty ride.

Comments appreciated!

How much "hotrodding" can be done on the Q7? Will Cayenne sway bars, etc change Q7 handling? (Did that on our Touareg TDi...)

TCM GLX

Alright I’ll chime in. My wife has a 18 Q7. Lowered on H&R with 22s. My brother has a 2015 Cayenne Diesel on 22” Wheels but not lowered. No air suspension.

The Q7 feels like a more robust SUV, where I fell like the Q7 feels more like a bigger wagon. Tough to describe but it just feels different. I’ve had many diesels, love the Cayennes diésel but the Q7 is much more fun to drive and feels more powerful. Both fun, both nice. Tech on the Cayenne is outdated in comparison to the Q7.

mkptlb

I ordered a 2015 Cayenne TDI just prior to the VWAG diesel issue hitting. The dealership allowed me to have three different Cayenne TDI loaners while the issue played itself out. I liked the peppiness and mileage of it, but when the TDI model was cancelled I ordered a 2017 Q7.
In my experience and for my taste and needs the Q7 is a better vehicle in every way. Mine is loaded, I have 140000km on it and have had zero issues other than a squeaky brake issue fixed under warranty. I find the Q7 to be better functionally, ie; more storage room, more passenger room, more comfortable seating, and better ergonomics. I liked the aura of driving a Porsche, but the Q7 is simply a better vehicle for my needs.

qtroCUB

I went from a 15 Cayenne tdi with premium plus, no air suspension to a 17 Q7 Prestige with air suspension

Cayenne was great when it worked. Mine had issues. The closest US dealer to me was a bad experience also.
I miss the mileage 700 miles between fill ups (25 gal) was amazing. DEF filled every 7500 miles or do. If you don’t do the reset procedure correctly you will get a CEL. After 50 miles of the CEL it will tell you that you have 500 miles to go until the vehicle will not start. Once you pass that the vehicle will not start until unless it gets cleared by a dealer. I found this out on a road trip 6 hours from the nearest dealer. Ended up driving through the night to the dealer to get reset.

It was a very nice ride. Sports sedan like. Plenty of get up and go. Would run out of pep if you were passing a vehicle.
As said before tech is a bit outdated.

Q7 no issues so far I am getting 400 miles to the tank (20 gal). I have air suspension and 4 wheel steering. This drives a bit heavier than the cayenne. In dynamic it tightens up nicely almost on par with the cayenne but it is heavy, you can’t change physics. In comfort it drives like a luxury sedan soaking up most of the road imperfections. Tech outpaces the cayenne hands down.

Trying to find a cayenne with air suspension and roof rails will be a bear of a time. I was looking for one with air and gave up after 6 months.

Phknlwyr

I have both: 2015 Cayenne Diesel and a 2018 Q7. Neither car is particularly peppy but if you drive the diesel properly - torque band is on the low end of rpms - it moves faster than the Q7. I also believe that it handles much better than the Q7 although the handling of the Q7 is top notch as well. Neither are track cars but for spirited suburban driving, they’re perfectly acceptable. We’ve had zero issues with the Cayenne and it now has 103k miles on it - kids’ activities = high miles. Prior to the Cayenne we had the first generation 2009 Q7 diesel. We put 130k miles on it before it took a crap on us but we still received $34k from Audi as part of the TDI settlement. We definitely missed the third row from the Q7 so I took the Cayenne from the wife and got her the newer Q7. I went and looked at an SQ7 today and am giving that upgrade (for her) serious thought. After driving an APR Stage 1 RS7, both SUV's engines are underwhelming.

petery129

I agree on what Phknlwyr said based on driving a 2016 Cayenne Diesel (85K miles) and 2017 Q7 (63K miles), Cayenne Diesel feels sportier and fun but Q7 is more comfortable especially if you have kids.