Compared: 2023 Audi Q7 vs. 2023 Audi Q8
Audi offers buyers a choice of practicality or style with its pair of midsize luxury SUVs.
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QuickTakes:
It's not unusual for a car company to offer a pair of vehicles that deliver unique styling and distinct on-road personalities despite sharing an identical platform. Both 2023 editions of the three-row Audi Q7 and the two-row Audi Q8 midsize luxury SUVs are cut from nearly the same cloth regarding chassis, equipment, and drivetrain, yet each is aimed at a different customer.
The Q7 strives to attract families seeking a luxurious and practical daily driver, while the Q8 marches forward with a design-first approach that aims to connect with more image-conscious buyers.
Here's how the Audi Q7 and the Audi Q8 stack up when comparing their prices, interiors, and fuel economy.
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Stylish Q8 Commands More Pretty Pennies Than Q7
The 2023 Audi Q7 is available in three grades, with the most affordable Premium trim starting above $60,000. This base version arrives with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 261 horsepower. A 335-hp turbocharged six-cylinder is optional on the Premium as well as the next-step-up Premium Plus Q7. The top-tier Prestige trim makes the turbo-V6 standard equipment and approaches $76,000.
The 2023 Q8 is also offered in the same trio of trims, but only with the turbo-six engine. The base Q8 Premium starts close to $74,000, while the top-line Q8 Prestige checks in above $84,000.
Both Audi SUVs come standard with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
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Q7 Offers More Seats and Cargo Space Than Q8
Although the Q7 and Q8 share the same platform, two key differences exist between the Audis. The first is styling, with the Q8 adopting a wider stance and sloped roofline as opposed to the flatter top of the Q7. That shape change then dictates how many occupants each Audi SUV can carry.
The Q7 features three rows of seating for as many as seven people, while the Q8's two rows of seats allow for a maximum of five on board. The amount of cargo room in each model is also different. The more capacious Q7 can swallow up to 69.6 cubic-feet of gear when its second and third-row seats are folded, while the Q8 is limited to 60.7 cu-ft when its second row is not in use.
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Keep in mind that with all three rows filled with passengers, the Q7's rear cargo space does lag behind that of the Q8 (14.2 versus 30.5 cu-ft).
In terms of equipment, the two vehicles are virtually identical once you leave behind the base Q7's entry-level four-cylinder turbo. The Q8, which is positioned as more of a driver's SUV, also gets an adaptive suspension setup right out of the box, which is optional rather than standard for the Q7.
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Q7's Four-Cylinder Isn't Much More Efficient Than V6
The 2023 Audi Q7's turbocharged four-cylinder engine returns an EPA-estimated 19/25/21 mpg city/highway/combined. That's only a 1-mpg improvement on the combined cycle over the much more powerful six-cylinder Q7 that returns 18/22/20 mpg.
At 18/23/20 mpg, the Audi Q8's fuel economy pretty much matches the Q7's turbo-six efficiency, which is no surprise given the similar weights of the two models.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
