Premium Luxury Crossover SUVs never seem to go out of fashion and continue to leave showroom floors like hot cakes. Two such best-sellers are the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. Today, we pit these two suave Germans against each other to see which one comes out on top.
Exterior
Unlike its bulkier predecessor, the current generation Audi Q7 boasts a sleeker and cleaner design with a more distinctly chiseled exterior profile. The huge trapezoidal grille up front and flared wheel arches lend the new Q7 a very purposeful stance. Though not brand-new in its design, the Cayenne is unmistakably a Porsche and effortlessly pulls off a very sporty stance, without sacrificing its tough SUV exterior. Stretching to over 5.0 meters long, 2.21 meters wide, and 1.74 meters tall, the 2017 Audi Q7 is much larger than its Stuttgart-based rival, which measures in at 4.85 meters long, 1.94 meters wide, and stands 1.70 meters tall.
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Interior
The cabin of the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7 are luxuriously appointed. Both come well endowed with a generous dose of high-end materials, quality switchgear and a splattering of supple leather and soft touch points. The 2017 Q7 is equipped with Audi’s fabulous Virtual Cockpit, while the Porsche offers a race-car style analog rev counter in the middle of its instrument cluster, flanked by a speedometer and a fully customizable digital multi-information display. On the practicality front, the Audi Q7 can seat seven, whilst the five-seater Porsche Cayenne offers more luggage space.
Performance
Neither of these two SUVs are light, but they make up for their heft with respectable body control and gutsy power-plants. The base 2017 Porsche Cayenne gets a naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter V6 that pushes out 300 HP and 400 Nm of torque. This is channeled to all fours via an 8-speed transmission, thus enabling the 2-ton Cayenne to hit 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h.
In its 45 TFSI guise, the Audi Q7 gets a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that develops 333 HP and 440 Nm of torque. Sending these figures to the Quattro all-wheel drive system is an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.1-ton Q7 hits 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and top whack is an electronically-governed 250 km/h.
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Verdict
Priced at AED 280,600, the 2017 Porsche Cayenne offers an excellent on-road driving experience and is equally capable off the tarmac as well. Meanwhile, at AED 278,300, the 2017 Audi Q7 is faster, offers two more seats, and comes with some great onboard tech as well.
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