Audi SQ7 4.0 TDI V8 tiptronic quattro Euro 6

The S prefix marks Audi’s performance derivative, and on the Q7 that means a 4.0-litre V8 turbodiesel rather than the V6 that carried the ordinary range. tiptronic is the torque-converter automatic; quattro is four-wheel drive.

What to check on this specification

The automatic gearbox

Drive it from cold and then again warm. What you are looking for is a clean pull away in first, a clean engagement of reverse, and shifts that are firm rather than jerky, slurred or accompanied by a thump. Torque-converter and dual-clutch boxes both have scheduled oil and filter changes; those services are frequently skipped because nothing obviously breaks when they are, and the bill when something does break is one of the largest in used-car ownership.

The particulate filter

Every diesel of this era leaves the factory with a diesel particulate filter. Two things follow from that. First, a filter that was fitted when the vehicle was built and is missing at test time is an MOT failure, and removing one will normally put the vehicle outside the emissions standard it was type-approved to — which makes it unlawful to use on the road. Second, a filter only clears itself properly on a run long and hot enough to complete a regeneration; a car used for short cold journeys accumulates soot and, worse, fuel in the sump from interrupted regenerations.

On a viewing this shows up in the paperwork rather than the metal. Look for oil changes at or before the stated interval, and be wary of a car whose recorded mileage is made up of very short annual totals.

The things that make a large SUV expensive

Weight is the running theme. Tyres are large and, on a performance derivative, soft; brakes are large and wear in proportion to the mass they stop. Air suspension, where fitted, is a maintenance item rather than a fit-and-forget one — park the car, leave it, and come back to see whether it has settled unevenly. Every one of these is normal wear rather than a defect, but each is a bill, and a car being moved on cheaply is often one where two or three of them are due at once.

Ownership notes

A vehicle of this size and emissions output sits in the upper vehicle-tax bands, and the rate depends on when it was first registered as well as on its CO2 figure. Check the current rate for the specific registration rather than working from a general table.

As a Euro 6 diesel it meets the London ULEZ standard for diesel cars, and the equivalent standard used by the charging clean air zones in England. Confirm on the official checkers.

About this page

The address you are on was part of a used-car dealer site that no longer exists. The individual vehicle it once described was sold years ago; there is no stock here, nothing is for offer, and no enquiry goes anywhere. What has been kept is the specification the address itself encodes, written up as a reference for anyone looking at the same combination of model, engine, transmission and emissions standard on the used market today.

Nothing here is advice about a particular vehicle. Every point above is a thing to check on the car in front of you, and the official services linked below answer against a registration number rather than a model name.