The 2023 Audi SQ7 0-60 Time Is Stunningly Fast For A Family SUV

How fast does your family hauler really need to go? If the auto industry knows one thing, it's that there's always going to be a market for excess: witness, as an excellent example of that, the rise of the performance SUV. Combining the practicality of a two- or three-row SUV, but the sort of acceleration you'd more commonly associate with a sports car, they're big-ticket vehicles that have found plenty of buyers.

Then again, perhaps that's no real surprise. In an ideal world, a dream garage might see a variety of vehicles parked next to each other, one to suit each different type of driving. In reality, most people have to make do with just one — and hope it satisfies every task.

What, then, is the answer if you need to transport a family, their luggage, and maybe a pet or two, but you also don't want to sacrifice straight-line speed? That's where cars like the 2023 Audi SQ7 come in, to make sure you don't get embarrassed at the next stop light.

Based on the Q7, Audi's top-selling SUV, the SQ7 throws in some extra performance. A 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 gas engine under the hood brings 500 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque to the party. They're legitimately impressive numbers, and the seven-seater Audi takes full advantage of them.

In fact, Audi says, the SQ7 is capable of 0-60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. That's less than a second slower than the Audi R8, a genuine supercar with a 5.2-liter V10 engine.

Audi isn't alone in giving its family vehicles a potent upgrade for those with deep pockets, mind. BMW's X5 M can do 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, only a tenth of a second slower than the R8 supercar. So, too, can the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S. Neither has a seven-seat option, however, so if speed and practicality are your Northstar, the SQ7 could well be your performance family SUV of choice.