2018 Audi SQ7 TDi Quattro

With just two former keepers, ‘PE18 UGB’ is an Audi SQ7 that’s stuffed to the gunnels with toys; we’ll list ‘em all later, but rest assured that if it hasn’t got it then Audi probably didn’t offer it.

It’s been serviced well too and is fresh from a £6,400 refresh that included some minor body repairs to the Piano Black coachwork, refurbishing the 22-inch alloy wheels, and lots of recent mechanical servicing.

Said to drive “very well”, it’s a family wagon for winter conditions that will also thrill and delight you when you’re one-up on a summer dawn raid.

Black is a notoriously tough colour for a secondhand car as it bounces light off even the smallest imperfections with a laser-like intensity, a problem that’s further compounded by a Piano Black finish as glossy as this.

However, this example comes to auction having been freshly valeted following some “small repairs” to the nearside that included a machine-polish across the whole of the coachwork (good job they weren’t charging by the square inch, eh?), which means, as you can see, that the factory Piano Black paintwork (colour code LO41) looks stunning.

The body-coloured roof rails add a touch of utility while maintaining the Audi stealth appearance and the 22-inch, five-V-spoke alloy wheels have been refurbished with a titanium and diamond-cut finish. With subtle black brake calipers lurking behind them, the front wheels are swathed in a matching pair of Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres, while the rears have been fitted with a pair of good used Yokohama Advan Sport tyres.

The silver mirror cappings that distinguish all fast Audis are, er. silver, and the privacy glass works in conjunction with the Piano Black coachwork to give the SQ7 a presence the huge wheels and quadruple exhaust do nothing to lessen.

(Oh, and the window sticker, which proclaims a former owner was a member of the Bugatti Owners’ Club, can only be a good sign, surely?)

As for cosmetic imperfections, there are the usual stonechips to the front end and door edges, including a few that have been touched-up. There are also a few scratches here and there, most obviously on the boot lid, offside rear door, and nearside rear light cluster. 

It would also benefit from a dedicated session in the hands of your favourite detailer to remove the minor swirl marks that remain in the paintwork.

Finally the windscreen has a couple of chips, the inside of the boot lid looks like it’s been touched-up with a Sharpie, and the offside rear wheelarch has a piece of loose trim thanks to what looks like a broken clip.

The interior sports the full black S Line leather package, which includes heated front and middle-row seats as well as a pair of rear seats in the capacious boot too, making this the full-fat, seven-seater option.

It also boasts Matrix headlamps, a head-up display, a flat-bottomed steering wheel with flappy paddles, Audi Pro sat-nav and Audi Connect, and a digital dashboard that includes Audi’s clever Drive Select that enables you to tailor the car to suit your mood.

You will also be able to enjoy Bose 3D Surround Sound, multi-colour ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control, an electric boot with a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, privacy glass, remote central locking, electric mirrors, and 4-zone climate control.

Rest assured, your family will be as safe and as comfortable as it is possible for them to be.

And yet, as loaded as it is the cabin is as minimal and chic as that of every modern Audi; few manufacturers, if any, are as adept as the engineers of Ingolstadt at hiding their (considerable) light under a bushel. 

There are hints of the SQ7’s shattering performance, most obviously by way of the snug-yet-cossetting front sports seats and the flat-bottomed steering wheel, but rest assured; this is a car you could take your dear old mum shopping in without her raising so much as an eyebrow – and after dropping her off you could throw it around Silverstone before arriving for an unruffled dinner in Milan.

Or just use it for the school run, for which it is eminently suited: The middle row of three seats can be individually adjusted and they, like the front seats, are heated. The middle-row has also got access to their own heating controls as part of the SQ7’s 4-zone climate control.

The rear seats might lack the electronic goodies of the two rows in front of them but they’re still proper, full-size seats with proper, three-point seatbelts – and there’s still decent boot space, even with ‘em up. 

They, like the middle row, also fold and rise at the press a button rather than having to wrangle with recalcitrant levers.

As for its condition, it’s weathered the passage of seven years and 120,000 miles with impressive aplomb. Take the driver’s seat, for example, which is still firm and resilient and barely even creased. It still sports beautifully crisp white stitching too – and the other six seats are even better.

The carpets, door cards, dashboard, and headlining are all every bit as good as you’d hope and, as well as the tyre inflator, the boot still contains the Audi first aid kit.

We are also told that everything works as it should. 

Well, almost. 

Because a previous owner had the towbar removed because of a problem and didn’t opt to replace it, the dashboard warning light is illuminated. 

On the one hand this means that there’s an annoying warning light – but on the other it hasn’t been used to tow anything for ages, if at all. #swingsandroundabouts

Other than that, the removeable luggage cover looks a little battered but that’s about the only sign of wear worth mentioning.

The SQ7’s service history is a mix of main dealer and independents:

• 17.03.2018 – pre-delivery inspection by Blackburn Audi
• 20.05.2021 and 21,690 miles – service by Tamworth Audi
• 11.02.2022 and 30,701 miles – service by Guildford Audi
• 24.05.2022 and 37,385 miles – service by (unknown)
• 06.02.2023 and 57,257 miles – service by (unknown)
• 07.06.2023 and 69,060 miles – service by Motorcare Woking
• 20.06.2024 and 95,386 miles – service by Farnborough Audi
• 08.11.2024 and 108,430 miles – service by East Kent Automotive including a new thermostat and waterpump plus associated fittings at a cost of £4,746
• 22.09.2025 and 121,468 miles – maintenance work including new front brake pads and an EGR/AdBlue software patch at a cost of £6,402

The ‘inspection due!’ warning light is illuminated but given the recent work the SQ7 benefits from, the seller says this just needs resetting.

As you’d expect, the turbocharged diesel V8 starts instantly, even when the mercury is hovering around zero, and it is barely perceptible when idling.

It gets a little noisier when it is being revved, but only slightly. 

Being a V8 you’d expect a decent exhaust note, which is exactly what you get. 

The seller tells us that it drives “very well”, and while there’s not much to see under the bonnet due to the ubiquitous and extensive shrouding, what we can see looks clean and tidy.

As for the underside, it has the usual rusty screws and fasteners but is otherwise unremarkable, which is exactly what you want to hear when you’re considering buying a car as complex and as quick as this. 

The good news continues because the Audi’s MoT, which is valid until November 2026, was issued with no advisories, so that’s another big tick.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it still has both keys. Two more ticks, then. 

And the history file includes the Audi wallet and book pack, a printout of the car’s service history, and a good quantity of invoices. No issues here either, then. 

With 429bhp and 664lb.ft of torque, Quattro all-wheel-drive, and an eight-speed auto ‘box, and an NCAP 5* safety rating, we very much doubt it is possible to go faster, harder, or safer than in an SQ7.

Built like the proverbial and a technological tour de force, we suspect the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £17,000 and £22,000 – but as it is being offered with no reserve, it’ll be going to a new home after the first bid has been placed.

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