Compare the2025 Mazda CX-90VS 2025 Audi Q7

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Mazda CX-90 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q7 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Smart Brake Support, the Mazda CX-90 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q7, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	CX-90	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	2 sec

Both the CX-90 and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-90 is safer than the Audi Q7:

	CX-90	Q7
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	42.3%	44%
Neck Stress	96 lbs.	118 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Mazda CX-90 is safer than the Q7:

	CX-90	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	68	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	22 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.4/.34	.57/.7

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-90 is safer than the Audi Q7:

	CX-90	Q7
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	40 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-90 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 76 percent more Mazda dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CX-90’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 1 place higher in reliability than Audi.

Engine

The CX-90 has more powerful engines than the Q7:

	Horsepower	Torque
CX-90 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	280 HP	332 lbs.-ft.
CX-90 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	323 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
CX-90 Turbo S 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	340 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
Q7 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	261 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
Q7 55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid	335 HP	369 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Q7:

			MPGe
CX-90
	AWD	PHEV Electric Motor	53 city/61 hwy
Q7
			MPG
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/26 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the CX-90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Q7:

			MPG
CX-90
	AWD	3.3 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/28 hwy
		Turbo S 3.3 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/28 hwy
		2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/27 hwy
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/26 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy

The CX-90 PHEV can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The Q7 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Mazda CX-90 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on CX-90 PHEV for maximum performance). The Q7 55 TFSI requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mazda CX-90 higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Audi Q7 (4). This means the CX-90 produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-90 stops shorter than the Q7:

	CX-90	Q7
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-90 has larger standard tires than the Q7 (265/55R19 vs. 255/55R19).

The CX-90 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-90’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Q7 (122.8 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better maneuverability, the CX-90’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Q7’s (38.1 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Mazda CX-90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

Passenger Space

The CX-90 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The CX-90 has .5 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more third row headroom, 1.2 inches more third row legroom and 3.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-90’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

	CX-90	Q7
Behind Third Seat	14.9 cubic feet	13.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	40 cubic feet	35.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	74.2 cubic feet	68.1 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-90 easier. The CX-90’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 31 inches, while the Q7’s liftover is 32.5 inches.

The CX-90’s cargo area is larger than the Q7’s in almost every dimension:

	CX-90	Q7
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	96”	19.5”/44.7”/80.7”
Max Width	49.8”	52.5”
Min Width	43.7”	42.6”
Height	30.4”	30”

Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the CX-90 uses the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CX-90 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Q7’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-90 Turbo S’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The CX-90 Premium Plus/Turbo S has standard front air conditioned seats and the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Q7 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The CX-90 Premium Plus has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

The Mazda CX-90 outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by almost three to one during 2024.

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