The Q7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The TX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
Both the Q7 and TX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The TX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Audi Q7 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lexus TX has not been tested.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the TX.
Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The TX doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.
A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q7 helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The TX doesn’t offer a night vision system.
The Audi Q7’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lexus TX does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the Q7 and the TX 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Audi Q7 is safer than the Lexus TX:
|
|
Q7 |
TX |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
99 |
218 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
25% |
39.3% |
| Neck Stress |
186 lbs. |
355 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
61/46 lbs. |
331/316 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
102 |
356 |
| Neck Stress |
118 lbs. |
199 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
38 lbs. |
60 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
46/29 lbs. |
384/277 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 Audi Q7 is safer than the TX:
|
|
Q7 |
TX |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
| Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
5 cm |
| Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
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 Audi Q7 is safer than the Lexus TX:
|
|
Q7 |
TX |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
17 inches |
| HIC |
290 |
344 |
| Spine Acceleration |
40 G’s |
48 G’s |
| Hip Force |
557 lbs. |
823 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Q7 is 1.2% to 1.7% less likely to roll over than the TX.
The Audi Q7 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The TX is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.