The Highlander Limited's optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Q7 doesn't offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Q7 doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander Limited offers optional Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it's stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Q7 doesn't offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you're involved in an accident and you're incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Highlander and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Toyota Highlander is safer than the Q7:

Toyota's powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 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.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q7.

There are almost 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2015 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 9th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 16th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2015 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota third in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 14th.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Highlander stops shorter than the Q7:

The Highlander's front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the Q7's (55.3% to 44.7%). This gives the Highlander more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander's turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Q7's (38.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 800 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The Highlander is 8.5 inches shorter than the Q7, making the Highlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The Highlander has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room and 5.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander's middle and third row seats recline. The Q7's third row seats don't recline.

The Highlander's cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

The Highlander's optional rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Q7's rear cargo window doesn't open.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander 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 Highlander is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn't offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Toyota Highlander has won recognition from these important consumer publications: