Is the Audi Q7 Black Optic Package Worth It?
The Audi Q7 black optic package offers some subtle styling refinements. Determining whether it’s valuable boils down to personal preference.
Written by Matt Terzi
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
The Audi Q7 black optic package adds some high-gloss black elements to the luxury SUV’s exterior styling, as well as 20-inch or 21-inch wheels with a stylish ten-spoke design. These additions will set you back an extra $1,750 MSRP.
The 2023 Audi Q7 is one of those rare three-row SUVs that aims to buck the class trend of being boxy, sluggish people-movers that handle and brake like oil tankers. The Audi Q7 55 hustles under the might of a turbocharged V6 that gets you to 60 MPH in under six seconds. It’s not the fastest SUV on the block, but it’s definitely no slouch.
But is the black optic package worthy of its asking price? Let’s take a look at what’s on offer here—and examine a few other packages as well.
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4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversWhat is the Audi Q7 black optic package?
The Audi Q7 black optic package is an optional add-on that offers some aesthetic refinements to the Q7’s exterior styling. It doesn’t provide any performance enhancements, but the high-gloss black knocks out some of the Q7’s chrome and gives it a more aggressive, modern look.
The Audi Q7 black optic package is optional, and it’s only available with the 45 Premium Plus, 55 Premium Plus, and 55 Prestige trim levels. It’s unavailable for the base-level Premium trim.
What’s included
The Audi Q7 black optic package costs $1,750 MSRP, and all of its improvements are aesthetic. In other words, these upgrades enhance the looks of the Q7 but have no impact on performance. You do get one extra inch of tire diameter, but few drivers would be able to notice a difference in handling as a result.
The bodywork gets some glossy black elements—the chrome grille, roof rails, bumpers, window trimming, and door blades all get the high-gloss black treatment. This package includes new wheels, too. The Q7 45 Premium Plus gets 20” ten-spoke wheels, while the Q7 55 Premium Plus and Q7 55 Prestige both get 21” bi-color black wheels.
What it does
The black optic package doesn’t improve the Audi Q7’s performance. All that’s on offer here are some aesthetic upgrades that might only appeal to some drivers. It’s really a matter of what looks best to you as a driver and whether those visual changes are worth $1,750 to you personally.
Other packages offered with the Audi Q7 Premium Plus provide more function than form:
- The executive package adds enhanced front seats, four-zone climate control, heated rear seats, and multicolor LED ambient lighting. This package costs $2,000
- The towing package adds a tow hitch receiver and a seven-pin connector, allowing you to make use of the Q7’s 4,400 lbs. of towing capacity with the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, or a whopping 7,700 lbs. with the V6. This package costs $750
The Audi Q7 55 Prestige has some additional packages that are unavailable with the lower-level trims, not to mention loads of new seating style options and other benefits:
- The laser headlights package provides animated headlights and taillights, a headlight washer system, and HD matrix-design LED headlights that vastly improve visibility without blinding oncoming drivers (well, no more than LED headlights already do). This package costs $1,650
- The luxury package offers some swanky seating swag: a Dinamica headliner, Valcona/ Cricket leather, and ventilation and massage functions for the front seats. This one is the most expensive of the lot at $6,850
- The all-wheel steering package, at $1,500, puts some new motion into the rear wheels, enhancing low-speed maneuvering and high-speed lateral motion. This is the biggest game-changer package for altering the Q7’s performance
MORE: How to pick an Audi car seat
How much is a 2023 Audi Q7 black optic package?
At face value, the black optic package costs $1,750. But if you want these visual stylings, you won’t find them in the base-level Premium trim. You’ll need at least the Q7 45 Premium Plus trim, costing $4,100 more than the 45 Premium trim.
2023 Audi Q7 trim pricing
Audi trim levels are a little confusing at first glance. The first question most shoppers have: what do the “45” and “55” mean?
Simply put, these reference the two available engines you can choose from. The 45 is a turbocharged 2.0-liter (1,984cc) I4 engine producing 261 horsepower. The 55 is a meaner 3.0-liter (2,995cc) V6 engine giving you 335 horsepower.
The three trims—Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige—are where you’ll find all of the other additional features.
Keep in mind, the Audi Q7 black optic package is only available with the Premium Plus and Prestige trims. Let’s take a look at the MSRP pricing of the Q7’s five trim levels. You can click each trim to see
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costs for each one, so you can cross-compare some long-term costs of ownership along with the MSRP purchase cost.Trim | Starting price |
|---|---|
$59,200 | |
$64,800 | |
$63,300 | |
$68,400 | |
$74,400 |
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Is the black optic package worth it?
Given that the Audi Q7 black package is entirely aesthetic, it’s really up to you as the potential owner whether it’s worth your money.
Everyone has their own tastes, so there’s no right or wrong answer here. The black optic package doesn’t affect the car’s handling or performance at all, nor does it enhance the comfort level for the driver or passengers. It’s simply a matter of deciding if you think it looks cool or if you’d prefer the chrome look instead.
The black optic package doesn’t come standard with any trim level. It’s an add-on for the Premium Plus and Prestige trims.
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Premium trim vs. the Premium Plus trim
If the Audi Q7 black optic package is an absolute must-have for you, the Premium trim will be entirely out of contention—this package isn’t available for either the 45 Premium or 55 Premium. That means you’ll be looking at minimally getting the 45 Premium Plus trim.
This package does include a lot of great features. Premium Plus gives you a glorious-sounding Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control with lane guidance, and upgraded LED headlights.
Like the Premium trim, Premium Plus has both powertrains available: the 45 with an I4 engine and the 55 with a V6.
MORE: Vehicle trim level, options, and packages explained
Premium Plus trim vs. the Prestige trim
The Prestige trim is only available with the “55” powertrain, the bigger and more powerful V6 engine. You can get the Audi Q7 black optic package with this trim level as well. The executive package, which is optional with the Premium Plus trim, comes standard with this trim.
The Audi Q7 55 Prestige trim includes an adaptive air suspension—a comfortable rarity in modern cars. You also get a HUD (heads-up display), remote parking assist, and powered doors that close softly.
We all have that one friend or family member who loves slamming car doors. Those power-assisted doors remove that uncomfortable twinge from your eyelids when someone decides closing a car door requires a giant slam.
MORE: What is Ford’s best midsize SUV?
The bottom line
Whether the Audi Q7’s black optic package is worth the money is a matter of personal taste more than anything. If you think the visual enhancements this package provides are worth spending the extra $1,750, go for it!
Most of this cost is going into the wheels. Most drivers won’t notice a big gap in performance from the additional one-inch in tire diameter between the standard wheels and the black optic package ones. So it’s ultimately a question of whether you like the looks of this package.
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