For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chrysler Pacifica doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.
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 Pacifica doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
Both the Q7 and Pacifica 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 Pacifica’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 Chrysler Pacifica has not been tested.
The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the Pacifica.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q7’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Pacifica doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.
Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has standard Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. Emergency Vehicle Alert System costs extra on the Pacifica.
The Audi Q7’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Chrysler Pacifica does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the Q7 and Pacifica have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q7 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Pacifica’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.
The Q7’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Q7 and the Pacifica 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Q7 is much safer than the Pacifica:
|
Q7 |
Pacifica |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Chest Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Thigh/hip Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Thigh Forces L/R |
22/45 pounds |
180/292 pounds |
Leg/foot Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Thigh Forces L/R |
22/45 pounds |
180/292 pounds |
Leg Forces L/R |
315/202 pounds |
472/742 pounds |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Rear Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Chest Rating |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Thigh Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Restraints |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Chrysler Pacifica:
|
Q7 |
Pacifica |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.8 inches |
1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
128 lbs. |
149 lbs. |
Hip Force |
350 lbs. |
395 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
290 |
293 |
Spine Acceleration |
40 G’s |
50 G’s |
Hip Force |
557 lbs. |
616 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Pacifica:
|
Q7 |
Pacifica |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
86 |
167 |
Neck Tension |
223 lbs. |
335 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Torso Max Deflection |
.94 in |
1.26 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
5 MPH |
5 MPH |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
40 |
83 |
Neck Tension |
89 lbs. |
112 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
45 lbs. |
67 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.43 in |
1.1 in |
Shoulder Force |
134 lbs. |
424 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.97 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
9 MPH |
12 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
POOR |
Pelvis Force |
803 lbs. |
1450 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
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 Pacifica is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.