For about twenty years, Audi’s flagship SUV was the Q7, and more recently its coupe-styled sibling, the Q8. That changes in 2027, as the Ingolstadt firm launches an all-new SUV, the Q9, along with its sporty variant, the SQ9. You’ve probably already guessed, just from the name, that it sits at the very top of Audi’s lineup. But it’s more than that. With a length of 5.31 metres and a wheelbase of 3.14 metres, it simply becomes the largest vehicle Audi has ever built.
No meaningful electrification on the menu
A good old-fashioned V8 powers the SQ9
Audi is clearly aiming this product at the North American market
We had the chance to examine this model up close a few months ago, ahead of the first test drives planned later this fall. Here’s a full rundown of what this new flagship from Audi has in store.
Some boldness, finally
When it comes to design, Audi has always been the most conservative of the German brands. Given the kind of risks taken elsewhere, it’s hard to hold that against the company. With the Q9, though, it dares a little more than usual, and the result is a vehicle with a genuinely strong signature. It’s recognizable, sure, with the four rings clearly visible up front, but the massive grille commands attention with its vertical bars, a look unusual for the brand. The SQ9 variant is different again, with a grille that looks like it’s housing giant bees, a more pronounced lower front end, and a bolder rear spoiler.
Audi SQ9These Q9s will be hard to miss on the road.
At the rear, the signature is more classic, but very well executed. You can spot the SQ9 by its round, chunkier exhaust tips. What’s genuinely innovative is the lighting signature: a third generation of digital OLED panels that, in a world first, adopt a three-dimensional curve thanks to ultra-thin glass just 0.1 millimeters thick. The outer panel, the largest ever fitted to an Audi, packs 99 segments on its own, compared with 84 in the center and 73 on the inner panel, for a total of 512 segments spread across six panels. The visual effect is striking. The vehicle also looks wider at night, and the light signatures can now be partially active rather than simply static or fully lit.
Another curiosity: the advanced turn signals project a stylized signal directly onto the road surface, a technology that will require other road users to get used to it, but one that could potentially prevent accidents. The lights can even display a hazard-triangle symbol to warn other drivers in the event of an accident or breakdown.
Audi Q9An exit warning system also watches over occupants who might open a door at the wrong moment. And to welcome everyone aboard, a ground projector traces a diamond of light beneath the doors, a nod to the motif established by Audi Sport.
Audi piles on plenty of features in this vein. That’s to be expected from a model tasked with carrying the company’s image high and proud.
A reimagined, and impressive, cabin
The Q9 leans on space as its number one argument. Offered in six- or seven-seat configurations, the model finally delivers a third row that can actually fit adults, a feat made possible by the long wheelbase. In the seven-seat layout, the second row splits 35/30/35. The six-seat configuration adds two captain’s chairs in the second row instead, heated and ventilated, naturally. To make it easier to reach the third row, the outer second-row seat slides and tilts forward electrically without needing to be folded down, so you don’t have to unclip a child seat every time. Everything can be controlled from the MMI infotainment system, a button on the door, or even from the trunk.
The big novelty here is doors that open and close electrically. Yes, you can trigger them remotely, say, as you approach the vehicle with your arms full of bags. Yes, an obstacle-detection system stops them from opening if someone is nearby, or if a cyclist is approaching. They’ve thought of everything, we’re told.
Needless to say, it simplifies getting in and out. It’s an option, thankfully: we’re already a little wary of how it’ll hold up in winter.
The cabin also gets a panoramic sunroof, the largest ever fitted to an Audi product, with a glass surface of more than 1.5 square metres that lets in an impressive amount of light and can be darkened on demand, as needed, thanks to its nine independent segments. A more fully loaded version adds illumination that can shift through about thirty different hues. Once the vehicle is parked, the roof automatically turns opaque to preserve the occupants’ privacy, as if the Q9 were lowering its own blinds.
The materials, for their part, favour restraint over ostentation, with wood trim, fabrics (including alpaca wool), Nappa leather, and matte surfaces that resist fingerprints. The front seats, heated and ventilated as standard, can also offer massage, while the ambient lighting now extends into the headrests of the sport seats, a signature visible even from outside the car.
The Bang & Olufsen sound system, with its 22 speakers and 1,360 watts, adds a physical dimension to the sound thanks to actuators built into the front seats, so you can feel the music as much as hear it. The trunk, fitted with an aluminum rail-and-hook system, promises efficient cargo organization no matter the rear-seat configuration, with the bonus of fast USB-C ports at every row and dual wireless charging in the centre console.
In short, it’s handsome, upscale, and well executed.
Technology everywhere you look
As befits a model of this stature, the Q9 runs on technology, and not just on the styling front. On the safety side, it stacks up the driver-assistance features: blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera, automated parking assist, and even trailer maneuvering assist that takes over steering duties. The new emergency assist function goes even further. If it detects the driver is no longer responding, it attempts to guide the vehicle to the shoulder before bringing it to a complete stop, while also triggering the hazard lights and placing an emergency call.
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Lane departure warning, meanwhile, now comes in two intensities: a subtle mode that offers just a light vibration, and a normal mode that actively corrects the vehicle’s trajectory.
Inside, the infotainment display combines a 12.3-inch surface for driving information with a 14.5-inch central touchscreen in a single curved presentation, complemented by a passenger display that switches to privacy mode as soon as the vehicle is moving. The operating system, built on Android Automotive, provides access to an integrated app store, with no smartphone required. The voice assistant can now call on ChatGPT when it can’t find an answer on its own, a handoff that’s invisible to the driver.
Two more traditional engines
The Q9 and SQ9 aren’t exactly of their time. In other words, there’s no electrification to speak of.
Under the hood, we get two distinct turbocharged engines. The Q9 will be powered by a 2.9-litre V6 producing 429 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque. The SQ9, meanwhile, gets a good old-fashioned 4.0-litre V8 between its front wheels. Its 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque will launch the model from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission comes standard with both engines, and quattro all-wheel drive is, of course, part of the package.
Audi SQ9Adaptive air suspension, also standard, automatically adjusts damping and ride height based on speed, load, and driving style, and can lower the ride height in comfort mode to make getting in and out easier. Optionally, four-wheel steering tightens the turning radius in the city and boosts stability on the highway.
The brakes, with 400-millimetre discs up front and 350-millimetre discs at the rear, gripped by fixed six-piston calipers, round out a package that clearly isn’t lacking in ambition. Seven driving modes, managed as needed by an assistant that selects the appropriate one automatically, complete the mechanical picture.
Conclusion
On paper, this model is more than impressive. In person, it impresses too. Style, size, quality, it’s all top-notch work. The final bill will sting, but buyers know what they’re signing up for, and they’ll almost certainly come away satisfied with this model.
What’s left for us to confirm is the driving experience. Let’s say we’re not too worried on that front. Our concerns lie with reliability, an area that remains something of an Achilles’ heel for Audi.
We’ll revisit this model once we’ve had the chance to drive it.
