2027
Audi Q9

Take the redesigned Q7, select the “constrain proportion” tool, and increase its size by about 7 percent, and you have the new Q9. That’s how similar the SUVs look. There are subtle differences between the two SUVs, such as the position of some of the secondary lighting, the treatments for Audi’s “Singleframe” grille, and how the rear license plate is in the Q9’s bumper compared with the tailgate on the Q7.

Like the Q7, the Q9 has slim digital daytime running lights and larger pods for the adaptive driving beam headlights. Large air intakes are behind and below the single-frame grille.

In profile, the windowline is nearly identical to that of the Q7, just a bit longer and taller, with a squarer-looking third window at the rear. Large fender flares, sculpted sheet metal on the doors and lower trim, and defined wheel arches also stand out. Again, like the Q7, the Q9’s rear roof pillar and rear window are upright to better accommodate third-row passengers.

Standard equipment includes aluminum roof rails and window surrounds, a roof spoiler, exterior mirror housings, body-color bumpers, a standard 16-square-foot panoramic sunroof that can open fully or tilt for venting, and 20-inch wheels with standard all-season run-flat tires. There are packages for the exterior, and wheel choices range from 21 to 23 inches. The 21- and 22-inch wheels come with all-season tires, while the 23-inch wheels come fitted with summer performance tires. The Q9 also comes standard with an adaptive air suspension that automatically adjusts to speed, load, and driving conditions, and can also be manually adjusted by the driver.

The SQ9 is differentiated by front and rear bumpers, a unique grille, and aluminum-look window surrounds and mirror housings. It comes standard with staggered-width 22-inch wheels and all-season tires, an adaptive air suspension system, rear-wheel steering, and S-model-specific quad exhaust openings. The standard adaptive air suspension has 3.5 inches of range adjustment between the highest and lowest settings. The S sport package adds different suspension tuning and red brake calipers, while two other packages add 23-inch wheels with summer performance tires.

Much of the Q9’s interior has already been shown in the redesigned Q7. Like other new and recently redesigned Audis, the interior is dominated by the large curved screen that encompasses the driver’s gauges (11.9 inches) and the center infotainment system (14.5-inch screen). The operating system is an updated version of Audi’s multimedia interface (MMI) system, with larger, more clearly defined icons and better contrast between the background and text colors. The front-seat passenger gets a standard 12.3-inch screen of their own, allowing them to watch movies or play games. The dynamic privacy mode prevents the driver from seeing this screen while the Q9 is driving.

But Audi has joined the trend of putting airflow control on the center screen. Our testers have found that adjusting the airflow via the screen can range from mostly annoying to outright distracting.

The steering wheel uses pads on either side of the horn/airbag cover for some controls. The controls at each corner of the pads are part of the same pad and must be pressed to engage. The only separation between the “buttons” is small raised lines. And because the controls are on a single plane, they can’t easily be operated by feel. Fortunately, the Q9’s steering wheel gets physical scroll wheels for volume and feature selection rather than touch-sensitive sliders.

The Q9 also gets Audi’s new control pod that sits behind the steering wheel. It incorporates the turn signals, front and rear wipers, high-beam light controls, and gear selector into a single unit. Some elements move up and down, some move forward and backward, and one incorporates a knurled dial.

The center console includes two magnetic wireless phone charging pads under the infotainment screen with targeted airflow for cooling, along with two USB-C ports above. These MagSafe chargers work with newer iPhones that have MagSafe built in, as well as Android phones and older iPhones in MagSafe-compatible cases. With the removal of the gear selector, the center console has fewer controls, and two large cup holders sit under a cover that rotates out of the way.

Seven-passenger models come with a three-person second-row bench seat, while six-passenger models feature two captain’s chairs in place of the bench. Audi says that three child car seats can be installed side by side in the seven-passenger version, and the outer seats can tilt and slide forward even when an unoccupied child seat is installed.

In both configurations, the second row has power operation for sliding fore and aft, and the third-row seatbacks can be individually power-folded. The bench seat backrest can power-fold in a 65/35 split. Manually lowering the center position allows the backrest to fold in a 35/30/35 split, and buttons on the C-pillar or inside the cargo area slide the seats, making it easier for third-row passengers to get into or out of their seats. According to Audi, there are 19.3 cubic feet of storage behind the raised third-row seat. Dropping that row expands cargo room to 50 cubic feet; lowering both rows expands storage room to as much as 87.7 cubic feet.

The panoramic sunroof has switchable transparency and can be fully opened or raised for venting. Because the glass automatically turns opaque when the Q9 is parked, there’s no need for a sunshade.

Finally, occupants enter and exit the Q9 and SQ9 through automatic doors that open up to 90 degrees and incorporate obstacle detection to prevent opening if it detects traffic, pedestrians, or cyclists in the way. The doors can be operated from various control points, including from Audi’s app.

The regular Q9 will go on sale later this year with a 429-hp, 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and driving all four wheels. This is the same powertrain that will come standard on the redesigned Q7. According to Audi, the Q9 will take 4.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph and has an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph.

The SQ9 features a 4.0-liter, 591-hp twin-turbo V8 engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive, which is shared with the forthcoming SQ7. In terms of performance, the SQ9’s top speed is 130 mph with all-season tires and 155 mph with summer tires, and it can run from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

Both SUVs are capable of towing up to 7,700 pounds when properly equipped.

Of note, Audi says that “at launch,” the Q7 will be available with the 2.9-liter engine. This leaves open the possibility that, like the Q7, the Q9 will get the same hybrid engine that the redesigned Volkswagen Atlas will add at that SUV’s midcycle refresh.

Both the Q9 and SQ9 will come standard with a full suite of ADAS features, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, AEB that works at highway speed, reverse AEB, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning (LDW), and lane keeping assistance (LKA).

The LDW system will feature two modes: reduced and normal. Audi says that the reduced mode will alert the driver with a steering-wheel vibration and a visual alert on the gauge screen if they have deviated from their lane. The system will determine whether corrective steering (LKA) is needed depending on the traffic conditions it detects. In normal mode, the system will activate LKA and provide steering corrections, visual warnings, and steering-wheel vibrations when leaving the lane.

Both SUVs will also feature “adaptive cruise assist plus with hands-free highway driving,” which is Audi’s partial automated driving system. The system is standard on the SQ9 and optional on the Q9 Premium Plus and Prestige trims, and lets drivers take their hands off the steering wheel and let the car control steering, acceleration, and braking at highway speeds up to 85 mph. Drivers can have the systems automatically change lanes by using the turn signal in the desired direction. To ensure that the driver is paying attention, a driver-monitoring camera on the steering column tracks eye position and head movement. If the system determines they aren’t paying attention, it will use visual, audible, and haptic warnings. If the driver doesn’t take over, the emergency assist brings the SUV to a controlled stop.

Another standard feature is called exit warning. When the SUV is parked, the system uses sensors in the bumpers to detect approaching vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. If it determines a collision will occur if a door is opened, the system will prevent the door from opening or stop a door that’s already opening. In addition, warnings are displayed on the inside of the door.