Audi finally has a new flagship SUV! It’s the all-new and first-ever 2027 Audi Q9 and SQ9 high-performance models. We get hands one with both of these luxurious three-row SUVs. Audi takes it to the next level with these high powered family haulers. Let’s dig in.
2027 Audi Q9 details
Audi is last to this party, but they brought their best. The new Q9 is about 10 inches longer than the current Q7. It also has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Q7. All of this translates to a spacious three-row interior that can seat up to seven people. You can opt for a six person version that has two captain chairs in the second row.
The Q9 has a wheelbase of 123.5 inches. This is nearly three inches longer than that of the standard Cadillac Escalade. This wheelbase is also longer than the BMW X7 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS. This translates to a spacious cabin with up to 41 inches of second-row legroom, and at least 29 inches of third-row legroom. The Q9 is about 17.5 feet long, so it can still fit into most standard or smaller garage spaces.
The Q9 is powered by a new 2.9L twin-turbo V6 engine that is rated at 429 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm and 442 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000 rpm. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s latest RWD-biased Quattro AWD system. The power number may not sound huge, but Audi says the base Q9 will do a 0-60 MPH in 4.9 seconds. This is best in class for internal combustion luxury three-row SUVs with base engines.
The Q9’s self opening doors make egress easier. The system can be configured to it opens all four doors at a push of one button, or it can open just one door as you wish. The doors have obstacle detection technology, so they won’t open all the way or open at all if they detect an object or a person in the way. Naturally, you can still push or pull the doors manually via a traditional exterior door handle.
The Q9 features Audi’s Digital Adaptive Matrix LED headlights. After years of going without, these are finally coming to the United States market. These can dim certain areas of the headlight beam to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. These lights eliminate the need for low-beam versus high-beam settings. The light adjusts all the time to best suit the environment. In the back, the Q9 uses a new 3rd-generation curved OLED tail lights. This is a world first for a production car. These lights improve visibility and brightness of the tail light from a variety of angles. The Q9 also projects its turn signal onto the ground to improve visibility.
Once you get inside, you are greeted by a well-appointed and crafted interior design. The dashboard is dominated by screens, but there is still a traditional push button to start/stop the engine. The center console offers properly sized cup holders for larger drinks and bottles. There are two mag-safe wireless charger pads.
The Q9 features a 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen 4D stereo system with up to 1,360 Watts of power. The fourth dimension comes in the form of vibrating seats that amplify the bass sensation. The interior LED lights can also be synchronized to the music. The goal is to make you feel like you are at a concert venue.
There are also illuminated seatbelt buckles, so you can easily find them in the dark. Up top is the largest dimmable panoramic roof that Audi has ever produced. They it’s 16 sq-ft of glass surface.
The Q9 has an adjustable air suspension that has up to 3.5-inches of height adjustment. The car can kneel down for entry, or it can raise up to 10 inches of maximum ground clearance. It’s not meant to do difficult off-road trails, but it does have an off-road driving mode.
The Q9 offers 19.3 cu-ft of cargo volume behind the third row, 50.0 cu-ft behind the second row, and up to 87.7 cu-ft of space behind the first row. This is less volume that you may find inside an Escalade, but it’s more than inside an X7.
The Q9 can be ordered starting tomorrow and the pricing starts at $89,095 including the $1,395 destination charge.
More on the 2027 Audi SQ9
If you are looking for more performance from your large SUV, you can take a look at the new SQ9. The main difference is that it’s powered by a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 with 591 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 590 lb-ft @ 2,400 rpm. It’s also mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, but the gear ratios and the final drive are a bit different from the Q9 powertrain. Once again, this power output down not seem super impressive. However, Audi says this V8 and its Quattro AWD system can propel this SUV 0-60 MPH is 3.8 seconds. This is quicker than many more powerful and more expensive SUVs in the class.
The SQ9 is a bit wider than the Q9. You can see that in the wider fender flares and wide tires. The SQ9 uses a staggered tire size setup. The rear tires are wider than the front. If you select the 23-inch wheels you also get rear tires with a 315 cross section. These wide tires offer the grip needed to get those quick acceleration times.
The handling is helped by a height-adjustable suspension and the Quattro AWD system with side-to-side torque vectoring and adaptive front to rear torque split. It’s a RWD-biased system, but it can quickly shift where it’s sending the power. There is also a rear-wheel-steering system with up to 5 degrees of steering. The SQ9 is meant to be more nimble and have a tighter turning radius than the Q9.
All this comes at a starting price of $119,395, including destination. The top of the line BMW XB7 Alpina has a starting price of $156,000. The Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 has a starting price of $151,000. The SQ9 has a quicker stated 0-60 mph acceleration than both of those.
