“Unapologetically high-status” SUV will rival BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS, while forming basis of Porsche’s ‘K1’
Audi has revealed the huge Q9 SUV as an indirect replacement for its A8 luxury saloon flagship – and its long-awaited rival to the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS.
Described by the brand as “unapologetically high-status”, it has been developed primarily for the North American and Middle Eastern markets – hence its mammoth proportions.
It measures 5.3m long, 2.2m wide and 1.8m tall, making it bigger than both of its German rivals and one of the largest cars to be sold in the UK – where it will struggle to fit through many urban width restrictors.
The Q9 will be offered with a choice of two interiors: a standard seven-seat configuration and a six-seat set-up that has two individual chairs in the second row.
The Q9’s doors open and close automatically as you approach the car. They can also be controlled through the interior screen or via the Audi app and contain sensors to prevent them from opening into the path of a passing vehicle or cyclist.
Up front, the Q9 has a three-screen dashboard familiar from the A6 and Q7, with an 11.9in instrument panel, a 14.5in curved infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3in passenger’s touchscreen.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the digital-heavy interior exemplifies a new approach to Audi’s ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ethos and its cars will “increasingly be defined by the in-car experience”. He added that the Q9 shows “where we are taking the Audi brand” as it moves further upmarket.
But it also brings low-tech solutions to appeal to its target markets: the cupholders have been designed to fit a one-litre water bottle, as has become the trend in the US.
Notably, the Q9 is the penultimate new model to feature Audi’s current design language. This is being phased out in favour of new design chief Massimo Frascella’s minimalist ‘Radical Next’ ethos, beginning with the Nuvolari supercar. The A2 electric supermini is set to be the final production car to be launched before the switch.
The hulking Q9 is based on the Premium Platform Combustion, which was previously employed by the A6 and Q7. This mounts the engine longitudinally, allowing for the use of a traditional Torsen differential for permanent four-wheel drive, rather than the clutch-pack system found in smaller models.
Initially the Q9 will be offered in two states of tune with the mildly hybridised 3.0-litre diesel V6 that also powers the A6 and new Q7. The entry grade puts out 241bhp and 369lb ft, but it can also be had with 295bhp and 465lb ft. Both are matched with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox, which channels power to all four wheels.
The line-up is expected to be expanded in due course. A lower-emission plug-in hybrid powertrain would make the Q9 more attractive to business users in Europe and the UK. Meanwhile, a performance-focused SQ9 derivative could use the 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 from the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne – all models that perform well in the Q9’s target markets.
The Q9 is due in UK showrooms at around the end of the year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed but will almost certainly begin well above £100,000, given the outgoing Q8 can be specced up to nearly £120,000 as it is.
The Q9 will form the basis of Porsche’s upcoming flagship SUV, known internally as the ‘K1’. The K1 is set to arrive in the UK in 2028, also with a range of seating layouts.
