Audi’s Biggest SUV Ever Has The World’s Fanciest Taillights And A Glass Roof Bigger Than Your Bed

We’ve already poked virtually around the interior of Audi’s new flagship SUV, but now the whole thing has stepped into the light. Meet the new 2027 Q9, the biggest, poshest and most ambitious SUV Audi has ever built, aimed squarely at buyers who think a Q7 simply doesn’t occupy enough zip code.

And big really does mean big. The Q9 stretches 5,310 mm (209.1 inches) from nose to tail, measures 2,210 mm (87 inches) wide and rides on a 3,140 mm (123.6 inches) wheelbase. Compared with its little brother, it’s 250 mm (9.8 inches) longer, 200 mm (7.9 inches) wider and has an extra 145 mm (5.7 inches) between the axles. Those stats tell us the Q9 is directly targeting the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS, SUVs its never fought directly before.

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You’re unlikely ever to mistake it for the new 2027 Q7 though, even though the two are very closely related. The upright nose is dominated by a huge, distinctive grille treatment with vertical bars and a black surround that spreads outwards like an evil Joker smile.

The rear has its own identity too, with the license plate relocated into the bumper to leave the tailgate looking cleaner. More innovative are the curved digital OLED taillights. Their ultra-thin glass panels follow the bodywork in three dimensions, increasing visibility from the sides while providing Audi’s designers with another excuse to get creative after dark. Insurance companies must be quaking at the repair costs.

It’s All About The Cabin Experience

But the Q9’s real character only emerges on the other side of the four giant doors. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner claims that “in the future ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ will increasingly be defined by the in-car experience – because cars are much more than just a means of transportation.”

The doors are electrically powered and can swing open by as much as 90 degrees, with sensors stopping them before they smack into another car, wall or unfortunate pedestrian. They can even be operated remotely through the myAudi app if your chauffeur is preoccupied.

Seven seats are standard, while an optional six-seat layout swaps the middle bench for a pair of electrically adjustable individual chairs. Even the third row is designed to accommodate adults.

Overhead sits Audi’s largest panoramic sunroof yet, with more than 1.5 square metres (16.1 sq ft) of glass. An optional version can electronically switch transparency across nine sections, while 84 LEDs illuminate it in one of 30 colours. When parked, the glass automatically turns opaque to stop curious passers-by peering inside.

Pulls You Over If You Pass Out

The tech barrage continues with an available 1,360-watt Bang & Olufsen system packing 22 speakers and seat actuators that physically pulse with the music, while headrest speakers can handle calls and navigation prompts without bothering everyone else. And as on the Q7, if the person behind the wheel becomes unresponsive, the emergency system can slow the Q9 and, under the right conditions, steer onto the highway shoulder before stopping and placing an emergency call.

Europe launches with a 295 hp (299 PS) 3.0-litre straight-six diesel assisted by a mild-hybrid system and electric turbochargers, driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. It’s the same engine Audi fits to European Q7s, so we’re expecting the base US-market Q9 to borrow America’s Q7 engine. That’s a 429 hp (435 PS) 2.9-liter petrol V6, though a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 will also be available. In the SQ7 that engine belts out 591 hp (599 PS).

Adaptive air suspension is standard, while rear-wheel steering can turn the back wheels by up to five degrees, which should make this leviathan slightly less terrifying in tight European parking lots. The sheer size of the Q9 is why Audi doesn’t expect to sell many in its home continent. No, it’s been designed squarely with America in mind, and with both the X7 being a few years old now and the GLS making do with a facelift rather than a clean-sheet redesign to keep buyers interested during MY27, the Q9 could really help establish Audi as a proper player in the US luxury car market.

Audi