Purpose-built three-row European luxury SUVs thrust themselves into the American car market in the 2000s with the likes of the Volvo XC90 , Land Rover LR3 , and Mercedes-Benz GL, but one stood out from the crowd as the most stylish and car-like three-row SUV of all: Audi's svelte Q7 . Though it was never known for being the roomiest or most off-road capable vehicle in its segment, its posh looks and sporting approach to the three-row SUV recipe was well received by car reviewers and buyers alike.
๐ The Core Development
Fast forward 20 years, though, and the Audi Q7 has only been redesigned one time since its 2007 introduction. That second-generation model is now a decade old and falls squarely on the smaller end of its class. Audi is changing that for 2027, yes with a larger Q7 that I'll be reviewing soon, but it's also unleashing an new, even larger SUV that becomes Audi's new flagship: the 2027 Q9 .
The properly big Audi Q9 and its performance-minded SQ9 sibling are here to offer true three-row comfort for up to seven occupants and all their stuff, designed with the American market in mind. From a quick first impression, I think Audi has a big winner on its hands, which is a good thing because the automaker and its profit-starved Volkswagen AG corporate overlords could really use a win right now.
๐ Background & Sector Context
Full disclosure: Audi wanted me to get some seat time with its new Q9 and SQ9 so badly it flew me out to St. George, Utah, put me up in a swanky golf resort, and kept me fed and beveraged for a few days.
Audi flew my colleague Andy out to Germany this summer to preview the finally redesigned third-generation Audi Q7 as well as the new Q9, and he did a great job of covering the minutiae of the new platform and its offerings , but I'll give a surface-level overview here for you. Compared to the 2027 Audi Q7, the Q9 is, well, bigger. The Q9 is 9.9 inches longer at an overall length of 209 inches, it has a 5.6-inch-longer wheelbase at a limo-like 123.5 inches, and it sits 0.2 inches taller at 71.4 inches. The SQ9's body is 1.2-inches wider than the standard Q9, though its overall width is the same 86.8 inches including side mirrors.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
The Q9 may be bigger, but it shares its drivetrains with the new Q7. That means the standard engine is a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 that sends 429 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels via a standard Quattro system. If you're a sick and demented person who thinks that's not enough power for your three-row SUV, we should be friends, but more to the point, the SQ9 abides. It's hiding a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 under its hood that sends 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque through the same transmission to a new Quattro system that has an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive clutch and rear differential lock that's designed to enable higher angles of oversteer, since that's what matters most in a three-row SUV.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Audi hosted the Q9 first drive event in St. George, Utah, which sits just outside the boundaries of what we call Zion National Park, though Indigenous tribes knew the region as a sacred place called Mukuntuweap for thousands of years before Mormon colonizers arrived and renamed it Zion. This was my first time in Utah, and the nature nut in me has always wanted to visit the region to explore it and take in its distinctive geography, so I was stoked to do just that on this trip โ I even touched a couple buttes. I felt infinitely privileged to witness and explore the region's striking sights and its towering triumphs of nature, even when that involved sitting stationary in an hour-long traffic jam in the park.
At least while we were stuck in traffic my test Q9 was a particularly posh chariot for me and my co-driver, from the extensive adjustments and excellent massage function of the front sports seats to the utterly gigantic electrochromic sunroof that in my car had an ambient light design integrated into it. (That last feature will be delayed on production cars, but don't fret, as I found it to be totally excessive and unnecessary anyway.) The fourth D in the 4D Bang & Olufsen audio system came courtesy of subtle seat bottom vibrations that mirrored the bass line of whatever was playing on the stereo, and again, I found it totally excessive and unnecessary. The sound quality was great, though!
