Two things came to mind when I first saw the Audi Q9 in pictures a few months ago. The first was – don’t they already have a large, three-row SUV – the Q7 – and didn’t it just get larger in its latest third generation? And the second, follow-up thought was – the Q9 doesn’t look much bigger than the Q7. Turns out I was right on the first count, but oh so wrong on the second.
Yes, though not the first three-row luxury SUV in India, the Q7 is the one that really popularised the segment when it was launched way back in 2006, becoming the darling of film and sports stars alike. It was the biggest SUV around for a while, but in its second generation in 2015, it actually became smaller, while newer rivals like the second-gen Mercedes GLS grew larger, effectively creating an all-new segment.
While there is a new Q7 too, Audi has chosen to keep it in the lower segment and launch the Q9 as its larger, full-size SUV offering, and we’ve come to Utah in the USA to drive it ahead of its India launch next year.
2027 Audi Q9 Exterior Design and Engineering –
Which brings me onto my mistake. The new, third-gen Q7 may be larger than its predecessor, but just one look at the Q9 – even on its own – and it’s immediately apparent this belongs cleanly in a segment above. A 5,310mm long with a 3,137mm wheelbase, it is larger than its rivals from Mercedes, BMW and even Range Rover, though it’s not quite as tall. Moreover, it’s a full 251mm longer than the new Q7 with a 142mm longer wheelbase. If you want a more tangible statistic, boot space behind the third row is 280 litres, and goes up to 700 litres with it folded, which is 70 and 119 litres, respectively, more than the Q7. As we’ve come to expect in European cars of this type, however, there’s no spare tyre.
The Q9 wears its size with pride and the presence it has on the road is undoubtedly going to be one of its selling points. The grille is a huge contributing factor, stretching almost the entire height and width of the front end and featuring tall, thin illuminated vertical slats. These, combined with the slim LED running lamps mounted high in the bonnet make for an imposing sight in your rear-view mirror. Wheel sizes go from 20 to 23 inches, but the 22s seen here seem to feature the best rim-to-rubber ratio for a car this big.
Smaller Audi SUVs tend to have slightly sloping rear windscreens, but not this one, which is bolt upright. The tailgate surface is wide, accentuated by a light bar floating below the horizontally oriented tail-lamps. These are curved OLED units that can display a variety of patterns, including flashing warning symbols to approaching cars in the event of danger. Overall, it’s an imposing SUV that is simultaneously recognisable as an Audi but distinct from the rest of the range.
It shares its PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) architecture with other new Audis like the A5, Q5 and Q7, and it uses a longitudinally mounted engine powering all four wheels via an 8-speed torque-converter automatic. What’s new is an updated version of the classic Torsen-differential-based ‘Quattro’ AWD system, designed for quicker responses and transitions from acceleration to deceleration and vice versa. Air suspension is standard, and rear-axle steering is an option we would recommend ticking.
2027 Audi Q9 Interior Space and Comfort –
With all that size comes a lot of cabin space, and Audi seems to have focused maximum attention on the middle row, which bodes well for our market. The Q9 will come with a bench seat as standard, and these captain’s chairs as an option, though it remains to be seen if Audi will offer both in India. Your first clue to the space is the huge rear door and with it a huge rear window that, thankfully, comes with a powered blind. The chairs are four-way powered with a wide range of movement, as well as being heated. Leg room is so vast, it’s unlikely you’ll ever have the seat pushed all the way back.
More light still enters via the largest sunroof ever fitted to an Audi, which stretches right from the front sun visors past the second row. It’s openable and features ambient lighting elements inside, as well as segmented electrochromic darkening, as is the trend these days. However, Audi has eliminated the roller blind entirely, citing greater headroom as the reason, stating that the UV-protection tinted glass will suffice in keeping the cabin cool. We’ll have to see how it stands up to an Indian summer though.
Power-folding the second row takes ages, so it’s easier to hop between the captain’s chairs to the third row, where you’ll find space is merely adequate, considering the Q9’s size. It’s best for two kids, and then too, you’d have to push the middle row quite far forward. You’re sat low down and upright, with little room to tuck your feet, so this is a seat is for short trips only.
The Q9 sets itself apart well from its lesser brethren in terms of perceived quality, which is prominently on display at the front of the cabin. Most of the gloss black plastic is replaced by wood veneer – in this case a light brown open-pore finish – and much of the dull grey plastic is now wrapped in contrast-stitched leather. Ambient lighting peeks out from patterns etched into the door cards as well as the seats, and the fabric-wrapped Bang & Olufsen speakers form part of the trim too. It’s not flashy, but instead understated and high on quality.
It’s not perfect, however, as the screens still sit in their oddly shaped gloss black binnacles with thick bezels and the AC vents tucked in the corners have to be adjusted via the touchscreen, as does the temperature and fan speed. Audi has, however, put back a few hard buttons, notably on the steering wheel and for the mirror, door locks and headlamp controls.
2027 Audi Q9 Features and Safety –
As you might expect of the brand’s flagship offering, the features list is long. Much is centred, of course, around the 12.3-inch driver and front passenger screens and the 14.5-inch screen between them, all of which function incredibly slickly. Menus, though numerous, are logically laid out, and while the driver’s display may at first seem too slim, you’ll soon realise the black strip at the bottom is not the bezel but more screen with some vital info; it just doesn’t ‘animate’ with the rest of the graphics. Special mention to the heads-up display, which is clear and full of essential info.
All four doors are now servo-assisted, and can be power-closed via a button, or for the driver, simply by pressing the brake pedal. Dual wireless chargers are now conveniently placed at the top of the centre console, where your phone sits on a raised magnetic platform that holds it in place and aids cooling. The 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is now a 4D system with exciters in the front seats (which are heated, ventilated and massaging) and speakers in the headrests. However, for all its space, the second row feels neglected on features, with no wireless charging, rear entertainment system, remote controller, seat ventilation or other features that rivals offer. Hopefully this is something Audi can address later.
The Q9 features ADAS with Level 2.5 autonomous driving, which includes the ability to change lanes on highways in markets where it’s legal. All in all, it’s well equipped but offers nothing its rivals haven’t already offered for the past few years. Except one simple but incredibly effective safety feature – turn signals projected onto the road, that effectively lets others see your indication even if your car is hidden by a larger vehicle.
2027 Audi Q9 Performance and Refinement –
In Europe, the Q9 was launched with a 299hp 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, but as we’re driving the SUV in the USA – which will be its biggest market with a projected 65% of the global sales volume – we’re sampling a petrol V6 instead. Just as well, as a petrol V6 is what we’ll get in India too, but while ours will be the 367hp, 500Nm 3.0-litre unit already in the Q7 and Q8, the one we’re driving is the more potent 2.9-litre twin-turbo version that pushes out 429hp and 600Nm. Yes, the one from the RS5 and Porsche Panamera.
Where we’re familiar with the strong but silent 3.0, the 2.9’s added potency makes itself felt almost immediately. For one, it has a nice growl to it from early on that encourages you to rev it out, but it’s not to the point of being unrefined; it sounds quite nice actually. You’re thankful for the 600Nm when you have this much mass to move, but you do have to work for it, which is fun in a racy engine like this.
As always, the hidden star of the show is the ZF 8-speed torque converter automatic, which quietly brings the best out this or any engine. It shifts seamlessly in the background and almost knows when you’ll need power next and exactly how much. In conjunction with the updated Quattro system, power is meted out efficiently, and it’s only when you kick down hard that you’ll feel some delay from the gearbox before it gets into its stride.
2027 Audi Q9 Mileage and Efficiency –
We are so early to drive the Q9 that it hasn’t yet gotten certification from WLTP or the EPA for fuel economy. However, given its size and the fact it uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol V6, you can expect mileage to be in the middling single digits. In our experience with this engine in the Q7 and Q8, it was hard to get the mileage past 7-8kpl in the city, although mild-hybrid and engine stop-start tech did help quite a bit. Expect similar, or slightly less, from the Q9 when it comes to India.
2027 Audi Q9 Ride Comfort and Handling –
The Q9 drives as you might expect an SUV this large to, but there are some pleasant surprises. For one, the steering is not over-assisted as is the case in some large vehicles, and instead has a reassuring heft that gives confidence at both low and high speeds. This is balanced out by a sharpness and responsiveness at the centre position that offsets any added effort, and of course by up to five degrees of rear-axle steering which dramatically improves manoeuvrability. In a smaller vehicle, it would probably feel rather sporty.
The air suspension, too, could have been set up to be soft and floaty in a vehicle this big, but instead, they’ve opted for a more controlled tune that keeps pitch and roll down to a minimum. What’s impressive is that it does this without any active roll suppression system, which rivals do offer in overseas markets; it simply has conventional mechanical anti-roll bars.
Ride quality is impressive, at least here on the largely smooth tarmac roads in the USA, and that’s on the 22-inch wheel size. Audi has often opted for a smaller size in India in the interest of ride comfort, and along with a specific local suspension tune has delivered arguably the best ride quality in every segment its cars operate in. So it will be interesting to see what the final setup for our market ends up being.
2027 Audi Q9 expected prices and verdict –
With the India-EU FTA kicking in next year and with it hugely reduced duties on ICE vehicles, it sounds like it would make sense for a vehicle of this segment and volumes to be brought in as a CBU, but Audi is keen on committing to local assembly, as it does for most of its models. This could also include assembly the 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine, which is currently imported, and doing this would benefit other higher-volume models like the Q7. This shows that the brand is serious about volumes and doesn’t want to rely on fluctuating currencies to determine its pricing. Would be fun if they could bring in a few of those V6 diesels as imports though.
The V6 petrol we will get is a solid unit, though, being refined as well as powerful enough. And it will be paired with a capable chassis to make for great long-distance cruising or comfy commuting alike. That said, a bit more TLC in the back seat would go a long way. The option of captain’s chairs is nice, but creature comforts like seat ventilation and a rear control panel would certainly enhance the proposition.
If Audi is able to localise it considerably, pricing could be competitive, and we expect it to land in the Rs 1.4-1.5 crore region, which is right where its main rivals operate. The Q9 was long overdue in Audi’s portfolio, and feels like a confident step back into the large SUV segment. While the Q7 name will still hold a lot of reverence in our market, we feel the Q9 – with its imposing dimensions and extroverted illuminated grille – will win back the Bollywood set that was once enamoured by the original Q7.
