New Audi Q9 previewed: range-topping SUV to offer high-tech interior
New Audi Q9 will offer up to seven seats and will take over from the A8 as the brand's flagship model...
On sale Late 2026 | Price from £95,000 (est)
Being the flagship of a car company’s line-up is a tough gig, so in a way you’ve got to feel for the new Audi Q9. It’s designed to be the largest and most luxurious car Audi has ever made, and will count the BMW X7, Mercedes GLS and Range Rover among its key rivals. To attract top-end clientele, then, the new Q9 needs to be epic in every sense.
So far, Audi has only revealed the Q9’s interior, but the new features start on the outside, because for the first time in any Audi, the doors all open electrically. You can do that with the infotainment screen, your smartphone, or with dedicated buttons inside the car, as well as the door handles. If you’re parked in a tight space, sensors around the door will stop it from hitting what’s next to you, and that same function also helps to protect cyclists.
Most Q7s will come with seven seats as standard, with the front seats being heated, ventilated and having massaging functions built in. If you’ve got a particularly large brood to transport, then five child car seats can be fitted inside the Q7, including two in the rearmost row.
If you want a more exclusive, luxurious layout, you can optionally have the Q9 with six individual seats.
We’ve already sat inside the new Q9, and were impressed with how light and spacious it felt in the second row. Much of that light comes courtesy of an enormous 1.5-square-metre panoramic roof, which can be darkened electronically in nine segments. That means, for example, that you can enjoy the sunshine in the front, while the kids are protected with shade in the back.
When the Q9 is parked up, the roof automatically turns opaque to stop people from peering inside. And if you go for a top-end version, 84 LED lights bathe the roof in one of 30 colours, matching the ambient lighting elsewhere in the car.
If you choose the Bang & Olufsen stereo, the lights all around the car interact with your music for what Audi calls a 4D experience. That means the lighting changes depending on your music, or to match the cover art of the album you’re listening to.
The Q9’s infotainment setup looks to be the same as what you get in the smaller Q5. In that car, you get digital instruments alongside a 14.9in touchscreen and – optionally – a third 10.9in screen for the front passenger to use. The Q9’s setup was quick to respond to our inputs and featured swish graphics.
Elsewhere, there are two wireless charging pads and eight USB-C charging ports dotted around the car to keep your devices topped up.
We were impressed with the feeling of quality inside the Q9, which features far less of the glossy black plastic we’ve become used to seeing in new cars. Instead, you’ll find textured plastics, wood and fibres, which feel luxurious to touch.
From the middle row, the Q9 feels practically palatial, with just as much room as you’d find in the BMW X7. And while the X7 feels like it has the edge when it comes to third-row space, we dare say that a couple of average-sized adults should be comfortable in the Q9’s rearmost seats.
Audi has yet to reveal just how big the Q9’s boot is, but we suspect that your holiday luggage shouldn’t be any trouble. The Q9 features handy rails on the inside of the boot to secure your cargo to the walls, meaning you can make the most of the available space.
The Audi Q9 will go on sale later this year with a price that’s expected to start from around £95,000, putting it into direct competition with the BMW X7.
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