The new Audi Q9 is a flagship SUV that’s betting big on scale, comfort and technology

A well-timed riposte to the arrival of the Zeekr 9X, this is the newly announced Audi Q9, a flagship SUV and the top tier of the entire Audi portfolio.

This particular Q is anything but anonymous. Described as the company’s first ‘full-size’ SUV, an appellation which might surprise Europeans, the new Q9 sits above the Q7 and Q8, rounding out a range of SUVs that starts with the Q2 and takes in a few SQ performance models and even the RS variants of the Q8.

‘Full-size’ refers to the US market, where cars considered gauche, overweight and altogether too big for dainty European towns and cities are relative minnows. In Europe, Toyota tops out with the Land Cruiser; the Americans get the Toyota Sequoia. Similar motoring math applies to US-centric models like the Nissan Armada and Lexus LX, as well as domestic competitors such as the Ford Expedition MAX, Cadillac Escalade, and Lincoln Navigator.

What all these behemoths have in common is three rows of full-sized seating – no cramped third rows suitable only for small children. Such ‘full-size’ models run the gamut from family-friendly to luxury conveyances. The Q9 is firmly in the latter camp, going up against established models like the Escalade.

This is a segment dedicated to cars that are much better experienced from within than from without – it’s business class brutalism. Although there’s a groundswell of fresh appreciation for smaller, less imposing cars, Audi’s status within the VW Group means it can soak up the premium prices associated with luxury SUVs, leaving compact car development to better equipped and experienced brands like VW, Seat and Cupra.

Inside the Q9, scale has been deployed in the service of experience and comfort. You sit beneath the company’s broadest panoramic sunroof, 1.5 sq m. All four doors are power operated (and can be popped open simultaneously at the touch of a button on the remote). Bang & Olufsen supply the 22-speaker sound system. Armrests and front centre console are heated. Adaptive air suspension is paired with quattro four-wheel-drive for sure-footed ride and handling.

As if to complement the array of internal screens, the Q9 has a very specific world first up its sleeve. The exterior lighting is supplemented by on-board projectors that beam a directional arrow on the ground when indicating, helping keep pedestrians and cyclists fully informed of your intentions. The OLED lights (curved at the rear) can also run through a full dance card of merry patterns on start-up and shut down.

We have to come out and say it – we’re not fans of Audi’s current grille treatment. Consider the cliff-like visage of the Q9, so large that it has squeezed out the headlights to the upper reaches of the frontage, a design choice that only serves to exaggerate the car’s scale.

At 5.31m long and 2.21m, with wheel sizes of up to 23 inches, Audi proudly claims this is the largest car they have ever made – it dwarfs even a long-wheelbase Range Rover. Launching an automotive leviathan into the teeth of a climate crisis is a ballsy move – there’s even ChatGPT integration to ensure that every facet of high consumption is covered.

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There’s also no pure EV. Instead, a mild-hybrid system is harnessed to a 3.0-litre V6 diesel will be the primary powertrain – capable of electric-only driving as well as a handy combination of torque and efficiency. Still, the Bratislava-built Q9 will no doubt find a willing audience when it hits the road this summer.

Audi Q9, UK sales begin in August 2026, price tbc, Audi.co.uk, @AudiUK