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I Saw The New Audi Q9 Up Close. It's A Brilliant Full-Size Flagship SUV
Shockingly, it\u2019s taken Audi this long to bring a true full-size SUV to market. Mercedes-Benz has offered a GLS for 20 years now, while BMW put the X7 on dealer lots back in 2019. Audi moves a bit more slowly, but the Q9 is finally here\u2014and it\u2019s a full-size stunner.
Earlier in the year, we were able to show you the interior. Now, we can finally reveal the rest of the goods. We\u2019re getting two flavors of the Q9: the standard Q9 and the sportier SQ9.
There\u2019s no denying the size of the Q9. With 123.5 inches between the axles, the Q9 has a longer wheelbase than a Chevy Tahoe. The Tahoe runs longer overall, but Audi does a tighter job tucking in the nose and tail.
The Q9 stands as the largest Audi ever. Pop open the doors, and you\u2019ll find three rows of seating, with a choice between room for six or seven. I recommend you opt for the six-seater, if you\u2019re able, as the second row captain\u2019s chairs are seriously comfortable thrones. And any adults who need to get into that third row won\u2019t be out of sorts in the back.
Pop back outside though, and take a gander at the styling of this thing. You\u2019ve already seen the updated Q7. The Q9 is essentially that, just scaled up. In fact, Audi offers a range of wheel options, starting with 21-inch hoops and moving up to optional 22- and 23-inch wheels.
As large as the Q9 is, the brakes are up to the task too. Take a peek behind the aforementioned wheels, and you\u2019ll see a set of 15.7-inch rotors up front with six-piston calipers. The rear brakes are 13.8 inches with a single-piston setup.
Audi fits the Q9 with a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6. That mill might sound familiar, as it\u2019s essentially the same engine used in the prior-gen RS5. Here on the Q9, you get 429 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, and that torque peaks from 2,000 rpm up to 4,500 rpm.
The automaker claims the Q9 will run from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, which is mighty impressive for a full-size non-sporting SUV. Audi pairs the V6 with an 8-speed gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive.
Audi has long been a leader in advanced lighting technology. From the early days of the R8\u2019s daytime running lights to laser tech, and now the adaptive Digital Matrix LEDs, Audi\u2019s lighting game has always been strong. Finally, though, we get to experience Audi\u2019s truly adaptive lights here in the States.
The Digital Matrix LED lighting system is, according to Audi, smarter than the previous iteration of its laser light technology. The result appears the same, however: you can run your lights at max illumination without blinding pedestrians, other motorists, or even yourself.
Audi has engineered the system to recognize any things at which it should not be shining its brights. While I can feel the eye roll from those of you reading this, I fully understand your trepidation. Modern headlights feel far too bright, and every other car on the road seems like it\u2019s out to roast your retinas.
What the Audi system actually does is reduce glare by lowering the light sent toward other motorists. It also detects metal signs on the side of the road, so that the bounce back from your lights hitting that source doesn\u2019t blind you.
It\u2019s not just smart headlight tech at play here, either. Audi has developed fascinating OLED taillights. They feature thousands of micro LEDs, similar to the headlights, which allow Audi to adapt the shape of the lights to better fit the vehicle.
The turn signals are a neat party trick, too. When you engage your indicator, an arrow projects on the ground on the side of the car in the direction you plan to turn. This happens off the front and rear of the vehicle and serves as a greater amount of notice to other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists that you\u2019re about to turn. Those turn signals are an optional extra as part of a package including the upgraded headlights and taillights.
The 2027 Q9 starts at $89,095. There are plenty of great options to help push that price higher, such as the available illuminated panoramic roof, the lighting tech, and the second-row captain\u2019s chairs.
But even the standard version of the Q9 gets a standard panoramic roof, Bang & Olufsen sound system, and a lot less piano black trim. Audi, thankfully, has moved on to nicer materials such as wood and metal.
There\u2019s always room for more, though, right? Even when you\u2019re talking about a full-size vehicle. Audi isn\u2019t simply bringing the Q9 to market. The SQ9 arrives right along with it. This one features a lot of the upgraded tech as standard kit, including the lighting technology. But the real star of the show lies under the hood.
Audi fits the SQ9 with the engine from the pre-facelifted RS6 Avant. You jump to 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine. There\u2019s an upgraded version of the 8-speed gearbox dishing out the oomph to all four wheels.
For the SQ9, Audi quotes a 0-60 mph time of just 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 miles per hour. That\u2019s mighty quick for a rig of this size.
Here, your starting tire setup is staggered, with 285s in the front and 305s in the rear. Those sit on 22-inch wheels. You can upgrade to a 285 front and 315 rear on 23-inch wheels should you opt for the optional summer performance tires.
The brakes are bigger, as you might expect. Audi fits the SQ9 with 16.5-inch rotors and a six-piston front setup.
Quattro gets a rear bias, and Audi also fits the SQ9 with a locking rear differential. An air suspension system is fitted as standard kit, and is adaptively damped. It sounds like the SQ9 is ready to party, which could be a bit shocking when you try to hustle something this large around your favorite curvy road. After all, it still weighs 5,556 pounds.\u00a0
Compared to hybrid and electric vehicles, however, that\u2019s almost light\u2026 relatively speaking, of course.
The 2027 Audi SQ9 starts at $119,395 when deliveri...
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