Article Summary
- Audi’s biggest SUV ever has a triple-screen layout, but keeps some physical controls alive.
- The middle row has two electrically adjustable and cooled individual seats.
- The Audi Q9 will be fully revealed on July 29.
It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. Well, almost. Ahead of its July 29 premiere, the Audi Q9 appears in its first press images, revealing a posh cabin. Although the Q7 also offers a third row, its bigger brother will be the company’s first full-size SUV with ample room even for rearmost occupants.
The Q9 is a belated answer to the BMW X7 and especially the Mercedes GLS, which has been around for 20 years. It’s worth noting that Ingolstadt’s upcoming luxobarge will temporarily serve as the brand’s range topper. The A8 sedan is being phased out this year and won’t receive a successor until closer to the end of the decade.
Before the X7 G67 gains automatic doors, the Q9 is getting this feature, marking a first for an Audi. The electrically operated doors can be opened or closed using the vehicle’s key or a smartphone app. They also operate automatically depending on the brake pedal and seatbelt buckle status. The doors open up to 90 degrees, making entry and exit especially easy.
The Audi Q9 Will Have Six Or Seven Seats
Audi will sell its largest SUV ever with either six or seven seats. Featured here, the optional six-seat configuration adds individual second-row seats with electric adjustment and ventilation. Opt for the seven-seat layout, and the second row features three seats, all compatible with child seats for larger families. Up front, the driver and passenger get cooled and massaging seats.
It’s business as usual up front. The Audi Q9 features a triple-screen layout with a passenger display. Thankfully, you won’t have to rely entirely on touchscreens. There are still a few physical controls on the center console, including a volume knob. Additional traditional buttons can also be found on the steering wheel and door panels.
Although there’s a growing trend among luxury automakers to offer only fixed panoramic roofs, the one on the new Audi Q9 opens wide. The glass panel measures 1.5 square meters and consists of nine individually controllable segments, allowing occupants to switch between transparent and opaque at the press of a button. Choose the range-topping trim, and the glass roof gains no fewer than 84 LEDs with 30 selectable colors.
The 2027 Audi Q9 (Mostly) Skips Glossy Black Trim
Since it’s the most luxurious model Audi currently offers, the Q9 features the finest materials of any Audi on sale today. From wool and leather to wood and carbon fiber, buyers will have a wide range of customization options. We’re glad to see glossy black surfaces kept to a minimum, replaced in most areas by textured and matte finishes that resist smudges and fingerprints better. Elsewhere, colors such as tamarind brown and stone beige have never before appeared in an Audi interior.
Following its debut at the end of July, the Audi Q9 will first go on sale in the United States later this year. It’ll expand globally in 2027, when BMW is expected to launch the second-generation X7. Both SUVs will offer six- and eight-cylinder engines, but while the Q9 is unlikely to receive an electric variant, an iX7 is on the way.
