New Flagship: Full-Size Audi Q9 Crossover Fully Declassified

Production of the German brand’s new model has been established at the plant in Bratislava (Slovakia). Sales on the model’s primary market, the USA, will begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, and prices are known.

After a series of spy shots and teasers, the German brand has finally fully revealed its new flagship crossover Audi Q9, as well as its “performance” version, which received the SQ9 index. The main market for these new models is the United States, where the Audi flagship is expected to compete for customers with the large BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS crossovers.

The overall length of the Audi Q9 in European specification is 5309 mm (253 mm longer compared to the current Q7), width – 2205 mm (similar), height – 1794 mm (14 mm less), and the wheelbase is 3138 mm (144 mm longer). The trunk volume of the seven-seat new flagship crossover is 547 liters, with the third row folded – 1416 liters, and with both rear rows of seats folded – 2483 liters.

The Audi Q9 features a traditional five-door body with full roof rails, conventional exterior mirrors, and standard door handles. The model is also equipped with semicircular wheel arch trim pieces painted in body color, as well as two-tier headlights, where narrow matrix daytime running lights are located in the upper part, and the main headlight units below. Between them is a large radiator grille with vertical illuminated slats. The rear is adorned with two-tier taillights connected to each other by a thin glowing strip, as well as narrow horizontal reflector strips in the lower part of the rear bumper.

In the “performance” Audi SQ9 variant, the radiator grille features a pattern of large cells with metal inserts, a large air intake with a honeycomb pattern is integrated into the lower part of the front bumper, and at the rear there is a silver insert in the lower section and four oval exhaust tips (two on each side). The wheel size on the flagship ranges from 21 to 23 inches.

As Kolesa.ru previously reported, the Audi Q9’s doors are equipped with power drive, and the roof integrates a panoramic sunroof with an area of about 1.5 square meters with adjustable transparency and backlighting (84 LEDs, 30 colors). Contour lighting for the front panel and doors is also provided, and the illuminated elements can synchronize with the rhythm of music playing in the cabin. The crossover received an updated Bang & Olufsen audio system with 4D sound.

Three displays are installed on the front panel: a virtual instrument cluster with a diagonal of 11.9 inches, a central multimedia touchscreen of 14.5 inches, as well as a touchscreen for the front passenger – 12.3 inches. The Audi Q9 can have a seven-seat and six-seat layout; in the latter case, the middle row consists of two captain’s chairs with power adjustments and ventilation function. A massage function is also provided for the driver and front passenger seats.

At the start of sales in Germany, the new model will be offered with an MHEV setup based on a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine producing 299 hp, with a maximum torque of 630 Nm. On some markets, a variant with an output of 245 hp and 500 Nm will be offered as the starting engine.

In the USA, the Audi Q9 at the start of sales will be offered with a 2.9-liter gasoline turbo-six, with a maximum power of 435 hp and torque of 600 Nm. The model comes with an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and a quattro all-wheel drive system. The new model takes 4.9 seconds to accelerate from standstill to nearly 60 mph (to 96.6 km/h).

Under the hood of the “performance” flagship crossover Audi Q9 is an updated 4.0-liter biturbo V8 engine with an output of 599 hp and a maximum torque of 800 Nm. Such an SUV takes 4.0 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (3.8 seconds to 60 mph). Adaptive air suspension is included in the standard equipment of the Q9 and SQ9, and both full-size crossovers can tow a trailer weighing up to 3500 kg.

Production of the Audi Q9 and SQ9 has been established at the plant in Bratislava (Slovakia). Pre-orders will begin in July, and live sales on the model’s primary market, the USA, will start in November 2026. The price of the Audi Q9 here starts at $87,700 (equivalent to approximately 6.97 million rubles at the current exchange rate), and the SQ9 – from $118,000 (about 9.38 million rubles).