The all-new Audi Q9 will be the biggest, most luxurious and most imposing SUV to ever wear the four rings when it is finally revealed on 29 July, but Auto Express has already had a sneak peek inside the brand’s new luxury flagship, and can confirm there’s no shortage of space, innovations or class. “Space is the defining feature of the Q9”, says Audi, which is hardly surprising given the sheer size of this car, as you can see from the pictures of the camouflaged prototype towering over us, with its chrome quad exhaust tips shining under the bright studio lights. The Q9 is an imposing behemoth to say the least, but then again it’s designed primarily for the American market – the place where bigger is always better, and a Jeep Wrangler is seen as a compact SUV. We’re certain it’ll prove popular in the Middle East and China, too. The Audi Q9 will be coming to the UK though, even if it could squash a small village. Here, it’ll rival other luxurious SUVs such as the BMW X7 (the next generation of which should be arriving next year), the recently refreshed Mercedes GLS and, the standard bearer for luxury SUVs, the Range Rover. To do that, Audi designed the Q9’s interior to feel like an executive lounge and “a sanctuary for family, business, and long journeys.” It also has soft-closing automatic doors just like a Rolls-Royce Phantom, which are a first for the brand. Inside, the Q9 feels more modern-Scandinavian-cool than old-world luxurious. There’s fabric across the dashboard and covering the speakers on the top of doors, while shiny piano black trim has been kept to a minimum in favour of matte and textured surfaces. There’s also ambient lighting incorporated practically everywhere you look, including the enormous openable sunroof that’ll come as standard. As with most luxury cars, there’s plenty of scope for customisation. Real wood trim will be available, but the prototype we examined featured carbonfibre across the centre console, dashboard and other surfaces. Meanwhile, options for the seat upholstery range from traditional Nappa leather to alpaca wool, and there are new colour options like tamarind brown and stone beige to create a more tranquil environment. The triple screen set-up looks similar to that in the latest Audi Q5 and electric Q6 e-tron, but the infotainment system appears to have had an update and the designers have used indirect lighting beneath the huge displays to create a subtle floating effect. Even the design of the centre console is different from other Audi SUVs’, offering dual wireless charging pads and cup-holders that can accommodate those enormous trendy Stanley tumblers that Americans love. Physical controls are still in short supply though, and now even the direction of the air vents is controlled via the touchscreen which may take some getting used to. For the audiophiles out there, the Q9 features a new Bang & Olufsen premium stereo with 4D sound capabilities. What does that mean? Well, to create an immersive experience, AI syncs the rhythm of your music to the ambient lighting around the cabin, while actuators in the front seats allow you to ‘feel’ the music. The Q9 will be available as a seven-seater, which is more for families, or with a six-seat layout in which the middle row is replaced by big, comfy captain’s chairs; this is aimed more at the chauffeuring market. Unsurprisingly for a car so vast, there is a huge amount of space on offer, for those in the middle and rearmost seats. We found even six-foot tall adults can comfortably sit in the heated third-row seats, with knee and headroom to spare. Folding down the middle-row seats can be done with the push of a button or via the touchscreen, which can also be used to open the elegant automatic doors. There are lots of sensors in those doors by the way, to prevent any scrapes in tight car parks, or stop them opening as cyclists are about to go past. The camouflage on the Audi Q9 prototype we saw in the studio did a decent job of concealing elements of the car’s design, but there’s no hiding the enormous ‘Singleframe’ grille with its illuminated four-ring badge. We can also see the super-slim customisable OLED light panels from the brand’s other cars, while the main headlights units are located lower down in the bumper. Roof rails will feature on every Q9, and the design of the rear appears to be relatively clean and simple, with a huge windscreen and lights that follow the same template set by the new A6 Avant with a split set of OLED main lights above a thin lightbar. Our exclusive images give you an idea of what the Audi Q9 will look like ahead of its summer unveiling. It’s due to arrive in the UK in late 2026, and should be priced in line with rivals such as the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS, suggesting it will start from around £90,000. If you don’t need something as big or as intimidating as the Q9, fear not because a new generation of Audi’s original seven-seat SUV, the Q7, is also launching this year and will share many technical and styling elements with its big brother. You can currently save more than £9,000 on the out-going Audi Q7 by ordering it through the Auto Express Buy A Car service, or it’s available to lease for less than £700 per month. The Audi Q9 will be available with a different range of engines depending on the market, but in Europe we expect there to be a choice of diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid power. Of course, quattro all-wheel drive will be standard. This will make it a unique entity against cars such as the GLS and X7, which currently only offer pure petrol or diesel options. Range Rover, however, does offer a PHEV option. As befitting a flagship, though, Audi will offer high-end variants including a high-performance SQ9. This model will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine, probably producing between 550bhp and 600bhp. This will power all four wheels and offer the brand’s latest chassis technology, such as active anti-roll stabilisation systems and active torque vectoring. It’s not just the performance aspect that’ll be focused on, though, because a high-end Horch model is also on the cards. This ultra-luxurious sub-brand was briefly reintroduced to the Chinese market in the form of a long-wheelbase A8 saloon. However, the badge will be used again on a new Maybach GLS-rivalling Q9 Horch flagship. It’s unknown whether Audi intends to offer this model in Europe or the UK, however. The exterior will be very much based on Audi’s current design language, the Q9 being too close to production to adopt the new-age look of the Concept C that made its debut at last year’s Munich Motor Show. Our dealer network has 1,000s of great value new cars in stock and available now right across the UK. Find your new car…
+51 others
