Audi has put a 9 on a car for the first time. The Q9 is a full-size seven-seat SUV, the largest Audi ever built, and it goes on sale in Germany from 108,400 euros.
The Audi Q9 measures 5.31 metres long, 2.21 metres wide and 1.81 metres tall, on a 3.14 metre wheelbase. It is built in Bratislava, orders opened in Germany at the end of July, and deliveries start in November. Audi Australia has not confirmed the car for this market, and there is no local timing or pricing.
That German entry price converts to roughly $180,000 AUD. Audi Q9 sits above the Q7, and against the BMW X7, the Mercedes-Benz GLS and the Range Rover.
A Diesel Flagship in 2026
The engine at launch is a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel making 220kW and 630Nm. Some European markets also get a 180kW version with 500Nm. Both use a 48-volt MHEV powertrain generator worth up to 18kW, a belt alternator starter and a lithium iron phosphate battery. Drive goes through an eight-speed tiptronic and permanent quattro all-wheel drive.
The V6 also runs an electric compressor rated at 7.5kW peak, alongside two-stage turbocharging of 3.6 bar of boost in 1.2 seconds when it is called on. Economy is 8.0 to 7.4L/100km and CO2 of 209 to 194g/km.
No petrol, plug-in hybrid or electric Audi Q9 has yet been announced. A brand that spent five years telling everyone the future was electric has made its new flagship a diesel. It has done that in the same year it launched the small electric A2. The Q7 diesel is still the car most likely to be cross-shopped against it, if the Q9 ever turns up.
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ABOVE: The Audi Q9
Seven Seats, or Six If You Pay
Seven seats are standard, in a 35/30/35 second-row split with child seat mounting points on all three. A six-seat layout is optional, with individual electric seats in the middle row. All six are power-adjustable and heating is optional, something that is standard in $32,000 entry level cars. The third row folds down at the push of a button, with seat functions also worked from the boot.
Getting into the third row does not mean pulling child seats out. The outer second-row seat slides forward electrically and tilts without folding. Front sports seats are standard, with ventilation optional and a sports seat plus adding heating, ventilation and massage. Again, heated and cooled front seats are standard in cars a quarter of the price. The door and centre armrests can be heated.
The Q9 doors open and close themselves, which is a first for Audi. Surround sensors stop a door that cannot open fully. A soft-close mechanism shuts them gently, and they can be worked remotely from the myAudi app. Whether that reads as luxury or as a future warranty claim depends on how it holds up in a shopping centre car park.
The Audi Q9 Rear Lights Are the Real World First
Rear lights are third-generation digital OLED, and the outer panels are curved in three dimensions. That is the world first, made possible by glass 0.1 millimetres thick that follows the body. Curving the panel widens the angle the light can be seen from.
The outer panel carries 99 segments, the centre 84 and the inner 73, for 512 segments across six panels. The signatures can now be partially active rather than static or fully lit. A communication light warns following traffic of an accident ahead using a hazard triangle. An exit warning flags cyclists coming up behind an opening door.
Matrix LED headlights use a micro-LED module. Fancy turn signals project a stylised arrow onto the road at night, in sync with the indicators. A lane change warning is projected onto the surface too. A marking light picks out pedestrians, and an ice crystal symbol is thrown onto the road when conditions outside town suggest ice.
Screens, Sound and a Roof That Goes Opaque
The MMI “panoramic display” curves across a 12.3-inch instrument screen and a 14.5-inch touch display, with a 12.3-inch passenger screen standard. The latter has a privacy mode, so video cannot be seen from the driver’s seat. The Audi Q9 runs Android Automotive with the Audi Application Store built in. ChatGPT backs the voice assistant for questions the car cannot answer itself. A factory dashcam is optional.
The Bang and Olufsen system runs 22 speakers and 1360 watts. There are speakers in the headrests and actuators in the front seat cushions that vibrate in time with the music. Audi calls it 4D sound. Owners can dial the seat vibration up and down, or switch it off.
The panoramic roof is the largest ever in an Audi, at more than 1.5 square metres. Switchable transparency is optional, with nine segments that can be darkened separately. The glass goes opaque on its own when the car is parked. The coated glass blocks more than 99.5% of UV, and the top trim adds 84 LEDs that light in one of 30 colours. None of that is available at the start of presales, because the switchable roof is not ready.
Air Suspension, Rear Steering and Hands Off the Wheel
Adaptive air suspension is standard with 90 millimetres between the lowest and highest settings, and a drop of 62 millimetres to make getting out easier. All-wheel steering turns the rears by up to 5 degrees. They go the opposite way at low speed and the same way at highway speed. Front brake discs are 400 millimetres with six-piston fixed calipers, the rears 350 millimetres. Drive select offers seven modes.
Adaptive driving assistant plus allows hands-free driving at up to 130km/h on approved roads. It starts in Germany, the United States and Canada. It is Level 2, so the driver stays responsible, and a camera on the steering column watches their eyes to ensure that is the case. Emergency assist can steer the car onto the shoulder and stop it if the driver stops responding. Trailer manoeuvring assist, trailer stability control and a factory trailer brake controller are all on the list.
What Is Missing
No towing capacity, kerb weight or acceleration figures have been revealed as yet, and an Australian launch has not been confirmed. Three-row luxury SUVs sell well in this country, but the segment is filling up fast with electric options such as the Hyundai Ioniq 9. A diesel Audi Q9 would go into a market that still buys diesel, in a segment walking away from it. Not only that, all legacy brands are on notice from Chinese newcomers.
Audi Q9 Key Numbers
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, MHEV plus |
| Power | 220kW |
| Torque | 630Nm |
| Second engine | 180kW and 500Nm, selected European markets |
| Transmission | 8-speed tiptronic |
| Drive | Permanent quattro all-wheel drive |
| Fuel use | 8.0 to 7.4L/100km combined, European cycle |
| CO2 | 209 to 194g/km |
| Length | 5.31m |
| Width | 2.21m |
| Height | 1.81m |
| Wheelbase | 3.14m |
| Seats | 7 standard, 6 optional |
| Wheels | 20 to 23 inches |
| Suspension | Adaptive air, all-wheel steering |
| Built in | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| Price, Germany | From 108,400 euros |
| Australian availability | Not confirmed |
More Audi Stories
- Audi Q4 e-tron Shows EV Road Trips Can Be Quietly Normal
- Audi Gives the A3 a Digital Makeover for 2026
- New 7-Seat Audi Q7 has Diesel And Star Trek Roof
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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