Experienced by Kimatni D. Rawlins

Two days, two Audis, and various stretches of Utah sandstone outside St. George defined my trek to Red Rock Country. The 2027 Q9, with its 429-horsepower V6, and the SQ9, hyped by a 591-horsepower V8, are the grandest SUVs the Ingolstadt brand has ever built. I drove each on the same roads to see how close, and yet how far apart they truly are from one another.

The Case for an Audi Q9

At the top of Audi’s lineup, the Q9 blends generous space with sharp handling and a deep bench of technology. Headline features include curved digital OLED taillights in its third generation, individual electric second-row seats, automatic-opening doors like those on a Rolls-Royce, Adaptive Cruise Assist Plus with hands-free highway driving, and Audi’s largest panoramic sunroof to date (which can be illuminated). With an unrelenting drive for progress in design, performance, and technology, Audi now offers an SUV in every consumer segment since SUVs account for 80% of luxury market transactions. Additionally, the U.S. will represent 65% of global Q9 and SQ9 sales.

As a current 2022 Audi Q8 owner and former Q7 owner, I see what Audi is trying to do here. In practical terms, the Q9 merges the best of both models into one larger, tech-savvy, digital, and AI-enhanced vehicle. Whether Audi’s current buyers want that remains to be seen. But I’m sure they will. Keep in mind that Audi and other luxury brands (BMW, Cadillac, and Mercedes-Benz) are pushing ChatGPT, Google Maps, Amazon Alexa, Android Automotive, and similar Big Tech interfaces in their cars, so ask your dealer the right questions pertaining to privacy and data.

The Q9 Drive Experience

In St. George, I first jumped behind the wheel of a 2027 Audi Q9 quattro Prestige model, enhanced by 22″ 5-Y-spoke design wheels in a bicolor finish, Pirelli Scorpion Mud/Snow tires, LED headlights with animation and three digital DRL signatures, and LED taillights with dynamic turn signals and animation. As stated, Audi positions the Q9 at the top of its lineup, and the numbers support that ambition. A twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 produces 429-horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque and pairs with the fast-reacting 8-speed Tiptronic transmission and quattro AWD. Audi quotes 4.9 seconds from 0 to 60 mph, a genuinely quick number for a vehicle built to haul seven adults and their luggage, and one Audi claims bests the class rivals it’s aiming at: Range Rover SE, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Lexus LX600, and BMW X7.

My Q9 Prestige wore Waitomo Blue Metallic paint and moved smoothly with real authority for its size. Plus, all-wheel steering enabled me to make precision U-turns like a cat in a maze, and it steadies the chassis at highway speeds. The Adaptive Air Suspension is the Q9’s finest quality. It comes standard, offers 3.5” of height adjustment, and keeps the body calm over broken pavement. The Q9 and its bevy of advanced driver technologies handled the mountainous switchbacks with ease. Braking duties fall to 15.7-inch front and 13.8-inch rear discs.

Inside, Tamarind Brown leather fuses natural wood inlays, and the front sport seats offer 14-way power adjustment with memory, plus heated surfaces and a heated steering wheel as standard. The hand shifter has been replaced with toggle shifters on the new double-stalk steering wheel setup. Now the center console is cleaner and flowing. The new Bentleys use this setup too, so it seems to be a VW Group luxury initiative. However, I kept confusing the stalks for the turn signals or the wipers, just like in every Mercedes-Benz. But Q9/SQ9 owners will become acquainted very quickly.

SQ9: The One with a Pulse

Switch to the SQ9 and the temperament changes completely. It’s the full-size SUV that provides both space and potency. Visually, the SQ9 turns up the swagger. A bolder rear spoiler with two raised sections crowns the tail, quad exhaust outlets sit below it, and a honeycomb grille in an Aluminum Optic trim set it apart from the Q9’s refined vertical slats. Flared fenders swell over wider rear rubber for a planted, athletic stance. Inside, bolstered sport seats, carbon-fiber trim, and S badging add a sharper edge, while the Q9 remains the more relaxed, comfort-focused choice.

The performance SUV is akin to a Bengal tiger: clever, muscular, and startlingly quick when called upon. A 4-liter twin-turbo V8 delivers 591-horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and the quickest in its three-row class. The V8 sounds menacing, and I loved every turbo rumble. Unlike BMW M and Mercedes-AMG V8s, the Audi V8 has no electrification applications. Power flows through a rear-biased quattro system, with an electronically controlled rear differential lock and a staggered tire setup (either 22s or 23s). Switch to Dynamic mode to sharpen the SQ9’s attitude and use the paddle shifters to put the pace in your hands. Push too close to redline, though, and the transmission will upshift.

The SQ9 receives a flatter, sportier octagonal steering wheel than the Q9, metal pedal caps, and Hankook summer tires. Quad exhaust outlets announce it from behind, while the dynamic Adaptive S Air Suspension emphasizes ultimate road comfort and body control. My SQ9 arrived in Daytona Pearl Effect paint with Pastel Silver Fine Nappa leather, diamond stitching, and a fingerprint-resistant carbon basalt inlay. Where the Q9 leans toward warm wood and plush comfort, the SQ9 cocoons you in heavily bolstered sport seats and a tighter, more serious mood.

After Dark: Lighting and Safety

The Q9’s most theatrical trick is in the rear. Audi debuts its curved OLED taillights on this production vehicle. Glass just 0.1 millimeters thick bends in three dimensions, and 512 segments across six panels create up to eight customizable light signatures. They come with the Q9 Prestige and as part of the Luxury package on the SQ9. Digital Matrix LED headlights, new to U.S. roads, are standard on the SQ9 and available on the Q9. They cut a precise shadow around oncoming traffic so the high beams can stay on without blinding anyone. I tried them out during an evening cruise, and the technology is phenomenal. It’s a small piece of automotive thoughtfulness executed in light.

Tech: Brilliant and Busy

Three digital screens fill the dash: an 11.9-inch driver display, a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch passenger display. The cabin is clean and minimal, with very few buttons, but that minimalism comes at a cost. The only physical control I found is a volume knob that doubles as a selection control, and you can only alter the air vents through the screen. Ideally, I’d want to adjust the vents with my fingers. Magnetic wireless charging pads (Qi2.2 compatible) are a welcome touch. Doubling as a concert hall, the optional Bang & Olufsen 4D sound system has 22 speakers and seat actuators that pulsate in your back and thighs. I asked Audi why my seat needs to vibrate for sound reverberation, then learned the feature can be switched off, which I did immediately.

The Q9 arrives with Level 2+ Hands-Free Highway Driving, a first for Audi in the U.S., letting drivers release the wheel on approved stretches of road while the car manages steering, throttle, and braking up to 85 mph. It’s paired with a full suite of modern safety hardware, including Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind-Spot Monitoring, and a 360-Degree Camera System. Yet I kept my grip on the wheel, as I still prefer to operate vehicles myself.

Size and Space for Life Activities

At 209 inches long with a 123.5-inch wheelbase, the Q9 is Audi’s most sizeable SUV. Seven seats are standard, and six immaculate seats come with the $450 Captain’s Chairs package. These are the most comfortable, elaborate, and sporty seats I have seen in a full-size luxury SUV. Cargo space measures 19.3 cubic feet behind the third row and up to 87.7 cubic feet with the seats folded. The panoramic sunroof spans more than 16 square feet. Automatic doors are optional, and their sensors can stop a door before it meets a passing cyclist. The massage function covers everything from the back to the hamstrings. With the $850 hitch, towing capacity reaches 7,700 pounds, which is enough to tow a boat or a pair of jet skis. As a cyclist, the interior is more than enough to fit my Specialized mountain bike inside with the seats folded flat.

What the Q9s Cost

The Q9 starts at $87,700 and $118,000 for the SQ9. My Q9 Prestige stickered at $111,895 after the $14,700 Prestige package, $2,800 Black Optic package, $4,000 Luxury package, $450 captain’s chairs, $850 hitch, and $1,395 destination. The SQ9 I drove totaled $128,045. Both models reach U.S. dealerships before the end of 2026 and include three years or 30,000 miles of Audi Signature Care scheduled maintenance.