New Audi Q9 2026 preview: prices, specs and release date for Range Rover rival

If you thought Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was a colossal and ambitious epic of unprecedented scale, behold the all-new Audi Q9 – a titan of an SUV designed to smite the omnipotent Range Rover and conquer the American market, where bigger is always better.

The super-sized luxury leviathan is also hoping to do well in the Middle East and China, and even though it’s the size of a hamlet, Auto Express has confirmed Audi’s new luxury flagship – which takes on the role from the now-deceased A8 limousine – is coming to the UK as well.

Other than the aforementioned British icon, the Audi Q9 is going into battle against the BMW X7 – the next generation of which should be arriving next year – and the recently refreshed Mercedes GLS, plus the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator over in the States.

What powertrain options and performance can we expect?

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In time, the Q9 will be available with a range of mild-hybrid diesel and petrol engine, plus a plug-in hybrid powertrain, with the brand’s trademark quattro all-wheel drive featuring on all of them.

This will give the Audi the edge over certain rivals, particularly the GLS and X7 which are currently only offered with petrol or diesel power. However, the Range Rover does have a PHEV option, and there is an electric version coming soon. 

First to arrive will be the 3.0-litre V6 diesel, producing 295bhp that should hurl the behemoth from 0-62mph in around eight seconds. Meanwhile, mild-hybrid assistance will help provide a smoother driving experience, even allowing for short periods of pure-electric driving, and power is sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Every Q9 also comes with adaptive air suspension, which will automatically adjust depending on your speed, load and driving conditions. An upgraded sport system is designed to make the SUV feel more agile, as will the optional all-wheel steering system that improves manoeuvrability around town – handy in a 5.3-metre long penthouse – and stability at higher speeds.

There is a high-performance SQ9 version featuring a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, however it’s not coming to the UK.

What is the exterior and interior design like?

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Audi wanted the Q9 to make a statement wherever it goes, without being too over the top. Designer David Caffrey talked to us about the idea of “powerful luxury” and highlighted some of the clearly sculpted details interspersed within the clean and simple design as he showed us around the car.

“When this car pulls up, you have to recognise it and almost be a little bit intimidated by it. Some cars really have a presence and everybody stops to look at them – this is really what I wanted to achieve with this car. For it to have a presence, so it says ‘I’m here’.”

Everything about the Q9 is big, from the body surfaces to the 23-inch alloy wheels customers can add. Then of course there’s the truly gigantic grille, which on the US-spec model we saw in the studio featured illuminated vertical slats that makes Rolls-Royce’s ‘Pantheon’ design look subtle. 

If we’re being honest, this version has got a face like a Jaecoo. Thankfully, we’ve been told models sold in the UK will feature Audi’s more familiar honeycomb grille pattern, like we’ve seen on the new third-generation Q7. 

While there are a few shared elements between the Q7 and Q9, Caffrey told us that it was “very important for us during the development to give this car a very different attitude. 

“The Q7 is also premium, but it's more sporty and agile. And here we want to really give this a more premium upper class ‘I'm the boss’ sort of feeling.”

Being an Audi, the Q9 has more lights than downtown Tokyo, including 25,000 pixels for each matrix headlight unit. Plus it has the world’s first curved digital OLED tail-lights. These panels are the largest Audi has ever fitted to a car, integrate seamlessly into the contours of the body and are much more visible, especially from the side. 

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. 

Inside, the Q9 opts for a new-age Scandinavian-cool vibe than old-world aristocratic luxury. 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 and underneath the ‘Digital Stage’ of screens to create a subtle floating effect.

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Somewhat unfortunately, physical controls are still in short supply, and now even the direction of the air vents is controlled via the touchscreen which may take some getting used to. 

As with most luxury cars, there’s plenty of scope for customisation. Real wood trim will be available, 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. 

What do we know about the infotainment system? 

The triple screen craze continues in the Q9. As standard, it features a crystal clear 12.3-inch virtual cockpit and the 14.5-inch touchscreen housed in a single curved panel, with another 12.3-inch display for the front passenger. Chauffeurs should note there’s a distraction-free privacy mode for that third screen, so videos can’t be seen from the driver’s seat while you’re on the go.

Audi’s latest infotainment system is powered by Android technology, is highly customisable and more intuitive than the brand’s previous software. Owners can add apps for videos, games, navigation and even weather, but wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will also feature if you prefer. Meanwhile, the car’s virtual assistant should be able to answer almost any question thanks to the help of ChatGPT. 

For the audiophiles out there, the Q9 features a new 22-speaker, 1,360-watt 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. 

How practical is the Audi Q9 and how big is the boot space?

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“Space is the defining feature of the Q9”, says Audi, which is hardly surprising given the sheer size of this car. The Q9 is an imposing behemoth to say the least, although it's still not as big as the grandiose Cadillac Escalade.

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.

In terms of storage, the centre console offers dual wireless charging pads with MagSage built-in and cup-holders that can accommodate those enormous trendy Stanley tumblers that Americans love. In terms of luggage capacity, with five seats in place, the Q9 can swallow up to 850 litres of stuff – 100 litres more than the BMW X7.

What safety tech does it have? 

No surprise, the Q9 features all of Audi’s latest, most advanced safety system and driver-assistance aides. That includes the exit warning system for the doors, which can even display warning symbols in the tail-lights to alert other road users if it thinks a collision might happen. Its emergency assist function can also steer the car towards the hard-shoulder and bring it to a complete stop, if the driver falls asleep, for instance. 

The new lane departure warning offers either normal or reduced mode. The latter alerts the driver if they’ve wandered out of their lane with a small vibration in the wheel, and only steers the car in certain traffic conditions. Leaving a lane in normal mode will trigger steering corrections, visual warning and vibrations in the wheel, regardless of the situation.

How much is the Audi Q9 going to cost?

The Audi Q9 will arrive in the UK later this year, and we expect prices will start from over £100,000. That’ll help assert its dominance and place in the brand’s hierarchy over the latest Audi Q7, which is available now from a little over £82,000.

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