Audi’s biggest new SUV is out testing once again. This time, the CarBuzz spy photographers have snapped the SQ9 testing somewhere a little bit warmer. Swedish spring has arrived, so testing has moved to Germany. The model that will sit above the Q7 in Audi’s lineup is in the town of Nürburg, about to head out to prove what it is capable of on the most treacherous racetrack in the world. The Green Hell, AKA the Nürburgring.
This Audi seems to have been in development a lot longer than most. We first saw it as a stretched Q7 way back in 2021. Since then, it has developed into what is more clearly its own model, but our latest look comes as it finally seems to be getting near to its real reveal.
Audi Needs Something That’s As Big As Its Competitors
Audi’s three-row Q7 is large, but, frankly, it isn’t large enough for its segment. The 199-inch Q7 is substantially shorter on the outside than its competitors: the 204-inch BMW X7 and the 205-inch Mercedes-Benz GLS. Both of those models have significantly more space. Not just for passengers, where the Audi comes up four inches shy of either for third-row legroom, but for cargo, where the X7 has a third more space behind the seats than the Audi.
Our spies say this is SQ9 around seven inches longer than the Q7. That’s not going to put it into Escalade territory, but it should put it ahead of its abovementioned compatriot rivals when it comes to cabin space.
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The Audi Q9 is still coming, and it will be considerably more spacious than the existing Q7 three-row SUV.
If Audi is trying to one-up the X7 and GLS on space, it will likely have to do the same for luxury. The Q7 is around $25k cheaper than the Merc or Bimmer, and if the Q9 costs the same, it will have to be a lot nicer. Expect more extravagant features, possibly including a limited self-driving function like those offered by Benz and BMW on their own models.
Power Not Confirmed, But It Will Be Gas
Because this is an SQ model, it will be more powerful than the standard Q9. Not that we know what will power the Q9, just that this will be more. The Q7, for reference, is available with a 2.0-liter four making 261 horsepower or a 3.0-liter V6 making 335. The SQ7 makes 500 horsepower from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Expect the V6 and V8, but don’t expect anything this large to be sold in the US with the four-cylinder.
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The SQ9 is clearly not an EV, which makes sense both because of its bulk and because Audi has been backtracking on its EV plans. Porsche’s own planned big SUV, codenamed the K1, was planned to be an EV, and now reports say Porsche is working as quickly as possible to reverse course. Porsche could end up with a version of this Q9 with its own styling and crests instead of the four rings.
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