Audi has a new flagship car, and its interior is simply the best cabin the brand has ever produced. The 2027 Q9 is the largest and most ambitious SUV in the history of the German brand, a three-row vehicle of truly generous dimensions that has been used as a blank canvas to completely reinvent what a premium Audi means inside. Complete details about engine options, prices, and technical configurations will come later. For now, what Audi has revealed is the interior, and what has been seen fully justifies all the attention this model deserves.
The premise is immediate: when jumping into a larger vehicle, the design screen grows proportionally. Audi has taken advantage of that extra space with rich textures, a careful color palette, and top-notch technology applied in every square inch available. The Q9 is available in a six or seven-seat configuration, with the three-seat bench in the second row working well, but the true level of luxury is only achieved when opting for the captain’s chairs in the six-seat configuration. These are chairs in the most literal sense of the word, with active ventilation, full electric adjustment, and an ease of entry and exit that occupants of this row rarely find in competitors of this category.
A design detail that deserves special attention is Audi’s decision to hide the speakers instead of displaying them. The brand has been one of the most enthusiastic followers of the Bang & Olufsen tweeter trend for years, which dramatically rose when the sound system was turned on, in a performance that was as much about spectacle as it was about function. In the Q9, that era has come to an end. The sound system is perfectly integrated into the interior, invisible yet present with a total of 22 speakers and over 1,300 watts of power in the base system. Those who opt for the premium 4D system gain transducers installed directly in the seats that complement the lower frequencies of the music, and can also set the ambient lighting to mimic the colors of the album cover that is playing. Another very positive note is the definitive abandonment of glossy black plastic. Audi was one of the brands that adopted this trend early on, and the Q9 is the clearest sign that the brand is leaving it behind in favor of natural-looking woods, textured fabrics, and materials that convey genuineness rather than appearance.
The Q9 is the first Audi to offer automatic doors as standard, a feature that curiously combines real utility with a touch of technological spectacle. The doors can be opened via the key, a gentle touch on the exterior handle, or through the myAudi app. To close them from the inside, the driver can press the brake pedal, fasten the seatbelt, or press the button on the inner face of the door. Integrated sensors detect obstacles in the path of the doors, including pedestrians and cyclists, adding a layer of safety that transforms this feature into something more than just a novelty. It is genuinely useful, especially in tight parking situations with children or occupants with reduced mobility.
The panoramic roof is another centerpiece of this interior and comes standard in all versions of the Q9. In its most basic configuration, it is already generous. But Audi allows for much more. The most advanced version of the roof incorporates individual panels that electronically transition between transparent and opaque, the same technology that the Porsche Taycan uses and which works here with equal effectiveness. It is possible to go even further and opt for the roof with adjustable ambient lighting, featuring 84 configurable LEDs across 30 different colors or programmed to automatically adapt to different driving modes. When the vehicle is parked, the roof automatically switches to opaque mode to prevent the interior from overheating. The glass has a coating that blocks more than 99.5% of ultraviolet radiation, a detail that occupants in the second and third rows, especially younger ones, will appreciate on any day of intense sun.
The Q9 does not yet have all the technical details released by Audi, which is keeping information about the engine, electric range, and pricing under wraps for a later full reveal. What is already confirmed is that this interior sets a new standard for the Ingolstadt brand, positioning the Q9 directly in the conversation with the best three-row luxury SUVs available on the market, in a segment where BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Cadillac are all playing their best cards. Audi has just shown what it has up its sleeve. And it is quite impressive.
