New Delhi: Audi has given a first look at the interior of the Q9, the German carmaker’s forthcoming flagship three-row SUV. While Audi already has sold a three-row luxury SUV called the Q7, the Q9 will sit above this and better enable it to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7. Audi is set to reveal the Q9 in its entirety on July 29th.
With the Q9, Audi has for the first time brought electric operability to every of the door. They can be opened and closed through the key fob, infotainment touchscreen, seatbelt buckle, myAudi app, and even the brake pedal. Most importantly, the Q9 doors come with a bevy of sensors that can stop them from opening if the SUV is in a tight parking space or if there is an incoming motorist as well.
Audi A9 interior and features
As soon as you are inside, the Q9 comes with quite a prominent element on the dashboard, which is a triple-screen setup, which is fitted as standard and comprises a curved central touchscreen and driver’s display, along with a flat passenger screen. Unsurprisingly, there are few physical controls on the dashboard. However, the three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel comes with bevy buttons and scroll wheels.
Audi Q9 comes with a massive panoramic sunroof
Much like the new-gen Audi Q3, the Q9 has placed the gear selector to the right stalk behind the steering wheel, with the left stalk a larger unit that mixes lights, wipers, and indicator controls.
This frees up more storage space on the centre console, which comes with dual wireless charging pads (these support the latest Qi2.2 standard), two 100W USB-C charging ports, an electronic parking brake, the engine start/stop button, and some physical controls for the hazard lights, drive mode selection, media volume,360-degree camera, and much more.
There is also the Q9’s big laminated panoramic sunroof, which is split into nine segments that can be toggled into either opaque or transparent. The top-spec trim of Q9’s panoramic sunroof even comes with 84 LEDs that sync up with the ambient lighting. There is also a lot of ambient lighting. There is a lot of ambient lighting in the Q9’s cabin, which covers the top of the dashboard, the door liners and even the base of the seat headrests.
In terms of seating setup, the Q9 can be had either as a 7-seater or a 6-seater with second-row captain’s chairs, which are electrically adjustable and ventilated as well. The front seat comes as powered and ventilated and even offer massagen function. The third-row seatbacks can be folded down electrically.
It also comes with a Bang and Olufsen 4D sound system on offer, which can be synced to the ambient lighting and features speakers and haptic actuators in the front seats, which is similar to Land Rover’s Body and Soul seats.
Audi A9 exterior and expected powertrain
Audi Q9 exterior hasn’t been unveiled properly but it will be a boxy SUV
Audi has shown the Q9 in a camouflaged setup, but the design details are clear as it comes with a split-headlight setup, a large grille with many illuminated parabolas, an illuminated Audi emblem, and a wide air dam with hexagonal patterns on the front end. On the side, the Q9 comes with a long wheelbase and a quite boxy structure with 23-inch alloy wheels and large roof rails.
The back comes with an LED light bar with an illuminated Audi emblem, a prominent roof spoiler and quad exhaust tips.
While the details about the powertrain are under wraps, the Q9 is likely to come riding on the Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC). The Q9 could get powered by plug-in hybrid powertrains across the range, with top variants likely coming with a twin-turbo V8.