2027 Audi Q9 Is the Biggest Audi SUV Ever, with 591 HP in the SQ9

Audi saw room in its already extensive model lineup to supersize, so it stretched the Q7 a bit and created the Q9, its biggest SUV ever. Heck, it's the biggest Audi anything ever made. Step up again to the SQ9 and you get all that size plus 591 hp. It's win-win, if you have six figures to spend on a car.

"The eight-cylinder offers RS-level performance for an S price tag," said Audi's Senior Vice President of Product Planning Filip Brabec. "It's is a fantastic value."

Yes, if you have $89,095 for the Q9 or, even better, $119,395 for the SQ9. Depends how badly you want to have the quickest car in the gated community.

The new Q9/SQ9 is based off the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), the same underpinnings supporting, in one form or another, everything from the biggest Q-Ship all the way down to the A5 sedan and the mega-selling Q5 crossover. So it's a good place to start.

The biggest difference between the Q9 and the SQ9 are their two entirely different powertrains. The Q9 is powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 TFSI generating 429 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, which is already pretty powerful even for an SUV tipping the scales at 5,302 pounds. That's still powerful enough to go from 0–60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. You may be old enough to remember when 4.9 to 60 was considered quick for any vehicle, let alone one that comfortably seats six to seven passengers in three rows.

But some people are never happy, and for them there is the SQ9, powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 TFSI generating 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That setup will get to 60 in a mere 3.8 seconds.

Both route all that power and torque through Audi quattro drivetrains mated to eight-speed Tiptronics that'll get you through anything slippery all winter.

Each quattro drivetrain has its own very different all-wheel-drive system, said Dieter Weidemann, head of development for all-wheel drive systems at Audi.

The Q9 gets a new-generation Torsen self-locking center differential for better performance on slippery roads, while the SQ9 gets an electronically controlled rear differential lock that can carry higher sideslip angles, offers greater rear axle stability, and is even better than the Q9's setup on slippery surfaces.

"Both give you high stability and a new level of dynamic quattro drive system," said Weidemann. "Both are beautiful all-wheel-drive systems."

Inside, both are loaded with technology, with adaptive cruise assist plus with hands-free driving and a 22-speaker, 1360-watt Bang & Olufsen 4D sound system, wherein the fourth D vibrates your seat.

Among the most impressive tech are the digital matrix headlights, which block out specific squares of light so you don't blind oncoming drivers or cars that are right in front of you. I saw this work on a night drive in Utah, where a black square surrounded the other car by bright LED light keeping other drivers from being blinded. Impressive stuff.

The next day, I got to do a big, two-hour loop drive around and through Zion National Park. I drove both the Q9 and the SQ9, and while I appreciate the big power in the SQ ship, I would have to think the most appropriate choice for buyers would be the Q9. The SQ felt, if not harsh, then too tightly sprung for the confines of suburbia, or the wilds of Utah. The main difference was likely wheel size. The smallest you can get are 21s wrapped with 285/45R-21 113H XL all-season run-flats, but the SQ9 I drove had 23s wrapped in 285/35R-23 110Y XL summer rubber. Both were more sporty than comfy, and if I had this much to spend on a crossover, I'd want comfort over cornering.

But again, those 591 horses were hard to argue with. Life's full of tradeoffs. At no point did I so much as touch dirt in either of these, and neither will any buyer, despite the maximum 10 inches of ground clearance. The wheels and tires are as much for looks as performance, and people like to look stylin' on the way to Trader Joe's. So good for them. You decide what you want and chose between this and a Mercedes-Benz GLS580 4Matic or a BMW X7 M60i, each with a little less hp and a little slower to 60; neither stat will enter into your drive unless you're a little suburban-crazy, though the Mercedes would surely be softer and more comfortable, at least in ordinary driving.

Audi says 80 percent of the luxury market is SUVs, so that's what gives it the room to expand up into the Q9. Also, since 65 percent of Q9s made will come here to the US, the model was made with the US in mind. With all Audi did for us, you at least owe it to them to check out the Q9 before you buy. Good luck.