Wraps finally come off South Africa-bound long awaited new Audi Q9

Having been on the cards for more than eight years, Audi officially revealed its long awaited all-new Q9 in the early hours of Wednesday morning (29 July). Above Q7 Ingolstadt’s rival for the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Lexus LX and Volvo XC90, the Q9 displaces the Q7 as the brand’s largest SUV that has already been approved for South Africa. Teased on two separate occasions this year, the Q9’s arrival also sees it replace the A8, which was announced in March as ceasing production after 32 years as Audi’s flagship and most technologically advanced product.

Dimensions Joining its now “smaller” Q7 sibling, the Q9 rides on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), but with the following dimensions: Length: 5 310mm; Wheelbase: 3 140mm; Height: 1 810mm; Width: 2 210mm As such, it is 253mm longer than the Q7, 198mm wider and two millimetres taller. Also longer is its wheelbase by 145mm. Similar to its sibling, the Q9 seats seven, but for the first time in any Audi SUV, can be equipped with six seats utilising a pair of captain’s style chairs in the second row.

Different looks Compared not only to the Q7, but also the Q3 and Q5, the Q9 receives a different take on Audi’s latest Singleframe grille design as the inner slats have a horizontal look instead of a honeycomb pattern. Sporting the widest design of any Audi to date, the grille’s outer surround has a black finish, but as an option can be illuminated. Rear facia design is different from any other current Q model.

Picture: Audi Retaining the same split headlight arrangement as its siblings, the Q9 gets the otherwise optional Matrix I.Q lights as standard, while the Digital LED Matrix lights, which projects active functions on to the road, can be had as an option. Available with up to 23-inch alloy wheels, the side profile is visibly stretched from the Q7, while the rear facia is unique to the Q9 and sees not only a larger and newer tailgate, but restyled OLED light clusters and the numberplate to the bumper instead of on the bootlid. Kept, though, is the illuminated Audi four rings logo and the full-width LED bar that runs underneath the light clusters.

Slight revisions underneath Underneath, the move to the PPC platform, essentially a heavily revised version of the MLB Evo that underpinned the previous Q7, has seen added revisions compared to the new Q7. These include the new adaptive air suspension system as sta…