All-Wheel Driven Podcast

What happens when Audi takes everything it has learned about luxury, technology, and performance and builds its biggest, most ambitious SUV yet? The answer is the all-new 2027 Audi Q9 and its high-performance sibling, the SQ9. With these new models, Audi is stepping into an entirely new segment, bringing the four rings to the full-size luxury SUV market. But the Q9 is more than simply a larger Q7. Audi is positioning it as the new flagship of its entire portfolio, showcasing the next evolution of luxury, cutting-edge technology, innovative lighting, and premium performance.Audi Club North America had a special opportunity to get behind the wheel and experience these new flagship SUVs firsthand, offering a closer look at what makes the Q9 and SQ9 such significant additions to the Audi lineup. Developed with North American buyers in mind, the Q9 brings genuine three-row seating, substantial towing capability, and the first U.S.-legal implementation of Audi’s Digital Matrix LED headlight technology. For those who want even more excitement, the SQ9 raises the stakes with a 591-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, delivering performance that rivals some sports cars while maintaining the space and practicality to carry seven passengers. Audi’s flagship SUV era is about to get a whole lot bigger—and considerably faster.EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00 Audi Q9 & SQ9 in Southern Utah00:27 Welcome to All Wheel Driven00:45 Can a Big Audi Still Thrill Enthusiasts?01:36 Audi's First Full-Size Flagship SUV02:28 Interior Tour: Screens, Seating & Cargo Space06:47 Under the Hood: 591-HP Twin-Turbo V807:01 Driving Dynamics: Air Suspension, Lift Mode & New Quattro11:50 Hands-Free Highway Driving & Long-Haul Comfort16:52 Into Zion: Wheels, Stance & Twisties.18:31 Launch Control & Canyon Roads20:08 Verdict: Q9 or SQ9?==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.==========================Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org

What does it take to turn a track-day enthusiast into a licensed competition driver? For Dawn Brazier, the journey meant four days of intensive instruction, pushing her 2017 Audi R8 Spyder beyond her comfort zone, and learning that earning a racing license is only the beginning.On this episode of All Wheel Driven, Dawn joins us to share the story behind earning her SCCA Full Competition Road Racing License and bringing her R8 to the grid for its debut in the Legion SBK Superbike Series at High Plains Raceway.Dawn’s journey began after experiencing the Legion SBK series in 2024. Ready to return as a competitor, she enrolled in a program with Michael Pettiford of Go4It Racing School. Rather than renting a dedicated race car, Dawn chose to complete the program in her own Audi R8 Spyder, a car she knew well on the road but had yet to fully explore on the track.What followed was an intensive learning experience covering racing lines, braking points, weight transfer, throttle control, and driver discipline. With four straight days of one-on-one instruction, Dawn had nowhere to hide—and every lap brought another opportunity to improve.One of the biggest turning points came on the back straight at High Plains Raceway, where she approached the braking zone at approximately 136 mph. Learning to trust the R8, commit to the throttle, and recognize the car’s capabilities helped her improve her lap time from around 2:26 to 2:13.44.But the road to the grid wasn't without challenges. Worn rear tires and heat-damaged brake rotors revealed the physical demands of pushing a street-based performance car in competition. With limited time to make repairs before the Legion SBK event, Dawn and her team had to improvise to get the R8 back on track.Despite those setbacks, Dawn earned her competition license and made it to the starting grid the following weekend. The experience taught her an important lesson: a racing license isn't the finish line. It's the beginning of a longer journey built on experience, humility, and learning to trust both yourself and your machine.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00 Breaking Down the Episode00:45 Welcome to All Wheel Driven01:03 From Zero Experience to Superbike Safety Car03:58 How Dawn Found Her R8 Spider05:19 The Next Addition to the Audi Family05:34 Autocross & Revoking the Boyfriend's License06:41 PPIR, Pueblo & Chasing Superbikes08:33 No Run Groups: Learning on the Job11:34 Why the Track Tamed Her Street Speed14:41 High Plains Raceway: The Ultimate Test16:36 Mods, Tires & Learning in a Slower Car19:03 The "Aha" Moment: Finding Full Throttle21:05 Riding Shotgun in Her Own R822:41 A Word from Continental Tire23:10 Discovering the Car's True Limits26:03 SCCA Race School in a Street-Spec R827:18 Would She Race the R8 Again?28:10 The Biggest Challenge of Getting Licensed29:57 One-on-One Coaching & the Only Woman in Class31:15 Newly Licensed, Still Learning33:46 What's Next: Racing, Rentals & Burned-Through Brakes38:12 Picking a Race Car: Audi, TT RS or Miata?39:29 Advice for Women Getting into Motorsports40:57 Does Dawn Follow Pro Racing?41:30 Founding Audi Women Colorado & Proving It's Never Too Late44:12 The Long Way to the Grid==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.==========================Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org

Audi is entering one of the busiest stretches of 2026, both on the road and at the racetrack. On this episode of *All Wheel Driven*, Joe Kucinski breaks down the latest developments from Audi, including the team’s first Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, the upcoming RS Q5, recognition for the new A6 and Q9 in the 2027 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards, and what’s ahead for Audi as its first Formula 1 season enters its final stretch.First, we head to Madrid for Audi’s debut at the new Madring circuit. Nico Hülkenberg brought the Audi Revolut F1 Team home in 10th place to score another championship point, while Gabriel Bortoleto finished 13th. We’ll look at what Audi learned from its first race at the new circuit, the importance of qualifying at a track where overtaking can be difficult, and how the team can use the remaining races of 2026 to build toward the future.Then we turn our attention to the Q5 lineup, where Audi Sport appears to be preparing something special. The first-ever RS Q5 has been spotted testing at the Nürburgring in both SUV and Sportback form. Reports suggest the RS Q5 could share an electrified powertrain with the new RS 5, potentially combining a twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor and producing more than 600 horsepower. While those figures remain unconfirmed, the RS Q5 could become an important addition to Audi Sport’s performance SUV lineup.We’ll also look at two very different Audi models making their way through the 2027 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards. The all-new A6 remains in contention in the Car of the Year category, while the new Q9 is competing for Utility Vehicle of the Year. We’ll discuss what the ninth-generation A6 brings to the table and how Audi’s first full-size SUV fits into the lineup above the Q7.Finally, we look ahead at the remainder of Audi’s first Formula 1 season. From Baku and the return to Sepang to Singapore, Austin, Mexico, São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, there are plenty of opportunities for Audi to gather valuable data and experience. With the final races of the season approaching, what can the team learn in 2026 that will directly influence the development of the R26 and the future of Audi F1?From the racetrack to the showroom, Audi is building out an increasingly diverse lineup while simultaneously laying the foundation for its future in Formula 1. We’ll bring all of these stories together and look at where Audi is headed over the next year.==========================00:00 Introduction to the Episode00:50 All-Wheel Driven: A Podcast by Audi Club North America01:08 Getting Into Audi F1 Updates07:59 What's to Come in 2026 for Audi F109:32 Word From Our Sponsor10:00 Audi RS Q515:18 The Audi A6 & Audi Q9 Are In The Running for Awards21:56 Audi is Listening to Their Fans22:58 Outro==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.==========================Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org

After more than a decade and 13 starts at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, David Hackl knows what it takes to race a mountain. But in 2026, he faced a completely different challenge when he brought his 1983 Audi quattro to the historic Climb to the Clouds at Mt. Washington for the first time.In this episode of All Wheel Driven, David takes us behind the wheel of one of Audi’s most iconic hill-climb cars and explains what makes Mt. Washington so different from Pikes Peak. While Pikes Peak offers a longer, faster course and extreme elevation, Mt. Washington presented a narrow, steep and unforgiving road that David had barely had an opportunity to learn before race day.Then came the weather. Fog, rain and dramatically reduced visibility made an already unfamiliar mountain even more challenging. With limited practice and no years of experience memorizing the course, David knew the goal wasn't simply to unleash the car's approximately 750 horsepower—it was to make it safely to the finish.David also tells the story of the 1983 Audi quattro that started life as his daily driver before being transformed into a competition car. After spending roughly 2,500 hours building the car for its 2012 Pikes Peak debut, he has continued developing it for more than a decade. Now, with plans to eventually push toward 900 horsepower, the quattro still has plenty of life left.From learning a new mountain and managing unpredictable weather to mentoring fellow Audi competitors and reflecting on more than a decade of hill-climb racing, David offers a fascinating look at what it takes to compete at the edge—and why he keeps coming back.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:00 Breaking Down The Episode00:53 Introducing David Hackl01:3406:53 Why Doesn't Mt. Washington Run Every Year?10:27 The Drive To Mount Washington18:22 First Impressions Compared to Pikes Peak24:04 How Was This Year's Weather?29:23 Word From Our Sponsor: Continental29:50 David Tells Us The Details On His Audi Quattro Race Car39:00 Tell Us About Your Audi Journey44:00 What's Next for the Race Car Build?49:52 Mentoring the Newer Pike's Peak Racers53:01 Any More Hill Climb Races on the Bucket List?56:06 Final Thoughts & Farewell==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.==========================Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org

It’s been another busy stretch for the Four Rings. On this episode of All Wheel Driven, Joe Kucinski breaks down the latest Audi news from Formula 1, performance-car development, and the global enthusiast community.First, we head to Zandvoort for a look at Audi’s first Formula 1 season and the Audi Revolut F1 Team’s performance at the Dutch Grand Prix. How did Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg fare? What did we learn about the R26, and where does Audi currently fit in the F1 midfield? We’ll also look ahead at Audi’s development strategy and the team’s long-term goal of becoming a genuine front-running contender.Then comes the news Audi enthusiasts have been waiting for: the five-cylinder might not be dead yet. We explore reports that Audi Sport is investigating hybrid technology as a way to keep the legendary 2.5-liter five-cylinder alive beyond the current RS 3. Could electrification actually give the five-cylinder a performance boost, or would the added weight and complexity change what makes the engine so special?Finally, we head to Monterey Car Week 2026, where Audi made an impression with the U.S. debut of the Nuvolari hybrid supercar. With just 499 examples planned, the Nuvolari offers a glimpse at Audi’s future performance strategy while continuing the brand’s connection with the enthusiast community. We’ll also look at Audi’s presence at Legends of the Autobahn and why events like Monterey Car Week remain so important to enthusiasts.From Formula 1 to the legendary five-cylinder and the next generation of Audi performance cars, these stories all point toward the same question: How does Audi preserve the emotion and character that enthusiasts love while moving into an increasingly electrified future?==========================
EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 Breaking Down the Episode00:39 Introduction00:57 Audi F1 at Zandvoort: Solid Performance, Still Gaining Traction10:13 Will The Audi 5-Cylinder Live On?16:45 Monterey Car Week: A Wild Ride!27:23 The Nuvolari U.S. Debut41:24 Check Out Audiclubna.org==========================All-Wheel Driven is presented by XPEL, the official paint protection film of Audi Club North America. Subscribe and connect with @audiclubna for exclusive Audi content.
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Not yet a member of Audi Club North America? Join the world's largest community of Audi owners and enthusiasts and unlock benefits including:Discounts on Audi parts, accessories, and new or leased vehiclesAward-winning quarterly magazine (quattro)Exclusive driving events, clinics, and track experiencesA network of 32 chapters across North AmericaAnd much more!Learn more and join today: https://audiclubna.org