Once upon a time, the idea of a “sporty” SUV would have been laughable. The concept of a sports car and a SUV were about as diametrically opposed as it was possible to get in the world of cars, so the idea of combining the properties of the two would have simply been ridiculous and unthinkable.
As if just to prove definitively just how much times have changed and segments have blurred in the past decade, Audi have just released the SQ5 – the most overtly sporty SUV OVERSTEER has ever driven. And they released it at a racetrack too…
We went to the fantastic new Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, Central Otago, to check it out.
What is it?
As previously mentioned, the SQ5 is a sporty SUV. Note the lack of quotation marks around “sporty” – this is because the SQ5 is not merely posing as sporty. It boasts no “sport” badges or extraneous body nonsense simply to imply it is sporty – this is the real deal; an honest-to-God, balls-to-the-wall sports SUV. And it has the serious performance credentials to back that up.
The centre of the SQ5’s sportiness is the sensational 3.0-litre bi-turbo diesel V6 engine that pumps out a remarkable 230kW of power and a staggering 650Nm of torque and propels the SQ5 to the speed limit in 5.1 seconds. That’s right, read that again; 230kW, 650Nm and 5.1 seconds. From a diesel V6. In an SUV. No typos – the Audi SQ5 is V8-powerful and proper fast.
The SQ5 sits 30mm lower than the standard Q5, on specially-tuned sports suspension, and comes standard on 20-inch wheels. It is available as a single model costing $123,000, although there is a mighty option list if you feel the need to spend more, as well as a “Sport Edition” available for $134,900 with some of the option boxes pre-ticked for you.
Along with the mighty engine, other standard kit includes; an eight-speed automatic transmission, quattro 4WD, automatic bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, a special SQ5 body kit, Nappa leather interior trim, three-zone climate control, electric heated sports seats, a leather multi-function steering wheel plus many, many more trinkets.
One of the SQ5’s more interesting features is the “Sound Actuator” integrated into the exhaust system. Basically a speaker in the exhaust system that emits an artificial sound, so that the SQ5 doesn’t sound all “diesely”. Well, from behind and from inside the cabin, that is, because if you walk around the front there is still the distinctive diesel rattle…
But from the back and from inside the cabin, the SQ5 sounds very much like it is packing a big, barrel-chested V8. It sounds particularly impressive under full throttle.
Okay, so it’s essentially cheating to get a good noise, but it IS a very good noise and far, far better than the traditional diesel wheeze…
What’s it like?
In a word; remarkable.
The engine is a spectacular piece of engineering and the power and massive torque simply pour on no matter where in the rev range you are when you drop the throttle.
The grip and poise from the chassis is simply incredible, with the quattro drivetrain doing a simply fantastic job of containing and transmitting all the torque in a usable fashion. It truly is a genuinely sporty SUV.
“But sporty SUV’s have been done before!” you are probably screaming at this stage. “What about the BMW X5M and X6M or the mighty Porsche Cayenne Turbo?”
Well, firstly, stop yelling at your computer, you look mental. Secondly, while the likes of the M SUVs and the Cayenne Turbo are massively fast and handle in a fashion they simple have no right to, they still feel utterly massive and you are very much aware of their towering presence as you thrash them along. They are more like muscle cars than sports cars.
The SQ5 feels properly lithe and wieldy, and the poise and delicacy it delivers is like nothing else in the SUV segment regardless of price.
Possibly the most impressive part is the way it does all this and still retains a decent ride. Usually the phrase “an Audi on 20-inch wheels with sports suspension” would be enough to make your vertebrae start compressing by themselves and you dentist planning that holiday on profits from all those chipped teeth he is going to be fixing, but not with the SQ5. Or most of the newest generation of Audis for that matter.
But the SQ5 is particularly impressive in this regard, as along with its ballistic performance and sweet handling, it also offers a smooth, civilised ride.
What’s good about it?
It looks great, sounds brilliant, handles like a cliche (y’know, on rails and all that…) and accelerates like an angry bull.
As usual, it is beautifully put together out of massively high quality materials and boasts a simply massive list of standard features.
The massive wheels look fantastic and don’t actually ruin the ride, while the subtlety of the S body kit is just right: sinister, but not shouty.
Oh, and as well as being stupidly powerful, the engine is also stupidly economical, with a consumption figure of just 6.8l/100km.
What’s not so good?
Not so sure about the fake noise. Yes, it does sound brilliant, but it does seem strangely like cheating. Audi say that it is part of the early preparations for artificial sound for electric cars, so it is something we are going to have to get used to. Besides, if no-one told you, you would have no idea it wasn’t real. You would just think it was an amazing sounding diesel V6.
Still…
First impressions?
A proper, convincingly sporty SUV is not something we ever thought we would drive, but the Audi SQ5 is unarguably that exact thing.
Blisteringly quick with proper SUV space and flexibility, the SQ5 screws with your head in a number off ways. The fake noise is one thing, but the main thing is that it simply shouldn’t be this good.
A mish-mash of sports car and SUV simply shouldn’t be this damn complete and compelling. But it is.
Specifications
Models/prices
SQ5 – $123,000
SQ5 Sport Edition – $134,900
Powertrain
3.0-litre V6 bi-turbo diesel producing 230kW/650Nm; eight-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
CO2 emissions: 179g/km
Safety
ANCAP/EuroNCAP rating: 5 star
Air bags: 6
Stability control: yes
Lap/diagonal belts: 5
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