
Audi Q5 now sports a
diesel engine and
comes in the
name of
Audi SQ5. The
diesel smokes out 313bhp and 66.2kgm of torque which
removes any doubts about its performance right at the start. However the
SQ5 is also smart with the on-demand
torque and gives you the economy and low running costs at the traffic snarls.
The
Audi SQ5 comes from Audi’s ‘S’ line of cars which is in fact from their performance line of cars. The
SQ5 is a way
out of the league as it is the S-badged SUV and also its first S-brand
diesel.

In terms of the performance, the
Audi hits the
100kph in 5.1 seconds without
any qualms. Floor the throttle and the car takes you to the top speed of 250kph with ease. All this speed is helped by the eight-speed
torque-converter auto with the especially long-legged eighth gear that allows fast cruising with minimum fuss.
You also have some elements of fun with the
Audi SQ5, especially the sound the exhaust makes. Hit the ‘
Dynamic’ mode on the Drive Select system, a sound actuator in the exhaust system makes this V6 sound like a V8. In fact you might even be tempted to regularly pull away from low speeds in a high gear, just to hear the cultured burble it makes.

Like the recently face lifted A4, the interiors too get subtle tweaks and improvements to uplift the general feel and finish of the cabin.
Audi will also continue to offer the
2.0-litre TDI, the 3.0-litre TDI and the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol with improvements that make them slightly more powerful and smoother.
This
engine is a class above the V6 turbo-
diesel currently in the
Q5 3.0TDI. The 2,967cc V6 uses twin-turbochargers connected in series via a flap. You can also check
out the likes of
Audi Q5 and the Audi Q7.
On the de-restricted Autobahn outside Munich, the
SQ5 was simply stunning in the way it effortlessly breached 200kph, and it even had some reserve once we ran
out of bravery at
240kph. Helping it along is the eight-speed
torque-converter auto (a DSG can’t take extended assaults from this engine’s
66.2kgm of
torque), with the especially long-legged eighth gear that allows fast cruising with minimum fuss.

Credit is also due to the mildly massaged
engine. This
engine feels even smoother than the V6 turbo-
diesel currently in the
Q5 3.0TDI. The 2,967cc V6 uses twin-turbochargers connected in series via a flap. Also on the menu is the cylinder head cooling, the timing and lift of the intake cam shafts, the pistons, their oil-jet cooling and the piston pins that have been specially designed to take on the extra load. The
common-rail system can run at a maximum pressure of 2,000 bar of pressure and injects as many as eight shots of fuel into the cylinders per cycle.
As for the way it drives, Audi’s chassis development team has taken 30mm
out of the regular Q5’s ride height, stiffened its springs and anti-roll bars and specified new, stiffer fixed-rate dampers. The kinematics of the suspension – camber, castor and toe angles – haven’t been altered from the regular
Q5.
So, while it remains impressively flat and
unflustered through corners, it never feels as nimble as, say, a BMW X3. The steering is a bit of a disappointment as well – it lacks progressiveness in both feedback and consistency. The
SQ5, as is with most Audis, is better at straight-line thrills than corner-carving precision. That said, its tremendous grip and body control combined with that ever willing
engine and aural excitement will be enough to satisfy most.
Now, for the bits that are coming to India.
Audi has given the
Q5 a light mid-life facelift that will be on all Q5s sold in India towards the end of 2012. If you’re wondering what’s different, you need to get your magnifying glass and fine toothcomb
out.
The changes lie with a grille that
now takes
Audi’s new hexagonal shape and its detailing that differ depending on what
engine is under the hood. The headlights get new daytime running lamps, the bumper is new and the fog lights have chrome ring surrounds. At the rear, the tail-lamps get different LEDs and there’s a new rear diffuser.
Since its launch in 2009, the
Q5 has always lived in the shadow of its big brother, the Q7. So the mild facelift and tweaks will give it a tiny but much needed shot in the arm. But we can’t help think it needs a bit more excitement. So come on
Audi, maybe the time is ripe for the
SQ5.