First Drive Review
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Two firsts from the S brand make a well-rounded performance vehicle.
If you want to find out what’s brewing deep within Audi, mark the annual Wörthersee GTI festival on your calendar. It’s there where pet projects get directly exposed to the VW Group’s bigwigs—namely, advisory board chairman Ferdinand Piëch and CEO Martin Winterkorn—bypassing the more normal, hierarchical procedures. And if Piëch and Winterkorn like what they see, the concept might just show up in dealerships. Prime examples of vehicles that have taken this shortened idea-to-reality path include the 256-hp A1 Quattro and the vehicle discussed here, the SQ5 TDI.
Gas to Diesel, Concept to Production
The SQ5 was previewed three years ago in Austria as the Q5 Custom concept. Wider and lower than a standard Q5 and powered by a 408-hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 gasoline engine, it was the starting point for an upcoming family of high-powered SQ models. But once engineering commenced, Audi decided to focus on a diesel version instead. The switch was triggered partly by the imminent availability of a sound-augmentation system that would help provide appropriate noises for the first S crossover.
It’s also the first time Audi’s high-performance group has worked on a diesel vehicle. The production SQ5 uses a twin-turbo 313-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 TDI; it’s the same engine that’s in Europe’s A6 Avant, which we drove last year. The engine is aggressive and impressive—it simply transforms the Q5’s character when compared with the single-turbo 245-hp, 3.0-liter diesel that will be offered in the crossover here for 2014. The transformation is particularly noticeable when you select dynamic mode, which sharpens the responses of the engine, chassis, and steering. There is far less turbo lag in the SQ5, and it delivers significantly more grunt across the entire power band. This leap is a bit surprising. The regular Q5’s 3.0 TDI already produces 428 lb-ft of torque; the SQ5 engine increases that figure to 479 lb-ft, and it’s available from 1450 to 2800 rpm. And thanks to the artificially enhanced sound of the SQ5, there is no mistaking the two engines; the hi-po version is accompanied by a sharp, V-8–like growl that’s audible even from outside the vehicle.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
BASE PRICE (GERMANY, MINUS VAT): $58,200
ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 181 cu in, 2967 cc
Power: 313 hp @ 4500 rpm
Torque: 479 lb-ft @ 1450 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.5 in
Length: 182.2 in
Width: 74.7 in Height: 64.0 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 4550 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.7 sec
Top speed: 155 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 22/28 mpg
Continued…