  2014 Audi SQ5. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Tom Sedens
The most obvious infusion in Audi’s S-ifying of the Q5 to make the SQ5 is under the hood. It sweeps away the base model’s engine options – the aging but still great 2.0T, the hybrid, the fantastic TDI diesel and even the lesser supercharged 3.0T – and replaces them with a stout, supercharged, direct-injection 3.0L V6. How stout? 354 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 347 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm stout, that’s how stout. All that goodness makes its way through an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission to all four corners via the legendary Quattro all-wheel drive.
Obviously fuel economy isn’t the goal here but it does all right – it’s rated at 13.2 L/100 km (18 mpg) in the city and 8.5 L/100 km (28 mpg) on the highway. I averaged an acceptable 13 L/100 km (18 mpg), and with 1,300 km on the odometer when I returned it, this vehicle isn’t nearly broken in yet. The fuel tank holds 75 L.
The point with S-models is the performance. And perform the SQ5 does. When you fire it up, you are rewarded with an immediate sonorous snarl. It settles down to a burble after a minute, but at that point, you’re likely rolling. The torque is immediate. I love that, regardless of how you’re driving, the juice is on tap.
As you putter around town, there’s simply no hesitation. Off the line, it’s a quick tap and you’re moving – no lag, no drama. Want to lay waste to the hoser beside you at the red light? Hammer on it, and the V6 snorts through the gears like a thoroughbred, galloping to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds. And it doesn’t stop there.
Cruising on the freeway and need to get by the beige Corolla taking up valuable real estate in the left lane? Long before you get the gas pedal to the floor, you’ll be treated to a crisp downshift to the exact gear you wanted (an impressive feat as it is) and immediate forward momentum. Not just momentum, but a hard pull. It’s easy to appreciate a power train that is equally docile and ballsy around town, and willing to run with the big dogs the moment you ask it to step up to the plate.
  2014 Audi SQ5. Click image to enlarge |
At first, I was disappointed to find that the transmission isn’t Audi’s spectacular S tronic dual-clutch. After driving the SQ5, however, I believe the Tiptronic is actually the right answer here. It is unflappable – however I drove it, it seemed to be in the right gear. Gear shifts are completely imperceptible, regardless of whether you’re burbling slowly to soccer practice, or whether you’re on it, full throttle. The gears can be shifted manually with the gear selector or paddles, and the shifts are actually quite quick, but I found the transmission’s Sport mode to be most rewarding. It will hold gears as long as it feels it needs to, and sharpens the vehicle’s responsiveness.
