If travelling through Europe, keep your eyes peeled and you just might see two of the most desirable station wagons on the planet: the gorgeous Audi RS4 Avant and the ballistic RS6 Avant. Both are flared-out, incredibly powerful, shod with steamroller-sized rubber and, most importantly, not available here.
No sir, there hasn’t been a fast wagon in Audi’s North American fleet since the departure of the much-missed S4 Avant in 2008 — shame.
The small Euro-wagon has been mostly supplanted by the compact crossover, with many buyers preferring the higher seating position and accepting the compromised handling that comes with it. The public has voted with their wallets, and Audi’s Q5 has just passed even perennial favourites like the 3-series and C-Class in total sales this year.
But what if you want both the friendly aspects of Audi’s crossover with some of that hot-wagon driving fun? Here’s the latest car to join the S-stable, and the quad-tailpipes out back suggest this is more than just your average luxo-pod.
Design
One of the nicer things about Ingolstadt’s hotter versions is that they’re rarely overwrought. As mentioned, the SQ5 gets the same quad-tailpipe treatment out back as does the strong-selling S4 sedan, and it also gets those tell-tale angled red-rectangles. Standard wheel size is a biggish 20”, with optional 21” as an upgrade, but note that a 19” alloy will clear brakes for winter use. There’s a space-saver spare tire out back so no need to run expensive run-flats.
Other than a few minor clues such as big, S-rated brake calipers peeking out from behind the upgraded alloys, the SQ5 would be hard to pick out from a crowd of front-driver 2.0L models. Like all Q5s, it has that signature Audi grille up front, large enough to make you wonder if the car runs on plankton, but the side profile is actually quite reserved.
In fact, the only real critique here is the badges that give the game away somewhat. The fender-mounted V6T in chrome is particularly egregious, although it’d be quick work to get rid of it.
Environment
As it’s an S4 on stilts, you won’t be surprised to hear that the SQ5’s insides are practically copy-and-pasted from the sport sedan. Optional carbon-fibre trim sets off a cabin furnished with embossed leather sport seats up front, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, plenty of brushed-chrome accents, and at least half-a-dozen S-badges.
It looks great, and the seats are quite comfortable without being so heavily bolstered that it’s hard to climb in. The trunk is a useful size for a vehicle that doesn’t seem all that large parked curbside, and the rear seats appear to have enough leg room for adults.
Any drawbacks are down to the crossover upon which the SQ5 is based. Thus, the rear seats might look adult-friendly, but the seat bottoms are too low for long-legged comfort, and they aren’t as cushy as the accommodations up front. There’s also a huge transmission tunnel bisecting the back row, which makes this five-seater really more of a four-seater.
Performance
Tucked in behind that gargantuan grille is an engine worthy of the S-badging: a 354hp supercharged 3.0L V6. It makes peak power at 6000rpm, but peak torque comes in a little later — 347lb/ft at 4000rpm.
Found elsewhere in the Audi range, this is a great engine, one of their best. It’s powerful enough to make a behemoth like the seven-seater Q7 feel spry, so when shoe-horned into something lighter, it’s just plain great.
Er, that’s only a tad lighter. The SQ5 is actually a bit heavy, what with all the luxury goodies, strong chassis, and all-wheel-drive differentials. It’s not a big vehicle, but it does tip the scales at more than 2,000kg.
Even so, the eight-speed transmission and supercharged-V6 do a great job of getting this sporty crossover up and off the line. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive means every last horsepower gets to the ground with suction-cup grip, and the supercharged engine is extremely responsive.
Start hammering the SQ5 through the curves, and it’s not quite as sharp as you could hope for. Like other Audi S-cars, the SQ5 has their Drive Select system, which allows the driver to change the dynamics of chassis, transmission, and engine note between three settings. Even in the most-aggressive Dynamic mode, the feel and feedback coming through that flat-bottomed steering wheel isn’t quite enough. There’s also a bit more body-roll than expected.
Overall, the SQ5 isn’t a hard-core performance machine, but merely a sportier version of the Q5 — and that’s pretty much what you’d expect. It’s not a track car, it’s a road car, but it’s very good at its job.
Fighting traffic, the higher seating position makes it really easy to see flow patterns up ahead and dodge left lanes clogged by someone turning.
The transmission quickly kicks down and the all-wheel drive grips when you’re making a quick turn onto a busy road, and there’s oodles of passing power for getting past a spray-flinging semi-trailer on the highway.
It’s an all-rounder, and as that’s what a crossover is supposed to be, the SQ5 gets top marks. Gearheads might fondly dream of that unobtainable uber-fast Audi Avant instead, but in the real world, the SQ5 gets pretty much everything right.
Features
Despite a price tag starting off at $57K and moving rapidly North from there, many options have to be selected to get the SQ5 you actually want.
That great-looking carbon-fibre trim mentioned early on? That’ll be $500, thanks.
Satellite Navigation is also an option, and an expensive one at that: $3,200, though it does come bundled with front and rear parking assist. Blind spot monitoring is also available.
Despite the power bump, the SQ5 is fairly reasonable in terms of fuel economy. Official ratings are 13.2L/100kms in the city and 8.5L/100kms on the highway — while premium fuel is required, these are pretty accurate numbers.
Green Light
Strong acceleration; plenty of grip; stylish interior.
Stop Sign
Sedate exterior; not enough steering feedback; heavy curbweight.
The Checkered Flag
The all-rounder: a crossover for the crossfit crowd.
