Audi Q5 and SQ5 2013 Review - International

OVERVIEW

Audi has sold 8083 examples of the mid-size luxury SUV in Australia since June 2009, including about 2800 last year, when it represented about one-fifth of the German brand’s local sales, eclipsing the sales of even the A4 sedan and making it the nation’s most popular luxury SUV.

The Q5 has been outsold only by the Range Rover Evoque in the first half of this year, but Audi expects the facelifted model – due in local showrooms in December – to further boost Q5 sales and retain its volume status quo over the A4 (excluding the new A4 Avant).

Joining the larger seven-seat Q7 on sale in Europe in 2008, the Q5 has attracted more than 430,000 global sales in the last 3.5 years, and has since been joined in Audi’s expanding SUV range by the compact Q3.

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Expect the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel and petrol models – the $62,200 2.0 TDI and $63,400 2.0 TFSI - to remain the top-selling Q5 variants, while the SQ5 will eclipse the $75,500 3.0 TDI as the range-topping Q5 model, priced around $110,000.

From lunch, the upgraded Q5 line-up will continue to comprise four all-wheel drive automatic-only models (Europe’s front-drive base model will not be available here, because of its similarity in price to the smaller Q3), each equipped with direct-injection engines and fuel-saving idle-stop systems.

Full Australian Q5 specifications are not yet decided, but from launch both four-cylinder Q5s came with 17x7.0-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels with 235/65-section tyres, plus rear parking sensors, ‘leather/leatherette’ seat trim, Bluetooth phone connectivity, cruise control, a six-CD/10-speaker/180-Watt sound system, a multi-function steering wheel, daytime running lights and automatic headlights and wipers.??

V6 variants added 18-inch 10-spoke alloys with 235/60-section tyres, keyless starting, powered front seats, full Milano leather trim, a sports steering wheel, three-zone climate-control and woodgrain interior highlights.??

From the Q5’s local launch options included Audi’s third-generation MMI Navigation Plus with 40GB hard-drive, the Audi Drive Select adaptive damping and transmission system, Xenon Plus headlights with LED daytime running lights, Adaptive Cruise Control, a panoramic glass sunroof, folding front passenger seat and hill-hold function. From launch, metallic paint was a pricey $1900 option, while Milano leather was $3240 on 2.0-litre Q5s.

Next up is the Q5 2.0 TFSI Tiptronic quattro (currently $63,400), powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 165kW (up 10kW) and an unchanged 350Nm. Now matched with an eight-speed torque converter Tiptronic auto (instead of an S-tronic dual-clutch auto), the 2.0 TFSI quattro can hit 100km/h in 7.1 seconds (down 0.1 seconds) and return 7.9L/100km (down 0.6L/100km).

Opening the six-cylinder Q5 range is the 3.0 TFSI Tiptronic quattro, which replaces the 3.2 FSI S-tronic quattro (currently $73,500) and eschews the latter’s naturally aspirated 3.2-litre petrol V6 for Audi’s supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, which also powers the A5, A7, Q7 and, in top-shelf guise, the 245kW/440Nm S4.

In this case the blown V6 offers up 200kW (up 5kW) and 400Nm (up 70Nm), accelerating the Q5 to 100km/h a second quicker in 5.9 seconds while reducing fuel consumption by 0.8L/100km to 8.5L/100km.

Topping the revised Q5 range, for now, will be the 3.0 TDI S-tronic quattro, which is motivated by an improved 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 delivering 180kW (up 4kW) and 580Nm (up 80Nm). The result is the same 6.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration, but 1.1L/100km lower fuel consumption, at 5.4L/100km.

While the Q5 hybrid quattro remains unavailable in right-hand drive guise, due on sale in Europe in early 2013 and in Australia by next March or April is the new SQ5, Audi’s first diesel-powered S model.

The top-shelf Q5 packs Audi’s all-new 3.0-litre biturbo diesel V6, increasing performance over the 3.0 TDI engine’s single-turbo V6 diesel by no less than 50kW and 70Nm, to a bullocking 230kW and 650Nm, which out-muscles the 230kW/630Nm twin-turbo 3.0-line inline six-cylinder diesel-powered BMW X3 35d that is so far unavailable in Australia.

Due to debut Down Under in the A6 and A7 ‘biturbo’ early next year, the new sequential-turbo diesel engine consumes just 7.2L/100km in the Q5, yet blasts it to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds, making it quicker than the mighty V12 diesel-powered Q7 6.0 TDI.

Befitting its station at the top of the Q5 tree, the SQ5 rides as standard on 30mm-lower suspension and 20-inch alloys (21s will be optional) and is stopped by huge 380mm front brake rotors.

Apart from an exhaust ‘speaker’ to make it sound like a V8, the SQ5 also features double chromed grille slats, a rooftop spoiler and more aggressive front and rear bumpers.

Like all facelifted Q5s, the SQ5 also comes with electro-mechanical – rather than hydraulic – power steering with a gear ratio of 15.9:1, reaping fuel consumption reductions of about 0.3L/100km and making some models up to 15 per cent more efficient.

Dynamic steering is a new option made possible by the new electric steering system, offering the ability to tighten the steering ratio by almost 100 per cent, but the Q5’s fundamental chassis remains otherwise unchanged, with a firmer S Line suspension tune and Continuous Damper Control remaining on the options list.

All Q5 models are now also differentiated by Xenon plus headlights with full wraparound LED daytime running lights and a revised front bumper comprising a chamfered upper grille corners.

Inside, the Q5 scores a redesigned MMI infotainment controller, revised dashboard controls and, for the SQ5, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, aluminium and cool black Beaufort woodgrain highlights and Alcantara headlining.

Also new to the Q5 is the latest-generation Audi Connect system, which incorporates Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Street View and will become available in Australia in the first quarter of next year.

Unlike the front-drive biased clutch-operated Haldex system, which is shared with Volkswagen models and misleadingly also carries the quattro name on Audis A3 and TT, the Q5’s all-wheel drive system directs 60 per cent of engine torque to the rear wheels in normal conditions, but can send 65 per cent to the front axle and 85 per cent to the rear if required.

All Q5 variants feature independent five-link front and trapezoidal-link rear suspension, an electromechanical parking brake and a maximum unbraked towing capacity of 750kg/2400kg.?
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The Q5 doesn’t offer the larger Q7’s seven-seat capability, but can still swallow a Holden Commodore-beating 540 litres of luggage behind its rear seats, extending to 1560 litres with them folded. Before BMW’s new X3 arrived, the Q5 also offered best-in-class aerodynamics (with a drag coefficient of 0.33Cd).

Now joined Down Under by the smaller Q3, the Q5 measures a sizeable 4629mm long, 1880mm wide and 1653mm high - making it 74mm shorter than the A4 Avant but 44mm wider and 216mm higher - and rides on a similar 2807mm wheelbase to the A4. The rear bench seat slides 100mm fore/aft, is split 40/20/40 and its seatbacks can be folded via side or rear levers.

Other key dimensions include 200mm of ground clearance, a 25-degree approach angle, a 500mm maximum fording depth and 31-degree incline capability. No full-size spare wheel/tyre is available for the Q5, which makes do with a space-saving temporary spare that’s restricted to 80km/h.?

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There is also a hill descent control system that works between nine and 30km/h, while a unique extension to the non-switchable Bosch 8.1 stability control system reduces the system's threshold if it detects roof racks fitted to the standard aluminium roof rails – whether or not they are carrying a load, which Audi says is limited to 100kg.??Like many luxury cars, however, the Q5 also features adaptive front airbags – a 64-litre job for the front passenger and 120 litres for the driver – that use sensors in the front seat rails to calculate the distance between the occupants to the airbag, and then deploy the airbags accordingly.

Although both airbags always fully deflate during a crash, if the impact is not severe and the passenger is positioned close to the airbag some of the inflating gas is released and the head and chest are cushioned relatively gently, while the airbags remain fully inflated for longer during a severe crash or if the impact is not very strong but the passenger is further back.

Similarly, the front seatbelt force-limiters deploy according to the situation by incorporating two torsion bars connected by toothed wheels. In less critical situations, the torsion bars are separated at an earlier stage, giving the belt a greater range of movement, while in severe crashes the torsion bars are either disconnected later or not at all, restraining passengers more firmly. As in any severe crash, the fuel pump is automatically shut down during rear-end impacts.

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While the latter continues to offer good value with a sub-$60,000 starting price for the six-cylinder 3.2, BMW’s new X3 – which has grown to the same size as the original X5 – opens at $59,500 with a 2.0-litre petrol engine.

The Evoque’s class dominance looks set to continue, however, with the imminent addition of entry-level 2WD models that will lower the starting price of the compact Rangie – which come in both five-door and three-door ‘coupe’ body styles, to below $50,000.

But while BMW offers M-badged X5 and X6 models and both models are now also available here with a new tri-turbo diesel six, so far the Bavarian brand has no direct answer for the SQ5 in the form an X3 M.??Similarly, Mercedes-Benz – which once produced a diesel-powered AMG model that wasn’t sold here - sells AMG-fettled M-Class, G-Class and, soon, GL-Class SUVs, but does not yet offer the Q5-rivalling GLK in Australia.??

Until the Range Rover Evoque arrived, it was also the nation’s top-selling luxury SUV, attracting about 20 per cent of sales to become Audi Australia’s best-selling single model.

Audi hasn’t rested on its laurels despite the Q5’s stand-out success over the past three years, however, making all four engines more powerful yet more efficient – not just via the standard fitment of a fuel-saving idle-stop system or, in the case of both petrol models, the move from a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to an eight-speed auto.

In the case of the six-cylinder petrol Q5, the switch from the Volkswagen group’s naturally aspirated 3.2-litre V6 to Audi’s newer supercharged 3.0-litre V6 brings a considerable gain in peak torque and acceleration, while also reducing fuel consumption by almost 1.0L/100km.

Naturally, therefore, the petrol-six Q5 feels far more spritely than before – and now also offers the added allure of a subtle whine of a mechanical blower – but it doesn’t feel significantly quicker than the cheaper 2.0 TFSI turbo-four, which in turn benefits from running changes – including dual variable valve control and reduced internal friction - that drop 0-100km/h acceleration by one-tenth while reducing fuel consumption by 0.6L1/00km.

No, we didn’t match the claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 7.9L/100km in the 2.0 TFSI, but 10.8L/100km after discovering it still revs cleanly to 6250rpm and can hit 220km/h on an unrestricted German autobahn in sixth gear (with two cogs to go!) is still pretty good.

In short, the 2.0 TFSI offers up petrol-six-approaching performance with lower consumption and a lower pricetag, although there is some cabin drone around 1200rpm as the eight-speed auto selects its higher ratios on the highway and, while they’re smoother than both diesels. neither petrol model offers the midrange punch of the 3.0 TDI.

Indeed, the greatest advances have been achieved by the 2.0 TDI, which is almost a second quicker to 100km/h while cutting fuel consumption by a full litre over the model it replaces, despite coming as standard with the same seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

We think the subtle midlife makeover, which eschews the original Q5’s optional 12-LED daytime running light ‘eyebrows’ for a LEDs that now wrap fully around the headlights, is a sufficient cosmetic advance for a model that didn’t need much fixing.

But the piece des resistance of the Q5 facelift is the brilliant new SQ5, which fits two sequential turbos to Audi’s single-turbo 3.0-litre diesel to lift outputs by no less than 50kW and 70Nm.

The result is a cracking 230kW and 650Nm, which out-muscles the 230kW/630Nm twin-turbo 3.0-line inline six-cylinder diesel-powered BMW X3 35d that remains unavailable in Australia, but falls short of the 280kW/740Nm tri-turbo 3.0-litre diesel six in BMW’s X5 and X6 M50d M Performance models.

Therefore, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 5.1 seconds, the SQ5 is not quite as quick as the X6 M50d (4.7 seconds), but the smaller and lighter Audi SUV feels just as muscular from idle and in the midrange, launching from city speeds with startling athleticism, and is still quicker than most modern V8 sports sedans.

The bi-turbodiesel’s exhaust amplifier even offers a hairy-chested burble that’s suitably refined at 100km/h, when the oil-burning six spins at 1500rpm, but bellows like a petrol under hard acceleration all the way to its lofty 5250rpm redline.

We couldn’t get enough of the SQ5’s beefy mid-range torque surge and consequently fell well short of its 7.2L/100km consumption claim, at 9.5L/100km, which is still quite respectable given the hair-raising performance on hand here.

Like all facelifted Q5s, the SQ5 also comes with electro-mechanical – rather than the original Q5’s Servotronic road-speed variable hydraulic power steering hydraulic – which was a good match to the super-Q5’s tighter chassis and hefty 380mm front brake rotors.

Audi’s first diesel-powered S model – and its first S-badged SUV – might have been a long time coming and won’t be cheap at around $110,000, but for those that want the ultimate Q5, Audi now has the answer.