Audi SQ5 ABT Sportsline beats RS Q5 to the punch

The new-generation Audi SQ5 has been criticised for being slower than its popular predecessor and for diluting its performance image by replacing traditional 'S' model quad exhaust pipes with fake outlets.

Audi could be saving the aggressive visual treatment for its mooted RS Q5, but for now it's left the door open for companies like aftermarket German tuner ABT Sportsline to deliver performance SUV fans something sportier today.

Available now in Australia, the ABT body kit is imported from Germany, fitted by the company and priced at up to $7000, plus around $2000 for labour.

Add in a 313kW engine boost and the entire ABT makeover is not cheap at around $13,000, but it seems customer demand is there for the full-monty upgrade of a model that has traditionally comprised about a third of all Q5 sales Down Under.

"Most customers choose the whole kit, but owners can just buy the rear skirt and exhaust system if that's what they want," said ABT Sportsline Australia managing director, Richard Harter.

"A lot of customers requested a real exhaust, to replace the fake outlets of the original," he added.

The new Audi SQ5 is a neat machine, packing a turbo-petrol 3.0-litre V6 that belts out 260kW and 500Nm -- good enough for a 5.4-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

But it remains to be seen whether it proves as popular as the previous SQ5, which had a tougher appearance and a twin-turbo diesel V6 that delivered more torque and accelerated the mid-size SUV faster to 100km/h, in 5.1sec.

ABT Sportsline's SQ5 kit features a new front bumper, rear apron with diffuser, side skirts, roof spoiler and exhaust system.

The engine boost option adds a second, slave ECU (allowing the original ECU to be serviced), hiking power from 260kW/500Nm to 313kW/550Nm. On its own the performance tune costs $3990.

Harter says the power upgrade is significant without being overkill, the idea being that it's more reliable and affordable to add a new ECU than pull the engine apart and add new bits.

"For the engine power upgrade, most of our customers' cars are daily drivers. Our engineers in Germany take the car and develop what can be done with the stock standard vehicle.

"We then take over the [new car] warranty so if something goes wrong, we cover the driveline."

The company services customers in Australia and New Zealand and, although Harter wouldn't be drawn on overall sales, he stated that "sales have doubled every year for the last three years [in both countries]".

"We made the decision to have a base here [in Sydney] to look after our customers. It's a top-end premium product for prestige cars."

Is matching Audi's first RS Q5 in terms of looks and power, for a lower price, via a bolt-on aftermarket kit something that could catch on with prestige buyers? Have your say in the comments below.