AUDI SQ5 3,0T FSI QUATTRO TIPTRONIC

It might not be light, low to the ground or have only two seats, but the SQ5 is perfectly pitched at its target audience

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W5,72 sec 260 kw/500 N.m 250 km/h HEN Audi launched the first-generation SQ5 back in 2013, eyebrows were raised at the prospect of this premium compact SUV and its athletic aspirations. Under the bonnet lay not a high-revving petrol engine mated with Audi’s slick S tronic dual-clutch transmission, but a grunty 3,0-litre biturbo-diesel feeding power to all four corners via a torque-converter slush ‘box. The naysayers, however, were proven wrong and it found success not only globally, but also here in South Africa.

Fast-forward a brief four years and the idea of a performance compact SUV suddenly isn’t far-fetched. Porsche has the Macan S, GTS and Turbo, Jaguar the F-pace in supercharged V6 guise, BMW’S 9,96 L/100 km 189 g/km just launched the X3 M40i and Mercedes-amg would happily sell you a GLC43 (and, soon, a GLC63). It’s therefore the opportune time for a new SQ5 to debut.

Don’t expect more of the same from the flagship Q5, however. This time round, Audi South Africa has launched the SQ5 with a V6 turbopetrol (there was a supercharged one in the previous range, but it was never offered here). That means the new SQ5 perfectly matches its key competitors, which all use petrol power, but has the shift from diesel dented what made the previous SQ5 so appealing?

Let’s tackle the biggest alteration first – the engine. The 3,0-litre V6 unit under the fluted bonnet employs a twin-scroll turbocharger that sits between the 90-degree V of the cylinder banks, allowing for a more compact design and, Audi claims, minimal flow losses. That, in turn, should enhance response. Ingeniously, the V6 uses variable timing and valve-lift technology to operate more efficiently under part-load by effectively shortening the induction stroke and running a higher compression ratio.

Playing its part, too, in imbuing the SQ5 with an instantaneous burst of power at lower