Meet the brand-new, third-generation Audi SQ5. In Good News for executive German car platform enthusiasts, it's the first Audi SUV to use the Premium Platform Combustion, um, platform.
And in the freshly updated SQ5, there is plenty of combustion, because Audi has reverted to petrol power again, binning the old V6 TDI and slinging in a 3.0-liter V6 TFSI engine producing a heady 362hp and 550Nm of torque.
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That’s matched of course, to Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. We won’t know the performance details like acceleration and top speed until later this year but expect it to be ‘very’ and ‘much’.
We do know what it looks like. And it looks… actually really rather good, for an SUV. Purposeful. Sharp. The SQ5’s gloss black ‘singleframe’ grille, huge front air intakes and narrower OLED headlights feel better connected this time around. More cohesive. And definitely a little bit angry about something.
Round the rear of the SQ5 you’ll find the traditional quad exhausts underneath a redesigned rear diffuser that’s been integrated into the new bumper “as an island”. Yep, us neither. There are yet fancier rear OLED lights with ‘signatures’ and fancy tech, and it looks like there are some massive brakes sitting behind those SQ5-specific alloys, too.
Overall, whether it’s this SQ5 or the ‘regular’ new Q5, it’s a smart shape. Audi has worked hard on finessing the airflow so it scythes through the air better than the last one, and as good as a big, blocky SUV can.
Like the standard Q5, the SQ5 gets Audi's MHEV Plus hybrid setup, which smuggles in a pair of electric motors (one on the engine, one on the gearbox) and a tiny 1.7kWh battery to both boost efficiency and performance. This setup allows for some electric-only range, as well as a 24hp boost when required.
Naturally the SQ5 gets adaptive dampers, and apparently there’s a noticeably bigger spread between ‘comfort’ and ‘sport’ modes.
There’s a noticeably bigger jump inside, because the new SQ5 (and Q5) ditches the more convenient button-heavy interior cabin of the outgoing car and introduces the current affectation: massive touchscreens.
There are two OLED screens: an 11.9in virtual cockpit for the driver which continues to impress as it develops generation to generation, and a central, 14.5in panoramic MMI. Separately, you can option a third screen for the passenger – a 10.9in version your companion can use to play all the wrong music or totally fluff up the sat nav directions. HUD, too.
It’s better lit than before thanks to interior lighting and should be quieter via the medium of acoustic glazing in the windscreen and front windows. You can absolutely shatter that new-found ambience via the new audio setup – Bang & Olufsen on the SQ5 (optional for lesser trims), or Audi’s own sound system on the regular car.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
