BLASTING AUDI SQ5 TDI REVEALED

Meet the Audi SQ5 TDI, the most powerful SUV in its class! And guess what? Yap, it’s powered by a diesel engine! Audi has always been at the forefront of performance. Remember the Ur-quattro that laid the foundation for today’s quattro systems? Or the RS 2 of the 1990s? Or the blistering RS 4?

A sporty, powerful SUV is also nothing new to Audi, if you look to the current forceful 1000Nm Q7 V12 TDI you’ll know what I’m talking about. So the SQ5 TDI comes from some serious pedigree, including that of the diesel kind. A quick glance at the figures more than confirms these thoughts. Fed through all four wheels via quattro and an 8-speed automatic, the mid-sized crosser is pushed forth by a 3.0-litre BiTDI (two turbo) motor scheming out 230kW and 650Nm of torque. We understand it can hit 0 – 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, reaching a top end of 250km/h some time later. At the same time, it’s said to fall just below the 6 litres per 100km mark when it comes to average fuel consumption.

Audi made some changes from the normal Q5, including lowering the suspension system by 30 millimetres, enhancing the exhaust note so that it sounds like a typical S car, using a special single-frame grille, putting on four tailpipes, standard 20-inch wheels (21-inch optional in the UK), piano black finishes inside and plenty of others.

Knowing the good folks down at Audi South Africa as well as we do, a local launch date has been touted as is being finalised as we speak. Only question will be pricing. With no real direct rivals – the closest being BMW’s X3 xDrive35i and xDrive30d, it will be interesting to see where they place it. For what it’s worth, the Audi SQ5 TDI launches in the UK this October at a price of around R590 000.