Audi SQ5 3.0 TFSI Qu Tiptronic(A) Review
Sleeper Quattro Number 5

How about a sleeper version of the Audi Q5? It is quite a bit quicker, looks a little hotter, and still slips right under the radar gun (if you are wise enough).

So Mercedes-Benz went ahead with a coupe version of the GLC, slipped a 3.0 V6 under the hood, and called it AMG. Audi on the other hand, kept to the SUV styling, fiddled with some of the cosmetics (and some) to build their idea of what it should be. With SUVs bringing in the bulk of the car sales, it is no surprise that the German marque is doing its part in rolling out with the punches.

The S Q5 might slip under the radar, with its near vanilla styling, but to the trained car spotter, there are a few noticeable goodies apart from the red rhombus which adorns the front and rear. There is a new front bumper, with an additional chromed lip.

A closer look also reveals a larger rear wing (better looking, Audi also says it is functional). What we cannot agree on are the plastic mouldings which mimic tail pipes, similar to how a C Class Mercedes-Benz is. The vanilla Q5 gets this right with decorative finishers which actually lead somewhere.

With higher performance, our test S Q5 gets larger 255/40 R21 shoes, which fill up those wheel arches so well, and also slightly widens the track of the car. Overall, the S Q5 also sits 24mm lower than the Q5.

Like the Q5, the bonnet line flows right into the side profile of the S Q5, and cleverly hides the bonnet shutline. Flared wheel arches hint of the Quattro AWD abilities of the SUV. A little bit of visual trickery with the car presents itself with an earlier sloping roofline, visually helped by the sloping window profile, but in reality, there are millimetres of added space all around the interior of the Q5 body.