Click to see the contenders: Audi RS Q3 | Audi SQ5 | BMW X5 M | Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT | Lexus NX200t F-Sport | Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG | Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG |
Check out the test summary here (click). Find the drag results here (click). The final verdict is here (click).
Audi SQ5
What? A turbodiesel SUV in this competition? Oh yes!
The Audi SQ5 became the first diesel Audi to wear the revered “S” badge. This has been a rather controversial move in the world of “S”, where the legendary World Rally Championship Audi quattro legends ran only on high octane petrol, and definitely not on diesel fumes.
Some would say it would be like putting a vintage 1,6-litre twin-port VW Beetle motor in a Porsche 911, and calling it an “S”.
At face value, and even compared to other RS and S Audi models, the SQ5 looks decidedly tame and understated. Discreet “V6T” badges on the flanks hardly shout out twin-turbo V6 diesel with 230 kW and 650 Nm of torque. Nor does the SQ5 badge on the tail alude to the true capability of this machine.
Some punters, after driving the Audi, were surprised to hear that it was actually a diesel. That’s how sweetly this V6 revs. (This effect is helped along with some clever acoustics tricks to create a specific engine “ambience” in the cabin.) But even watching from the outside, the V6T sounds more like a petrol V6 than a diesel.
But it’s that 650 Nm of torque, available from just 1450r/min, that is this “S” model’s coup d’etat. The thrust from anything above idle speed is momentous, and instantaneous. Boot this Audi out of a slow corner and a combination of the quattro drivetrain and that torque launches the SQ5 forward in a most impressive manner.
We’d had some reservations about including the diesel Audi in this test, but the SQ5 impressed everyone who drove it.
Vital stats – Audi SQ5
Engine: 2967cc, V6 twin-turbo diesel
Power: 230 kW @ 3900r/min
Torque: 650 Nm @ 1450r/min
Gearbox: Eight-speed Tiptronic
Tare weight: 1885kg
Power to weight ratio: 0,12 kW/kg
Drivetrain: Permanent quattro 4WD
Electronic aids: Traction/stability, launch control
Price: R867 000
Monthly instalments (approx): R17 820