Audi says its "must-have" Q5 compact SUV will arrive in local showrooms in the second quarter of 2009.
According to Audi Australia, local buyers can also expect another powerplant option for the Q5, adding to the original three-engine line-up announced at the Beijing auto show in April.
It's a case of on-again, off-again for the 3.2 V6, with Audi originally presenting the 3.2 V6 as an option for the Q5 before subsequently deciding against the additional petrol option. Now it seems the V6 will in fact be offered alongside the four-cylinder TFSI version come next year; we expect the petrol V6 Q5 to be the range-topper.
No word yet on the V6 TFSI's figures as-fitted to the Q5...
The four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI petrol engine is new, rated at 155kW/350Nm. Audi claims the TFSI-equipped Q5 consumes just 8.5L/100km and sprints from 0-100km/h in 7.2sec.
On the diesel front, the Q5 will, as mentioned already, count two turbodiesel engines within the range, displacing 2.0 and 3.0-litres respectively. The smaller four-cylinder oiler produces 125kW of power and 350Nm of torque, while the familiar Audi/VW V6 TDI is rated at 176kW/500Nm.
As well as vivid standing start acceleration (Audi claims 0-100km/h in 6.5sec!), expect exceptional in-gear and overtaking ability from the big turbodiesel.
Expect to see at least the 2.0 TDI offered with a six-speed manual but the big news for Q5 is the availability of Audi's new seven-speed 'S tronic' (the maker's version of DSG) dual-clutch transmission for the big (3.0) oiler and presumably the petrol V6. The S tronic can be left to its own devices to operate as a conventional automatic or shifted manually via steering-wheel mounted rocker switches.
The company claims it's created a new market segment with the Q5, calling it the "sports car for the SUV category" but the A4-based softroader already has its competition cut-out in the form of the BMW X3 and Land Rover Freelander II, although Audi regards the Land Rover as more of a hard-core SUV than the Q5. That doesn't mean buyers won't cross-shop the two, of course.
What makes the Q5 distinct, says Audi, is the compact SUV's sporty dimensions. The compact SUV measures 4.63m long and 1.88 wide, but only 1.65 high and boasts a drag coefficient of 0.33.
That makes the Q5 around 70mm shorter than its A5 Coupe/A4 sedan stablemate but longer than both the aforementioned BMW and Land Rover rivals (4.57 and 4.50m respectively). It's also lower than both the comparable European SUVs at 1.65m, but no wider, and is in fact closest to the erstwhile Lexus RX350.
All Q5 models use Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system, splitting drive 60:40 rear-to-front. In less than ideal conditions up to 85 per cent will be sent to the rear.
Audi says it is offering its first-ever compact SUV with full-size features by making it available with items from the Q7's luxury-level equipment list. Optional equipment is likely to include lane assistance and adaptive cruise control.
"We want to have those sort of options available in the same way that we did when we launched the A4," says company spokesperson Anna Burgdorf. "Nothing [equipment-wise] is set 100 per cent in concrete, but Q5 needs to be a highly competitive car."
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