Transforming the A4 Into an SUV
By Erin Riches, Senior Editor
Date posted: 07-21-2008



We think it's normal to feel some trepidation when driving an SUV outside the United States, even a compact crossover like the 2009 Audi Q5. Utility vehicles don't get any kind of special treatment here in Valencia, Spain, and once you stray from the main motorways, the roads get narrow and drivers in subcompacts get fearless. Yet even as we're squeezing the Q5 between medieval buildings with tiny Renaults underfoot, we're relaxed, because Audi's new SUV is the right size.

Probably you're not surprised to hear this, as the 2009 Audi Q5 is built in Ingolstadt, Germany, from the same unibody platform architecture as the 2009 Audi A4. Both ride on a 110.6-inch wheelbase, and the Q5 is actually 3 inches shorter than the A4 sedan at 182.2 inches. Audi's compact SUV is 3 inches wider, however, at 74.8 inches from shoulder to shoulder.

Overall, the 2009 Audi Q5 feels a lot like the A4, albeit one that sits 7.8 inches off the ground. This is a space-efficient approach to SUV design, and it makes sense given that the U.S. is not the No. 1 market for the Audi Q5. Of course, we'll take a significant 28 percent chunk from overall production when the Q5 goes on sale here in March 2009, but Western European drivers are expected to buy up 38 percent of the annual run.

Full-on Luxury in a Compact SUV
Plenty of competition awaits the 2009 Audi Q5, and as you'd expect, its exterior proportions nearly match those of the BMW X3, Infiniti EX35, Land Rover LR2 and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK and Volvo XC60. Audi also names the Lexus RX 350 — the progenitor of the not-too-large luxury crossover SUV breed — as a likely rival, but the midsize RX is a few inches longer than the others.

The Bimmer and the Benz are the ones that matter most to Audi, though, and the dedication of the Ingolstadt designers to this rivalry is evident from the moment you open the driver door. The cheaper materials you typically see in this class are absent in the Q5, which has the same top-quality plastics, vinyls, leather and wood as the A4. The control layout is identical, too, and the only appreciable difference is the ability to outfit the Q5 with a panoramic sunroof.

Even without the extra-large skylight, the 2009 Audi Q5 manages to feel roomy whether you're seated in the front or rear. The rear seats recline, and Audi says fore/aft adjustment will be available, too. We catch a ride in a German-spec Q5, and there's ample space and comfort for all 70 inches and 150 pounds of us. We probably wouldn't say this about the X3 and certainly not the EX35.

Although the Q5's luggage capacity of 19 cubic feet doesn't seem like much compared to the 30 cubes of the BMW X3, the cargo bay feels roomier than that. With luck, the sturdy adjustable cargo tracks in the Euro-spec model will show up in the U.S. version.

Folding down the 60/40-split rear seats yields 55 cubic feet — 5 more than the '09 A4 Avant but 16 fewer than the Bimmer. A fold-flat front passenger seat will be optional.

Lots of Drivetrains, but Only One for Us
Europeans will also see a long list of optional drivetrains for the 2009 Audi Q5. The base combination is Audi's 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder (2.0 TDI) paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The next step up is a turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder (2.0T), followed by a direct-injection 3.2-liter gasoline V6 and a 3.0-liter diesel V6 (3.0 TDI). Audi's new seven-speed, dual-clutch S tronic transmission is standard for the 2.0T and both V6s.

In contrast, our Q5 will come only with the 3.2-liter FSI V6, rated at 270 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, and it will have a conventional six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. As in Europe, though, this automatic will drive all four wheels through the all-wheel drive. The center differential is located right behind the engine, and ordinarily it apportions 40 percent of available torque to the front wheels.

After driving both a Q5 3.2 and a Q5 3.0 TDI with the S tronic gearbox, we're feeling a little wistful. In contrast to most automated manual gearboxes, S tronic really does approach automatic-transmission levels of smoothness, and we putter along in Valencia's beach traffic without unduly irritating our passengers.

What really makes S tronic worthwhile, though, is its rapid response under full throttle, especially when you use the steering wheel paddle shifters. When the S tronic brain determines that you're driving with some commitment, it serves up rev-matched downshifts. Unfortunately, Audi is concerned that you might complain about rough shift quality with the S tronic.

A Capable V6
Most people will be content with the 3.2-liter V6's torque, as there's enough here to accommodate most driving situations. Still, this V6 lacks the low- and midrange punch of the Infiniti EX35's 3.5-liter V6, and as a result, the Q5 comes across as a bit less athletic.

In a utopian America untroubled by smog and high diesel prices, we'd prefer the 3.0 TDI, which offers 236 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. It moves the Q5 around with more muscle while offering acceptable refinement for a diesel.

Audi expects the U.S.-spec Q5 3.2 with the six-speed automatic to hit 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The Audi Q5 3.2 S tronic carries a 6.8-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time, so it might have a tenth-of-a-second advantage. If we were allowed to have the 3.0 TDI, it would hit the mark in 6.5 seconds. We've timed the EX35 at 6.3 seconds, and the X3 is far behind at 7.2. Audi's internal tests suggest the U.S.-spec 2009 Q5 will return about 17 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway.

Handles Well, but Don't Get the 20s
Keeping weight down in sport-utility vehicles is always a challenge, and no company knows this better than Audi, builder of the 5,400-pound Q7. However, we expect the 2009 Audi Q5 to come in about 1,000 pounds lighter than the full-size Q. In service of this goal, the company has used aluminum for the suspension links, reducing unsprung weight. The Q5 uses the same five-link front suspension design as the A4, while its multilink rear is shared with the A6 and A8 sedans.

Around turns, the Q5 feels balanced and secure, even if doesn't quite replicate the sport sedan feel of the EX35 and X3. The steering is precise, but as on the A4, the variable-ratio rack feels a little artificial in its weighting and feedback.

Audi will offer a selection of 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheels on the 2009 Audi Q5, and after experiencing a Q5 with both 235/45R20 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires and 235/55R19 Bridgestone Dueler H/T tires, we'd caution against getting the 20s. Even when we put the adaptive suspension in Comfort mode using the Audi Drive Select (ADS) interface that's part of the optional Multi Media Interface (MMI), the ride is simply too stiff, especially for those in the backseat. The 19s allow for much more compliance.

Audi's Balanced Approach
Although we might prefer to drive a 2009 Audi Q5 with an S tronic transmission, a torquey diesel engine and more alert steering, the compromise that Audi has worked out here just might be the best one in the small luxury crossover SUV class.

The Q5 looks and feels more luxurious than either the X3 or the GLK, and it's simply more practical than the EX35. In addition, Filip Brabec, Audi USA's general manager of product planning, tells us the Q5 will offer "usual Audi pricing" in this segment, meaning this luxury crossover will likely come in a bit less expensive than its German rivals.

Premium-brand manufacturers are just beginning to figure out the way to build compact luxury utility vehicles that Americans actually want to drive. The 2009 Audi Q5 is perhaps the first small luxury SUV we've driven that feels like a complete package. It's pleasant to drive, capable of carrying four adult passengers, and almost everything about it feels upscale enough to justify what you'll pay for it.

Audi picks Puebla, Mexico, as the site for a plant to supply more U.S.-market vehicles.

"We are proud that Audi, a leading European premium manufacturer, has chosen our country as a future production base," Rafael Moreno Valle, governor of the state of Puebla, said.

Audi is a unit of German automaker Volkswagen Group, which also sells the Volkswagen brand. Audi and the VW Group said today that, after a wide site search, they have decided to construct a factory at San Josι Chiapa in Puebla, and will build the successor to the Audi Q5 SUV there for sale globally.

Factory construction is to start in 2013, and production is to begin in 2016.

The Volkswagen brand builds Jettas and Beetles at a factory in Puebla. The Audi site is about 40 miles from there.

Audi spokesman Brad Stertz said Audi "wanted to build a ground-up, 100% Audi plant." It's close enough the VW site to share relevant suppliers, he says. The Q5 is different enough from the VWs built at Puebla that there're no manufacturing synergies, so no overwhelming argument to expand the VW plant to also build Audis.

He says all Q5s sold worldwide will come from Puebla. And it only will build Q5s, at least in the foreseeable future. U.S. Q5s currently come from Audi's Ingolstadt factory near its German h.q.

Stertz said moving Q5 out of Ingolstadt leaves room to build more A4s and A5s.

Puebla will be able to build 150,000 per year and the U.S. will get bout 26% -- 39,000 vehicles. Audi sold about 25,000 in the U.S. last year and is on track to hit 30,000 this year.

Audi says it needs the new factory to hit the ambitious sales goals set for it in VW Group's plan to become inarguably the world's biggest car company, measured by sales.

Audi cited site conditions, logistics links, infrastructure, well-qualified employees and living quality as the reasons for choosing San Josι Chiapa, in the State of Puebla, Central Mexico. It also has good schools for the kids of Audi people assigned to work there, the company noted.

• SQ5 with 3.0 TFSI engine at the Detroit Auto Show
• From zero to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 5.3 seconds
• 250 km/h (155 mph) top speed

The new Audi SQ5 shown at the Detroit Auto Show is the first ever to be powered by a gasoline engine – in this case one producing 260 kW (354 hp) and 470 Nm (346.65 lb-ft) of torque. The new top-of-the-line model, which was designed specifically for markets such as the United States, Canada and China, uses a 3.0 TFSI engine with forced induction. It sprints from zero to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 5.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The new SQ5 is powered by a free-revving, supercharged, three-liter V6 engine with a displacement of 2,995 cc. Its compressor sits in the 90-degree V of the cylinder banks and is belt-driven by the crankshaft. Two rotors inside the supercharger spin at over 20,000 rpm. The air gap between them is just a few thousandths of a millimeter. The supercharger compresses the intake air to as much as 0.8 bar; two intercoolers then cool it for greater power.

The compressor is located downstream of the throttle valve. Its drive requires little engine power, as the density of the intake air is very low at loads below the supercharging level and when coasting. Torque develops early and quickly due to the short gas paths downstream of the supercharger. Various measures dampen compressor noise. A balance shaft in the engine’s alloy crankcase provides for greater smoothness. Adjustable intake camshafts and flaps in the intake ports provide for good charging efficiency in the combustion chambers.

The 3.0 TFSI engine produces 260 kW (354 hp) between 6,000 and 6,500 rpm, and delivers 470 Nm (346.65 lb-ft) of torque to the crankshaft between 4,000 and 4,500 rpm. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) takes just 5.3 seconds – best in its class. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). The Audi SQ5 consumes on average 8.5 liters of fuel per 100 km in the NEDC (21 US mpg). This equates to CO2 emissions of 199 grams per kilometer (320.26 g/m) in the NEDC.

An eight-speed tiptronic and quattro permanent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring transfer the power of the SQ5 firmly to the road. The fast-shifting automatic transmission offers two modes, and the driver can also switch gears manually via the standard shift paddles on the steering wheel.

The chassis of the Audi SQ5 lowers the body 30 millimeters (1.18 in). The springs and shock absorbers are more tautly tuned for a sporty and balanced setup. The 20-inch wheels are fitted with 255/45-series tires; 21-inch wheels are available. The brake calipers on the front axle sport the SQ5 badge. The electromechanical steering not only plays a major role in the efficiency of the SQ5, it also provides very precise road feel. Audi also offers the optional dynamic steering with a steplessly variable ratio. Control of it is integrated in the optional Audi drive select system, which allows the driver to switch among several modes in various systems.

The platinum gray radiator grille with its horizontal double bars in aluminum look, the distinctive bumpers and the roof spoiler are particularly eye-catching. V6 T badges adorn the front fenders. The gloss package and exterior mirrors in aluminum look accentuate the windows. In addition, there are two exclusive crystal-effect finishes: Estoril Blue and Panther Black.

Sportiness carries over to the interior. The instruments feature gray dials and white numerals; the pedals and shift paddles have a shiny aluminum-look finish.

The interior is bathed in black, with the headlining optionally available in Moon Silver. The standard power-adjustable sport seats are covered with a combination of Pearl Nappa leather and Alcantara, with four different colors of leather optional. The standard inlays are brushed aluminum. Options include Carbon Atlas, Piano finish or layered aluminum and wood in Beaufort black.

The SQ5 is scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealerships in the third quarter of 2013. The list of standard equipment is extensive. In addition to the aforementioned features, there are also xenon plus headlights with LED daytime driving lights, a stainless-steel loading-sill protector and a driver information system with color display. The luggage compartment offers up to 1,560 liters (59.33 cu ft) of capacity.

Audi can supply this dynamic SUV with an array of optional assistance and infotainment systems. MMI navigation plus and the Bluetooth online car phone provide the Internet services from Audi connect to the vehicle.

The Audi SQ5 has been designed specifically for the following markets: United States, Canada, Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the Ukraine. In Germany and many other European markets, the SQ5 TDI takes its place as the sporty top model in its series.