Late to the Party but Expected to Raise the Luxury and Refinement BarFollowing in the footsteps of Audi's midsize Q7 crossover-SUV, the German luxury brand will soon introduce a smaller
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| Is this artist's rendering what the new Q5 will look like? (Photo: Artist's Rendering) |
variation to be built on Audi's next-generation compact A4 architecture, dubbed Q5.
"The Audi Q5 will be an overtly sporty vehicle that will add an important product to the Audi model range, commented Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. "The Audi Q5 will take us a big step closer to vehicle sales of 1.4 million per year, a target that we have set ourselves for 2015."
Although extremely late to the SUV party, Audi has long been revered for its quattro all-wheel drive technology, and through rally racing and other types of motorsport, competence off-road.
The Q5,
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| No doubt, if the Q5 looks as good as this rendering, BMW's cute ute is in for a heated contest. (Photo: Artist's Rendering) |
however, is not expected to deliver off-road capability to the same level of some others in this size and weight class, but rather follow the new trend of car-like on-pavement characteristics mixed with a taller ride height for light-duty off-road prowess. This market segment has been forged by Land Rover and its Freelander, BMW and its X3, and more recently Acura's soon to be released RD-X. Volvo has also announced plans to produce a smaller SUV, named XC50, while Lexus and Mercedes-Benz (an MLK?), among others will most likely respond with compact crossover-SUVs of their own. Especially noteworthy, Volkswagen will enter the market with a new compact SUV shortly too, dubbed Beduin. It is likely that the VW and Audi models will share chassis components and other parts, but unknown if a future compact Porsche CUV, to slot under the Cayenne, will get in on the action. Now that Porsche owns about 18 percent of VW, however, it carries a lot of clout if it chooses to push the issue.
While very little information about the Q5 is available, Audi will most likely not reinvent the wheel, so to speak, in order to bring it to market, meaning that the brand's various
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| Audi's going big with the new Q7, appropriately capable of hauling seven occupants. (Photo: Audi Canada) |
FSI-equipped four- and six-cylinder engines, as currently available in the A4, plus a bevy of high-efficiency diesel models will be offered - most likely the 2.0 TDI and 3.0-litre V6 TDI. Likely engines, incidentally to be mounted longitudinally, not transversely, are Audi's direct-injection 2.0-litre four and a 3.2-litre V6, while it is possible the 4.2-litre V8 could power an S-line version. A six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG lineup could round out the powertrain package options, other than its final drive system.
On this note, the Q5 should arrive with an updated version of Audi's acclaimed quattro all-wheel drive with a 40/60 percent front/rear torque bias, ideal for the CUV's light-duty purpose. Most sport utility owners only use their vehicles for normal, everyday activities,
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| In Germany, Audi's Q7 ads feature footage of its rally-dominating quattros in action. (Photo: Audi Canada) |
which may include traversing snow or ice, gravel or dirt, depending on where they live. The Q5 should also come equipped with hill-descent control and an adjustable air suspension, not to mention top-tier anti-skid/yaw control and traction control systems, allowing for greater stability in slippery conditions. The knowledge SUV owners have in believing they can "go anywhere" when needed plays a critical part the decision to purchase the vehicle type, mind you, so the allusion of a rough and tough lifestyle is necessary to convey such off-road capability - and the vehicle's "cool factor".
