Audi SQ5 2013 review: first drive

From the depths of German forests comes an SUV that is so explosive, so clinically good at its job that it will redefine what you think about family haulers. Yes, this one's for real - a wagon with all the versatility you want, with the luxury features you deserve and the head snapping performance you crave.

The Audi SQ5 makes so much sense that it will make you sit up and say unashamedly: "Hey, maybe the wife is right - we need an SUV''. The first "S'' sports machine from Audi with a diesel engine adds another tempter - it will be cheaper than the S4 wagon - expected at about $110,000 - when it gets here in the second quarter of next year.

Boasting 230kW/650Nm, the SQ5 is based - as the name suggests - on the revamped Q5 SUV. Australia starts getting the mid-life makeover Q5 in December.

VALUE

Explore the 2013 Audi SQ5 range

• Audi SQ5 2013 review: first drive
• Audi SQ5 2013 review: snapshot
• Audi SQ5 TDI 2013 review
• Audi SQ5 2013 review

Expect about $110,000 for a machine that has many of the dynamics of the S4 and yet has a generous and flexible cabin - not to mention very well equipped - and you have a vehicle that has the best of two worlds. The price includes heaps of equipment - and Audi Australia promises it will arrive in standard form heavily clothed - but there's a few A4 sheets of paper loaded with tempting options.

It comes with 20-inch alloys but there's 21-inch on offer, there's Drive Select that controls settings for the chassis, full leather upholstery and alcantara, real wood and aluminium laminate trim, brilliant sat-nav that can be upgraded to Audi's "Connect'' system that reaches into the internet and Google Earth, and so on. It's a feast - you just have to pay the entry fee.

DESIGN

The Q5 has been around since 2008 and the shape is a benign expression of how Germans mix form with function. It's practical not beautiful. But the cabin is perfectly appointed and the size is more socially justifiable than the behemoth Q7.

New for this mid-life makeover are a new nose and lots of LEDs. The SQ5 adds more aggressive body kit and sits 30mm lower than the standard Q5 range. The boot floor is flat and makes a lipless connection when the tailgate is open to ease loading. Australia gets a space-saver spare wheel but Europeans get a can of goo and a compressor.

TECHNOLOGY

The engine is the heart of the SQ5, It also features in next year's A6 and A7. This bi-turbo V6 mates to ZF's eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters, then routes to all wheels.

The steering is electromechanical to save 0.3 L/100km of fuel but the fact it's electric means it integrates perfectly into the Drive Select system that offers different settings for engine response, transmission function, the firmness of the suspension dampers and the weight of the steering.

The package will push to 100km/h from rest in a mere 5.1 seconds, claim up to 7.2 L/100km (I got 9.5 L/100km) and basically scare the wits from unsuspecting traffic.

SAFETY

The basic Q5 is the same as before so keeps its five-star crash rating. There’s a raft of standard safety gear but Audi will allow you to spend extra money on side assist, adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

Standard is a rear camera and Driver Assist that monitors the driver's behaviour. For example, a nodding head or erratic road manners are deemed to indicate a tired driver, so visual and audible alarms are triggered.

DRIVING

Few cars will get your full attention within seconds of getting behind the wheel. This is one. It's because it has few diesel characteristics. It sounds like a big-bore petrol V8 (thanks to a sound amplifier) and delivers on that promise.

It has a deep-throated purr at low revs, and roars like a V8 at anything above 3000rpm. It will race - much to the driver's alarm - towards and past the 5000rpm red line. This is no diesel, well, not a diesel we're used to.

The two turbos are different is size, so one simmers in the low revs and the other boils at the top. Yet they don't work separately and in concert will pour on the boost until the driver is exhausted. If you think that's good, try the box. The ratios bump in and out like a tuned dual clutch unit and seamlessly open the gates to the power flow.

The handling is superb. Dial in the "dynamic'' setting and feel the steering firm and the suspension tighten. It will run an accurate arc through a fast corner without even blinking. Yet the ride is compliant and sure-footed.

VERDICT

Basically,  I love it. I wouldn't buy a sedan or wagon with this engine because it's too much a one-horse device. But this SUV that runs with the wolves as easily as chilling out at chow time with the lambs, is my cup of tea.