[Auto] Official: Audi SQ5 Sportback TDI, with a 341 hp diesel V6

[#Steeven.™]

Barely a couple of months have passed since Audi unveiled the coupe-like body of its Q5, the so-called Audi Q5 Sportback. The German firm continues to "promote" this model, but now it releases all the data of the sports version, the Audi SQ5 Sportback TDI.

You already know that many of the new models in the Audi S range have put gasoline engines aside for a new diesel engine. In the case of the Audi SQ5 Sportback there is no exception. Under its hood is a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine.

 

A Mild Hybrid with 700 Nm of torque
The top-of-the-range Q5 Sportback family delivers 341 hp at full capacity. Meanwhile, its torque is 700 Nm, that is, huge, being available between 1,750 and 3,250 rpm. This, among other things, allows you to do 0 to 100 km / h in 5.1 seconds and obtain a limited top speed of 250 km / h.

This diesel engine -which is the same as the current S4, S5, S6 and S7- has a micro hybrid system. The 48 volt mild hybrid system stores electrical energy in a small battery. Afterwards, it is used so that the car can circulate by inertia with the heat engine switched off for up to 40 seconds. It also moves the electric compressor and is responsible for starting the vehicle through the alternator generator.

It goes without saying that, as in the rest of the brand's cars with this engine, it has an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Nor is it missing the typical Audi stamp, which is none other than the quattro traction system with variable torque distribution. Optionally, a sports differential can be installed for the rear axle, which will give the model more agility.

Audi SQ5 Sportback, more than an SUV
As usual, the aesthetic changes are timid in this Audi SQ5 Sportback compared to the normal Q5 Sportback. The bumpers have some slight variations, but we did find a more marked diffuser with four simulated tailpipes, specific side skirts and differently designed wheels, among others.

The standard wheels are 20 inches with 255/45 tires, hiding 375 mm discs and six-piston fixed aluminum calipers in the front end. Nor is it missing a sports suspension with 30mm lowered suspension. Another interesting option is the adaptive air suspension, which will change the hardness of the chassis depending on the driving mode selected in the drive select.

The German brand states that the launch of the Audi Q5 Sportback and the Audi SQ5 Sportback will take place in the first half of next 2021, although it is not specified more specifically and their prices are not known at the moment. By the way, it is manufactured in Mexico together with the "normal" Q5 for everyone except for the Chinese market, which they produce themselves on the CKD line at the Changchun plant.