The 2014 Audi SQ5 is an ultra-hot hatch in SUV drag

Scratching the fast-wagon itch.

Audi insists on keeping its quirky ultraperformance hatchbacks from America, whether it's the bonkers twin-turbo RS6 Avant, the slightly less cuckoo RS4 Avant, or the beastly V12 diesel Q7 with its 738 lb-ft of torque. We never even got the S3. The company just won't let Americans have the cool wagons—and the 560-hp RS7, which we do get, is too sexy to be strange. To borrow an old line: We want the funk! Give us the funk!

Think of the SQ5 as an olive branch for fans of the fast hatchback. It's admittedly not the kind of rig that will please wagon lovers, and unlike an R8, it isn't likely to make neighborhood children break out in fits of joy. But it might make their lead-footed parents salivate. That's because the SQ5 is quick, dignified, and practical in equal measure. It's a sensible vehicle with enough firepower to crush just about any crossover in a quarter of a mile. And in typical Audi form, it's a sleeper so subtle that you'll have to look hard at the details—quad exhaust pipes, wider wheels and tires, silver-toned trim—before you realize you're staring at something special.


Audi's familiar supercharged 3.0-liter V6 lives behind the SQ5's grille. Uncorked with a new intake and exhaust system and additional boost, the longitudinally-mounted engine delivers 354 hp—21 more than the same engine in the S4 sedan—and a sweet, turbine-like howl. The exhaust barks out wonderful, Mercedes-AMG-ish snaps as the car rapid-fires through its ZF eight-speed automatic, but the thrust is so linear that the SQ5 never clobbers you with a giant wallop of torque or a crescendo of horsepower. Speed comes effortlessly and smoothly.

 

And quickly. Audi says the SQ5 will hit 60 mph almost half a second quicker than the speediest BMW X3, meaning nothing in this size or price class can move as quickly. To whip this buggy in a drag race, you'd have to spend about 10 grand more on a bigger crossover.

The best part about the SQ5 is that it shrinks around you as you drive it hard; it feels more like an oversized hot hatch than a tarted-up crossover. That doesn't mean this tall vehicle could hang with any of Audi's fire-breathing RS Avants on a back road. But the SQ5 at least retains big-hatch usability with enough space in the cargo hold for a family's vacation luggage and enough room in the rear seat for a pair of grown-ups.
Back to that olive branch for a moment: As much as we dig this SQ5, we won't get the "real" SQ5. European versions of the car pack a 313-hp twin-turbocharged diesel six making a staggering 500 lb-ft of torque. And just to make us extra crabby, the Euro SQ5 rides on lowered suspension and goes five highway miles farther on a gallon of fuel than our model does. C'mon, Audi!

Tech Spec :

Powertrain: 3.0-liter V-6, 354 hp, 347 lb-ft; AWD, 8-speed automatic

Weight : 4409 lb

0–60 mph: 5.1 sec

Top Speed : 155 mph

Fuel Economy (City/Hwy) : 16/23 mpg

Source:
 By Ben Stewart January 30, 2014 / Photos by Audi
 http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/road-tests/2014-audi-sq5-drives#ixzz2s9lpClBm