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By Jonathan Crouch

Audi's third generation SQ5 switches to petrol power. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 56

The third generation Audi SQ5 packs a 367PS petrol powerplant into the brand's rejuvenated take on what a premium mid-sized SUV should be. Do you really need that much power? Not really. Would you like it though? You bet. It's not cheap but it does bring a welcome shot of sparkle to the Q5 line up.

Backgroundword count: 130

Think of the original first and second generation versions of the Audi SQ5, if you ever do, and the memory will be of an uber-fast diesel-powered sporting SUV. In many ways, the perfect family Q car - an under-the-radar sporting mid-sized premium crossover we've always really liked. So what of this third generation model, launched late in 2024? Well it's now petrol-powered, so that's a key difference, though Audi hopes its latest 48V mild hybrid tech will ease loyal SQ5 customers into that transition. Actually, the SQ5 was briefly petrol-powered once before, in 2018 when the second generation model was first launched (five years after the original). Now this Audi drinks from the green pump again - but there's also lots else to tell you. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 277

The ordinary Q5 isn't often sold to customers of premium upper mid-sized SUVs who prioritise an involving driving experience. So this SQ5 has a job on hand to convince buyers that it's a real alternative to, say, an X3 M50 xDrive or a Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC; it is. True, the torque of this new 3.0-itre V6 TFSI petrol model (550Nm) is way down on the 700Nm figure of its 3.0 V6 TDI diesel predecessor, but power is up (from 341PS to 367PS) and of course the engine sound is vastly better. It's faster too - the 0-62mph sprint time of 4.5s is 0.6s faster than the previous TDI. Top speed is still limited to 155mph. As before, there's quattro 4WD and 7-speed dual clutch S tronic auto transmission. What's new is that it all sits on completely new underpinnings, the 'PPC' 'Premium Platform Combustion' chassis. And the engine is aided by the brand's 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system, which is different from the old MHEV set-up in that in addition to the usual system-integrated starter-generator, there's also a second centrally-mounted powertrain generator. The result is dramatically increased levels of regenerative braking - and consequently, a bit more of a positive impact on efficiency. Audi says that drive dynamics have been improved with this third generation model courtesy of a more noticeable spread between drive modes and an 'optimised' steering and suspension set-up. The steering features the brand's 'Progressive' system, whilst the standard passive suspension arrangement now features Frequency Selective Damping, which adapts automatically to different surfaces. Adaptive damping comes only if you stretch to the air suspension that features at the very top of the range.

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