September 2020
Audi Q5 Sportback coupe-SUV revealed
Audi has revealed a coupe version of its Q5 SUV, set to take on the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and BMW X4 when it goes on sale next year.
It will be offered in a choice of Sport, S line, Vorsprung and Edition One trim levels when it arrives in UK in the first half of 2021.
At 4.69 metres in length, the Q5 Sportback is seven millimetres longer than its sister model. Its height and width are identical, but its coefficient of drag is lower at 0.30. The long wheelbase of 2.82 metres facilitates ample room for five in the cabin, the focal point of which is the cleanly styled two-section dashboard with its freestanding 10.1-inch MMI display.
As in the recently updated Q5 SUV, incorporation of the third generation modular infotainment system or MIB 3 has rendered the rotary MMI control dial obsolete and enabled the introduction of full touch-screen functionality for the monitor, as well as a greatly enhanced natural language voice control system.
This latest system is able to access information from the cloud to inform its responses, and can be activated by either pressing a button on the steering wheel or by saying “Hey Audi.”
The Audi Virtual Cockpit plus with its panoramic 12.3-inch display is standard for all versions in the UK, as are MMI Navigation Plus and Audi connect internet connectivity, meaning that when guiding the driver the Q5 Sportback can display high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth and use the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet to deliver lane-by-lane information on traffic flow and traffic forecasts in real time, as well as providing alerts for upcoming hazards such as slippery roads and fog. Useful resources such as a news feed, weather and travel updates, local fuel pricing listings and an on-street parking assistant that gauges the likelihood of finding a space at a given location also form part of the Audi connect package.
Vorsprung versions raise the bar even further technologically, adding features such as a 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, a head-up display, Audi Phone Box wireless handset charging and a host of advanced driver assistance upgrades covering everything from manoevring into a parking space and then reversing out again to turning at junctions, monitoring blindspots and observing motorway lane boundaries.
The standard powered tailgate glides upwards to reveal a luggage compartment with a volume of 510 litres, which increases to 1480 litres when the rear seats are folded down. Vorsprung versions offer increased variability thanks to their sliding rear bench seat plus, which has a 40:20:40 configuration and offers a movable seat base and adjustable backrest angle, liberating extra space for passengers or luggage as required. When its base is positioned as far forwards as possible luggage capacity can be increased by as much as 60 litres to a maximum of 570 litres. The optional storage and luggage compartment package keeps things orderly and holds luggage securely.
The Q5 Sportback is set to launch in the UK with two powerful 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines – a TDI and a TFSI – each with 204PS and therefore identifiable by 40 TDI and 40 TFSI designations. The potent SQ5 Sportback with its 347PS twin-turbo V6 TDI will also form part of the first wave. Plug-in hybrid TFSIe variants with a choice of two outputs will follow a little later.
The four-cylinder engines are combined with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, while the V6 TDI in the SQ5 Sportback works with an eight-speed tiptronic. All versions are shored up by quattro all-wheel-drive, with some featuring an on demand system that can disengage the rear axle in everyday driving conditions for maximum efficiency, and reconnect it predictively within fractions of a second when required.
To further boost economy a mild hybrid system employing a belt alternator starter also stores electrical energy generated during braking in a lithium ion battery. With its help the Q5 Sportback and SQ5 Sportback can coast with the engine idling or completely shut down, and are able to more fully reap the benefit of start-stop technology by disengaging their engines during deceleration at a higher speed of 13mph and below while also restarting impressively smoothly.
Prices will be confirmed ahead of the Audi Q5 Sportback going on sale early in 2021.
March 2021
Q5 Sportback plug-in hybrid TFSI e priced from £53,435
Tthe new plug-in Q5 Sportback delivers its zero local emissions driving capability with a choice of outputs - 50 TFSI e quattro models can draw on 299PS and will be available in the UK in conjunction with Sport, S line, Edition 1 and Vorsprung specification. Competition and Competition Vorsprung equipment options are fittingly reserved for 55 TFSI e quattro variants with their 367 PS power peak.
Common to all variants is a drivetrain combining an electric motor with a 2.0 TFSI petrol engine delivering 265 PS and 370 Nm of torque. The permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM) with its 105 kW and 350 Nm power and torque peaks is integrated into the seven-speed S tronic transmission, which channels output to a quattro drivetrain featuring ultra technology. In most situations, it supplies drive exclusively to the front wheels in the interest of efficiency, but the rear axle can be engaged predictively and in a split-second as required, ensuring that the advantages of quattro all-wheel drive are always available immediately when needed.
Differences in the boost strategies networked into the two versions of the Q5 Sportback TFSI e determine their system output and system torque. The 50 TFSI e quattro with 299 PS and 450 Nm accelerates to 62mph from a standing start in 6.1 seconds, while the 55 TFSI e quattro with 367 PS and 500 Nm dispatches the sprint in 5.3 seconds. Both top out at an electronically limited top speed of 148mph, and depending on specification both are capable of returning economy figures ranging from 141.2 MPG to 156.9 MPG, which equates to CO 2 output of between 42 and 45 g/km.
In both output formats, maximum torque is available from fractionally above idle speed, giving acceleration the impressive immediacy that is one of the many benefits of electrification. When the electric motor that makes this possible is operating alone, WLTP tests have confirmed that the plug-in hybrids can travel for up to 37 miles at speeds of up to 83mph.