I find myself behind the wheel of Diego’s 2019 Audi SQ5. Ahead of me are 30 miles of twisting coastal roads, starting with the scenic—and potholed—Pierce Point Road and ending with California’s famed Hwy 1. It is a route fit for a sports car, albeit one with a compliant suspension, yet here I am in a 4,321 lb SUV. The S in the SQ5’s name indicates that Audi considers this SUV to be sporting: Is it really? Does fun await me?
To be completely forthright, I’m coming at this drive with prejudice. You see, Diego turned to me for advice when he was searching for a new car. He was looking for something fun to replace his deathly boring Audi Q5, yet he still wanted AWD, four doors and space for kids and bikes. My suggestions included the new BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG GLC 63, Mercedes-AMG E63, and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Then we test drove the new—and smoking hot—Audi RS5 Sportback, and Diego seemed determined to purchase one; I wholeheartedly agreed with his choice. But six weeks later, he broke my heart by leasing a quotidian Audi SQ5 instead! Why in the world had he returned to the boring model line he’d so bemoaned?
With this context, I set off down Pierce Point Road. Although the SQ5’s suspension—in Comfort mode—and wheels are doing the jitterbug to stay in contact with the patchwork pavement, the ride from the Audi’s front seats is smooth and serene. The hotted-up SQ5 hasn’t lost the comfortable ride I remember fondly from the normal Q5. Kudos to the optional air suspension for the laudable ride.
Also carried over from the Q5 is Audi’s limply light steering. The steering assistance is so high that I could turn the wheel lock-to-lock with a single finger, even if the SUV was completely stopped. Thankfully, the light steering isn’t sloppy: The SQ5’s nose responds to steering inputs with sharpness, accuracy and surprising quickness.
Regardless of how hard the suspension is working over Pierce Point Road, the SQ5 is hushed like a library. Soft sounds from the V6 can be heard through the firewall, while the laminated windows and triple-sealed doors keep out the wind and road noise. There aren’t any rattles or squeaks, but then Diego’s SQ5 has less than 3000 miles on its odometer, so it should be factory fresh.
Not long ago, I thrashed a Tesla Model X P90D on Pierce Point Road. The Model X drove like a do-no-wrong rally car over these windswept hills and meadows. It hummed with steering and chassis feedback, ripped out of corners with everlasting electric torque perfectly delivered to four wheels, and clattered over the bumps as its outrageous Falcon doors strained against their frames. The Model X was fast, feelsome and neutral, but not particularly rewarding or playful. (It wouldn’t wag its tail.)
With the Model X in mind, I put the SQ5 into its most rumble-ready configuration, Dynamic mode, and then pounce on the throttle. The SQ5 leaps forward with newfound alacrity. My pulse rises with the engine’s RPM, and my grin widens on account of the new—and emotionally appealing, if artificially injected—staccato thrum in the engine’s soundtrack. The 354 hp turbo V6 is truly awake and running on Red Bull between 4k and 5k RPM, and it wasn’t exactly napping at low RPM either. I manually request an upshift with the right steering-wheel paddle, and Audi’s signature upshift blurp accompanies a fast and seamless gear change. This is petrol-fueled fun, and I am eating it up!
Catching my breath after my charge, I reflect: The SQ5 is fast and fun when prodded in a straight line, but not quite as feisty as its German competition. I was more thoroughly surprised by the BMW X3 M40i’s scat the first time I launched it at the horizon. As reported by Car and Driver, the BMW X3 M40i takes 4.4 seconds to dash to 60 mph while the Audi SQ5 takes 5.1 seconds. (The X3 M40i is also more humorous for its ratta-tat-tat exhaust overrun; the SQ5 won’t send bystanders ducking for cover!)
I can tell Dynamic mode has stiffened the shocks as more of the road’s bumps make it through the suspension and into the SQ5’s cabin. Even so, the Audi rides more comfortably than most sporting vehicles, and its ability to absorb the bumps is as good as, or better than, my Cadillac CTS-V’s commendable ability to sop-up chop with its magnetic-ride suspension. I think prioritizing ride comfort was the right choice for Audi, but some of the road’s largest heaves cause the SQ5’s rear-end to float.
For safety reasons, Audi has a practice of putting its engines as far forward as possible, often over or beyond the front axle. (An engine, so placed, is less likely to penetrate the passenger compartment in an accident.) The trade-off is that the large metal mass in the vehicle’s nose makes it less eager to turn. Predictably, decades of Audis have been known for their propensity to understeer.
Well, it appears Audi is rewriting the rule book. While the SQ5’s V6 is still stuffed in the SUV’s nose, I don’t find any resistance or understeer as I charge into corners at a 7/10ths pace. Whether it’s the finely tuned stability control or the optional torque-vectoring AWD that makes the SUV so nimble, I don’t know, but I can say that SQ5 turns in eagerly and reliably to the corners.
(A later Google search reveals that the SQ5 carries 53.4% of its weight on its front tires, per Car and Driver, which is dang close to the golden-standard 50/50 weight distribution preferred by BMW.)
The SQ5 is doing a great job of getting out of corners. As I apply throttle with the steering wheel cranked, the SQ5 tracks true to my intended course. There is the mildest sense of the rear-outside wheel being overdriven as the SUV rotates out of the corner. The vectoring isn’t strong enough to let me power oversteer out of a hairpin…well, at least not on dry roads. I bet the hoons among us can find tail-out shenanigans on snowy roads and unpaved surfaces. (Is the traction control defeatable?)
As Pierce Point Road ends, I think back to the Tesla Model X P90D. The Audi SQ5 doesn’t have the Tesla Model X’s laser-guided precision, low center of gravity, road feedback or tsunami power, yet the SQ5 is the more fun car: The SQ5 twangs my heartstrings with its superstar, quick-revving engine and its lightning quick transmission. Charging up and down through the gears produces the visceral feelings and aural excitement I love from fast cars. It’s also nice to have the involvement of picking my gears, even if I’m using my fingers rather than my hands and feet to do so.
I turn onto Hwy 1 and head south, in the direction of the Golden Gate. Since Hwy 1 is a major tourist draw, California maintains it better than most rural roads. The smooth and sinuous pavement beckons me to explore the SQ5’s high-speed dynamics, but my right foot will have to relax; I’m blocked by the speed-limit abiding drivers ahead of me.
The pause in fast driving gives me time to consider the other dimensions of the SQ5. Having recently driven the Audi RS5 and A5, I find the SQ5’s interior exceedingly familiar and agreeable. The SQ5’s dash and center console layout is near identical to the sedans’, with horizontal rows of HVAC and driving mode controls above the MMI touchpad and shifter. As always, the build quality and material quality are impeccable. The buttons have the cleanest feedback when pressed, emitting a click like you get from pressing and releasing a Snapple bottle cap. The materials also appear to be chosen for durability. Rather than using scratch-prone glossy plastics, Audi has picked finely textured surfaces that will hide dirt and wear.
The front seats and steering wheel look sporty, but in fact, they make concessions for calmer driving. The seats are shapely and comfortable, but their torso bolstering is too wide for my narrow frame and can’t be adjusted tighter. I don’t feel held in place when cornering. The steering wheel’s shift paddles are plastic and smaller than I’d like in a sports car. The driving ergonomics are good but not perfect, as the steering wheel does not telescope far enough to compensate for my long legs.
Looking around the SQ5, I can tell it is well used by Diego. On the rear bench, I see a child seat and the inevitable, scattered kid accouterments. Through the extended sunroof, I spot a substantial roof rack. (Diego is the rare individual who lives the active lifestyle glamorized in SUV advertising. Backcountry ski trips in the Sierra Nevadas, mountain bike rides in Big Sur, and surfing at Pacifica; the roof rack accommodates all this and more.) For ordinary life, the SQ5’s large trunk schleps strollers, suitcases, and home and gardening supplies. While I mourn the fact that Diego bypassed the sexier Audi RS5 Sportback for the SQ5, there is no doubt that he is taking frequent advantage of this SUV’s added practicality.
Suddenly, blessedly, one of Hwy 1’s rare passing zones appears. I pull the left paddle to downshift, mash the throttle and let the turbo V6 drink. The SQ5 shoots forward, reaches redline and then automatically upshifts before I have a chance to manually request the next gear. Our charge continues, and a moment later, I am past the traffic and have room to run.
(Some auto reviewers get bent out of shape by cars that automatically upshift in manual mode instead of banging against the rev limiter, but it’s fine with me so long as the transmission is maximizing acceleration by acing a redline shift.)
Hwy 1 sweeps over the hills, and my quickened pace reveals body roll in the SQ5. The SQ5 isn’t sloppy, but the compliant suspension can’t hold the top-heavy SUV unerringly flat. No matter, with a little anticipation and smooth hands, it is easy to settle the SQ5 into a cornering set.
The highway tightens into a series of quickly stacked second-gear corners as it chases a creek down a eucalyptus-lined ravine. The tires hum in protest as I chuck the SUV down the canyon. I am pleasantly surprised by the available grip and lack of understeer from the all-season 255/45R20 Continental CrossContact LX Sport tires. Diego insisted on all-season tires so the SQ5 would be snow-worthy, and even though I’m driving fast on this first-rate road, I don’t long for the optional 21” summer. I’ve got plenty of pace with the all-seasons, and adding tire grip would simply exacerbate the body roll.
Beyond the bucolic beach town of Stinson Beach, Hwy 1 is draped over the coastal cliffs. All around us are jaw-dropping views of the mountains meeting the sea. This is primal California at its best. The road is a gem, but I’d be hard-pressed to enjoy it more in a 911 GT3 than I am in the Audi SQ5. There’s too much tourist traffic and no passing opportunities; it’s better to cruise and enjoy the views.
And that comes back to the strengths of the SQ5. Here is a practical compact SUV with plenty of room for kids, hobbies and Home Depot runs that conveys its passengers in high-tech luxury, comfort and convenience. It’s not as fast as the RS5 and M5 supersedans, or even the AMG, M and Quadrifoglio SUVs, but the SQ5 still sporting and fun. I can relish revving its wonderful V6 engine and hustling its capable chassis down a great road. It’s as if Audi knows its buyers better than they know themselves. Audi has looked at how luxury SUVs are used, thoughtfully prioritized comfort over sport, and produced an excellent SUV that I’d enjoy driving every day and everywhere.
Mike's Steering Column 