If travelling through Europe, keep your eyes peeled and you just might see two of the most desirable station wagons on the planet: the gorgeous Audi RS4 Avant and the ballistic RS6 Avant. Both are flared-out, incredibly powerful, shod with steamrollersized rubber and, most importantly, not available here.
No sir, there hasn't been a fast wagon in Audi's North American fleet since the departure of the much-missed S4 Avant in 2008 - shame.
The small Euro-wagon has been mostly supplanted by the compact crossover, with many buyers preferring the higher seating position and accepting the compromised handling that comes with it. The public has voted with their wallets, and Audi's Q5 has just passed even perennial favourites like the 3-Series and C-Class in total sales this year.
But what if you want both the friendly aspects of Audi's crossover with some of that hot-wagon driving fun? Here's the latest car to join the S-stable, and the quad-tailpipes out back suggest this is more than just your average luxo-pod.
Design: One of the nicer things about Ingolstadt's hotter versions is that they're rarely overwrought. As mentioned, the SQ5 gets the same quad-tailpipe treatment out back as does the strong-selling S4 sedan, and it also gets those tell-tale angled red-rectangles. Standard wheel-size is a biggish 20", with optional 21" as an upgrade, but note that a 19" alloy will clear brakes for winter use. There's a space-saver spare tire out back so no need to run expensive run-flats.
Other than a few minor clues such as big, S-rated brake calipers peeking out from behind the upgraded alloys, the SQ5 would be hard to pick out from a crowd of front-driver 2.0L models. Like all Q5s, it has that signature Audi grille up front, large enough to make you wonder if the car runs on plankton, but the side profile is actually quite reserved.
In fact, the only real critique here are the badges that give the game away somewhat. The fendermounted "V6T" in chrome is particularly egregious, although it'd be quick work to get rid of it.
Performance: Tucked in behind that gargantuan grille is an engine worthy of the S-badging: a 354hp supercharged 3.0L V6. It makes peak power at 6000rpm, but peak torque comes in a little later - 347lb/ft at 4000rpm.
Found elsewhere in the Audi range, this is a great engine, one of their best. It's powerful enough to make a behemoth like the sevenseater Q7 feel spry, so when shoehorned into something lighter, it's just plain great.
Er, that's only a tad lighter. The SQ5 is actually a bit heavy, what with all the luxury goodies, strong chassis, and all-wheel-drive differentials. It's not a big vehicle, but it does tip the scales at over 2000kg.
Even so, the eight-speed transmission and supercharged-V6 do a great job of getting this sporty crossover up and off the line. Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive means every last horsepower gets to the ground with suction-cup grip, and the supercharged engine is extremely responsive.
