The sportier 2019 SQ5 is reviewed separately. What's New for 2019? The entry level Premium trim gains heated front seats, roof crossbars, aluminum window surrounds and the Audi Connect Care support system. Premium Plus trim now has the Virtual Cockpit, Audi MMI Navigation Plus with touchpad, rear USB ports, wireless charging and a signal-boosting antenna. The Prestige trim receives a self-parking function (Park Assist) as standard. The Convenience package for the entry level Q5 has been updated to include Audi Side Assist and rear collision mitigation. A new Black Optic package features 20-in wheels with an "off-road design," titanium matte finish and all-season tires, matte black roof rails and titanium black exterior accents. High-quality interior; styling; engine; chassis; availability of tech. No hybrid version (yet); most driver assistance features only come in the top trim; options are pricey. A turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine propels the Q5 with 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed automatic transmission (with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, which a driver can choose to use or not) sends that drive to all four wheels. The intelligent all-wheel drive system (known as Quattro) can decouple the rear axle to be more fuel efficient, but can send torque to both ends within milliseconds when necessary.
Powerful, spontaneous and ultra-efficient: this is the new top version in Audi’s V6 engine range. The 3.0 TFSI develops 213 kW (290 hp) and a huge 420 Nm (309.78 lb-ft) of torque. It combines two state-of-the-art technologies in perfect style - gasoline direct injection and compressor supercharging. The hi-tech V6 will go into production later in the year. The brand with the four rings has a long tradition of supercharged engines. The legendary Grand Prix racing cars built by Auto Union back in the 1930s already featured compressors, which coaxed as much as 440 kW (around 600 hp) out of the mighty 16-cylinder and 12-cylinder engines. From the late 1970s on, Audi focused its attention on the exhaust turbocharger, which helped it to a succession of noteworthy triumphs in the world of motor sport. It was at this time that Audi’s turbo engines began to enjoy resounding market success. The compressor is now staging a comeback.
It is the ideal supercharging technology for the new three-liter V6, the 3.0 TFSI; the T in Audi engine designations consequently no longer exclusively denotes turbo versions. Extensive comparative tests revealed the mechanical supercharger to be superior to a biturbo concept for this engine. In conjunction with direct injection, its packaging, starting performance and dynamic response were far superior. The compressor is so compact that it easily fits inside the 90-degree V of the cylinder banks, in place of the intake manifold. Because it is driven by the engine via poly-V belt, its full thrust is available from idle speed upwards, producing huge pulling power when driving off. The 3.0 TFSI delivers its maximum 420 Nm (309.78 lb-ft) at only 2,500 rpm and maintains this constantly until 4,850 rpm. The gas paths after the compressor are very short; this means that the torque is built up extremely quickly, even more dynamically than on a naturally aspirated engine of the same displacement.
