Q5: Audi Joins the Crossover Market
One thing that’s always bothered me about SUVs, besides their enormous fuel consumption, is whenever one is in front of my little compact Civic, I can’t see what’s happening on the road ahead of me. So I try to hide my evil grin when I see how a major increase in gas prices has suddenly got SUV owners thinking, gee, do I really need such a huge gas-guzzling car in the city when it’s only me commuting and I never ever go off-road? Decreasing sales of the behemoths have resulted in a new car segment, the crossover vehicle. Some say sports wagon. Or sport utility wagon. Just don’t call it a station wagon.
Audi already has a station wagon, called the Avant. It didn’t have an SUV until this year, oddly enough — the Q7. Some say Audi arrived foolishly late to the SUV market, given its declining popularity. But the Q7 is more of a crossover vehicle, sitting somewhere stylistically between an Avant and SUV. As part of a new Q line of cars, Audi looks set to release a smaller crossover cousin, the Q5, sometime in early 2008.
It is a compact SUV, using the same frame as the new A4. Like the Q7, it features the recently updated quattro all-wheel drive system with 40/60 front/rear torque distribtuion, and an air suspension that adjusts automatically to driving conditions. It also sits lower to the ground, so it won’t have any off-roading capability. Audi smartly realizes that most people who are buying an upscale SUV are buying it for space, luxury, and prestige. Off-roading in the dirt and mud and possibly getting your bumpers messy? Not so much. As a compact crossover sport wagon, the Q5 will only have two rows of seating, so really it isn’t technically an SUV at all. The rear seat will be able to move forward and back to configure storage space. Engine choices look set to be a direct injection 2.0-liter I4 and 3.2-liter V6, either with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG direct shift gearbox that allows for smoother gear transitions. Since Americans like lots of engine power, a 4.2-liter V8 will probably be introduced later in the year.
The Q5 looks very sleek and high-end, like the Q7, and will likely come with all the famous interior creature comforts that turn your car into a second home (and with an Audi pricetag, that isn’t too far-fetched). Audi hopes the Q5 will be able to compete against BMW’s successful X3 and the Acura RDX. I’m just hoping I might finally be able to see around the car in front of me a little bit better.
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