The previous-generation SQ5 was supplied by the black pump, but Audi has seen fit to change it to a 3.0-litre V6 petrol – a 362bhp affair with 406lb ft of torque.
It’s a great unit, pliable with a wide band of operation and a real turn of pace. Such performance was ever thus with modern fast Audis, which have never really fallen short here, it’s the chassis’ that have been lacking.
The torque levels mean that if you want to treat it like a diesel, you can. Lots of low-down pull makes it easy to drive and to drive quickly without using too many revs. It can spin past 7000rpm but peak torque is achieved below 4000rpm.
Its journey to these numbers is linear and non-fussy. It’s not theatrical like Alfa Romeo’s V6 or quite as lovely or as offbeat as Audi’s own five-cylinder engine, but it has its own personality.
And when Dynamic mode is selected, there’s even a bit of drama with a few exhaust crackles. Sure, it’s as digitally augmented as a Black Eyed Peas song, but it’s subtle enough for it to not be too cloying.
When left to its own devices, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is pretty handy. When the drive mode selector is switched to Dynamic, it changes down quickly and with gusto; in Comfort, it’s less keen to swap cogs.
Things begin to fall down when you change gears yourself. Pull the left shifter in Dynamic when approaching a corner and you feel the whole car jump forward ever so slightly. It’s a BMW-esque thump in the back that’s supposed to say ‘hey, you’re driving a performance car’, but it can be jarring.
It has a bit of mild-hybrid tech: a 24bhp electric motor on the automatic gearbox and a 1.7kWh battery, which allows for some electric-only running.
The integration works fine when you’re going but causes a problem when you’re stopping: there’s a bit of a pedal push needed to get onto the disc and the force needed isn’t always the same. The problem isn’t insurmountable, just slightly irritating. Not being 100% sure on how hard to press the brake pedal isn’t great in a car that’s as large and as powerful as this.
You do however yourself driving on electric power more often than you’d expect, particularly creeping around town or in stop-start traffic. It gives the air of a sporty car that isn’t ‘always on’, so you can relax and blend in into a drive without having the car egg you on the whole time. The power is there if you want it, but there isn’t a raucousness to it in the background.
The deal breaker to how it performs comes from left field: the lane-keeping assist function which defaults to ‘on’ every time. It is terrible. Shockingly so. It simply does not work on UK roads, failing to read the correct lane markings and erroneously intervening. That it can easily turned off doesn’t excuse it being so bad in the first place.