Photo: screenshot from Youtube
The diversity of models available from German manufacturers never ceases to amaze me. Even though I spend countless hours every week looking though press releases from Audi, VW or BMW, I never knew there's a Q5 2.0 TDI ultra base model available in Germany.
I discovered it recently by accident while looking though the official configurator. The cheapest Q5 model in the whole range only costs €36,900, but it's not what I'd call desirable. Power comes from a basic 2-liter diesel that complies to Euro 6 emissions regulations and only managed to deliver 150 horsepower, couple with 320 Nm of torque.
There's no mention of the word "quattro" anywhere in the description or specs shee, so I assume power is going only to the front wheels since this is the norm for all cars built on the MLB platform.
The longitudinally mounted common-rail diesel engine is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission. Performance is not what you'd call exhilarating, as the 0 to 100 km/h sprint takes 10.9 seconds, and the top speed is 192 km/h. Both numbers are similar to those of a Fiesta EcoBoost or Polo 1.2 TSI.
The same 2-liter diesel engine is available in other configurations, delivering either 163 or 190 PS quattro all-wheel drive. While strange, Audi's decision to have a 4x2 SUV is not unprecedented. In America, the all-new Mercedes GLC-Class will premiere with a 2-liter petrol engine pushing power to the rear while BMW's X3 features the sDrive18d model, also fitted with a 150 horsepower 2-liter diesel engine.
Before this model year, there was another FWD version of the Q5 that had even less power, 143 hp. The upside was a fuel consumption of only 5.3 l/100km (44.4 mpg US).
The current generation of the Q5 is getting a little bit long in the tooth. Development of a replacement is well on its way and should be completed towards the later part of 2016. Let's hope engineers will find a way to increase efficiency without getting rid of the permanent all-wheel drive.
There's no mention of the word "quattro" anywhere in the description or specs shee, so I assume power is going only to the front wheels since this is the norm for all cars built on the MLB platform.
The longitudinally mounted common-rail diesel engine is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission. Performance is not what you'd call exhilarating, as the 0 to 100 km/h sprint takes 10.9 seconds, and the top speed is 192 km/h. Both numbers are similar to those of a Fiesta EcoBoost or Polo 1.2 TSI.
The same 2-liter diesel engine is available in other configurations, delivering either 163 or 190 PS quattro all-wheel drive. While strange, Audi's decision to have a 4x2 SUV is not unprecedented. In America, the all-new Mercedes GLC-Class will premiere with a 2-liter petrol engine pushing power to the rear while BMW's X3 features the sDrive18d model, also fitted with a 150 horsepower 2-liter diesel engine.
Before this model year, there was another FWD version of the Q5 that had even less power, 143 hp. The upside was a fuel consumption of only 5.3 l/100km (44.4 mpg US).
The current generation of the Q5 is getting a little bit long in the tooth. Development of a replacement is well on its way and should be completed towards the later part of 2016. Let's hope engineers will find a way to increase efficiency without getting rid of the permanent all-wheel drive.
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