MOTORING The king may be dead,
long live the king
The company that sparked ‘diesel-gate’ has dropped one of its most popular oil-burners in favour of a far less frugal, higher CO2-emitting, petrol-powered model. And it has told motoring journalist Nick Jones - who was putting the latest petrol-powered pretender to the throne through its paces - it doesn’t know if the diesel version will be seen again given the recent storm over nitrous oxide (NOX) emissions.
Audi’s popular three-litre, twin- turbo, diesel-powered SQ5 was, without doubt, the top of the range. It offered high performance with
relatively frugal fuel consumption and low carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. But like most diesels, it pumped
out too many NOX particulates and contributed to the deaths of up to 40,000 people a year – if you believe the headlines and ignore the admitted ‘double counting’ that took place to create that figure. And it was Audi’s parent
company, the Volkswagen Audi Group, which was responsible for killing the goose that was laying golden eggs when it confessed to having test-beating cheat technology built into its engine management systems. From being the fuel of choice
one day, diesel became a dirty word overnight. In 2016, roughly half the cars sold in the UK were diesel. Fearful that governments would punish them with extra taxes for
68 business network February 2018
daring to drive diesels – which produce lower CO2 than petrol engines and are, therefore, better for the environment even though they create respiratory problems for pedestrians – car buyers shunned diesels and, last year, diesel accounted for only about a quarter of new car sales. The question is, therefore, has
Audi made the right choice by ditching its popular diesel SQ5 to rely on sales of the less environmentally-friendly petrol variant to carry the crown? Only time will tell, but it’ll have a
fair crack. I can vouch for the SQ5 – its
diesel engine was incredibly smooth and when those twin- turbos span up it packed one hell of a punch for a big car. I’d go so far as to say that it
would have been my car of choice. I needed to find out if the petrol
version could step up. Under the bonnet, a turbo-
charged (single, not twin), three-
litre V6 can stir up a whopping 350 horses, so there’s plenty of punch under the right foot. But there’s no more performance than the diesel offered, which is disappointing. All SQ5s come with a well-
appointed interior, with soft Nappa leather sports seats that are fully adjustable and extremely comfortable. The elevated driving position
means good all-round visibility, helped by the slender pillars and plenty of glass. Rear parking sensors make sure
you don’t back into things in the areas you can’t see, such as under the rear window. The brilliant MMI Navigation
infotainment system is standard, and everything on it can be controlled by scrolling through the menu using a remote rotary dial – so no need to reach out. It’s just as roomy as any Q5, with
plenty of head, leg and shoulder space, and has a decent-sized boot for the golf clubs.
FACTFILE
MODEL Audi SQ5
PRICE £49,715
PERFORMANCE Top Speed: 155mph 0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds
CO2 EMISSIONS 189g/km
FUEL CONSUMPTION 34mpg
I like the 40/20/40 split for the
rear seats and the fact that they slide and recline so that you can adjust according to need in respect of more passenger legroom or boot space. Standard kit, as you’d expect of a
car at this level, is comprehensive. But as always, there is a never- ending list of extra kit you can add. As you’ve probably gathered, it’s
the most expensive in the range to buy… and to run. The engine produces a nice
throb on start-up and you can tell immediately that this car has power, which it deliver through an eight-speed automatic gearbox – with paddles behind the steering wheel if you want to shift manually.
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