The market for compact sport-utility vehicles is bustling, and the trend — grounded in the ever-popular Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V — is starting to extend upward. The Acura RDX, BMW X3, Infiniti EX35, and Land Rover LR2 are already here, and the Volkswagen Tiguan and Mercedes-Benz GLK are coming soon. Now, Audi reveals its sharp new Q5, which is set to join the big Q7 in North American showrooms during the first quarter of 2009.
The Q5 borrows its MLP (Modular Longitudinal Platform) architecture from A5 coupe and 2009 A4 sedan and wagon, and at launch in the U.S., it will come only one way: with a 3.2-liter gasoline V-6, a six-speed Tiptronic manu-matic transmission, and Quattro all-wheel drive featuring a 40/60-percent front/rear torque split. The engine produces 265 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque — less than the EX35 but a good deal more than the RDX.
A hybrid version of the Q5 is in the pipeline, and a U.S.-spec diesel version (probably using the European market's 2.0-liter TDI in-line four) is hardly out of the question. Look for the '09 Q5 3.2 Quattro to start just shy of $40,000.
The Q5 isn't related to the smaller VW Tiguan, which is based on the company's PQ35 platform (Audi A3 and TT, VW Rabbit, Jetta, and Eos). Audi is working on an PQ35-based Q3, however, which likely will resemble last year's Cross Coupé and Cross Cabriolet Quattro concepts.
More photos after the break, courtesy of Audi.
