Audi will follow up its Q7 SUV with the smaller, sportier Q5, which is set to debut in September. Although you might expect the Q5 to be twinned with VW's compact crossover, the Tiguan, it will instead be related mechanically to the next Audi A4. That platform's north-south engine layout will allow Audi to offer a full range of V-6 engines (and even a V-8). Audi's current Quattro all-wheel-drive system will be standard when the Q5 arrives but will undergo significant revisions the following year. The upgraded Quattro will be lighter and more fuel efficient, and it will feature a variable, on-demand torque split. Unlike the Q7, the Q5 does without a third row of seats. Cargo capacity behind the rear seats is said to be about 18 cubic feet. Audi will position the Q5 half a notch above the BMW X3 and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK (which debuts at about the same time), so we expect a price premium of about five percent over the X3 and the GLK. We'll see VW/Audi's ubiquitous 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged four and 3.2-liter direct-injection V-6. The most powerful version will get a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, which will deliver 330 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. But even that model won't be the top dog for long if the proposed Q5S is approved. It would get 400 hp and massive, angular fender flares inspired by those on the original Audi Coupe Quattro.
