2009 Audi Q5 First Impressions
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2009 Audi Q5 First Impressions by Charles Renny / Auto123.com |
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Introduction to Models Sebring, Florida--The long-anticipated little brother to the Q7 is finally available, and I was fortunate to attend the Canadian Press introduction in Florida. Here, I was able to spend hours in both the standard Q5 3.2 and the 3.2 Premium. The difference between the two is in how much creature comforts you want. Not need, but want because the standard version is so comfortable I never even thought of moving up to the Premium. Mind you, when I drove the Premium, I never thought of going back to the standard version. After all, if your biggest decision is what color to buy and what type of wheel you want, that makes for a day of anguish!
Powertrain Both Q5 versions use the same 3.2-litre V6 FSI engine. The FSI, or direct injection system, allows Audi to get the last bit of fuel economy out of the engine and it shows. Hours of stop and go as well as highway driving turned in real-world numbers that are acceptably close to the Transport Canada ratings and keep me happy, even if the engine does require premium fuel because of its 12.5:1 compression ratio. Horsepower is pegged at 270 while torque is considerably lower, at 243 lb-ft. Horsepower peaks fairly late at 6,500 rpm while peak torque is available from 3,000 to 5,000 rpm. Putting all the torque to good use is a six-speed electronically-controlled transmission with Tiptronic. Using paddle shifters in an SUV may be the current rage, but I found that sticking it in drive and letting the transmission's logic programs do the work was equally effective. There was little time wasted between downshifts and when in the right cog, acceleration was better than acceptable; because I left the others at the light, I could pick the lane I wanted. Q5 is only available in Canada with quattro, Audi's all-wheel drive system. As you would expect from a pioneer of car-based AWD systems, quattro works very well over a wide range of circumstances. I have to admit that aside from accelerating to highway speed from the side of the road, I never felt that I gave the quattro system a good workout. After all, no ice and snow in Florida (I went by the town of Frost Proof) and it didn't rain, so dirt was the best I could do.
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