The SQ5 TDI already had the distinction of being the first Audi SUV to wear the evocative S badge. Now there is a new generation model, which combines engine improvements with extensive modifications inside and out. These include the introduction to the cabin of the latest Audi touch-screen MMI Touch control and the availability of new next generation digital OLED rear lighting as part of an exterior rework that brings the top tier SUV back up to speed with contemporary Audi design principles.

On arrival in the UK in early 2021 the new generation model will be offered in two formats – SQ5 TDI and SQ5 TDI Vorsprung – the latter featuring a particularly comprehensive selection of features.

“It’s the immediacy of the power delivery as much as the sheer force of the acceleration that makes such a lasting impression in the SQ5 TDI,” says Director of Audi UK Andrew Doyle. “Now that the formidable engine and independent electric compressor have been primed to perform even more readily and even more efficiently, and the successful SUV they power has been updated inside and out, the SQ5 TDI promises to be even more crushingly effective as a driver’s car and as an ownership proposition.”

In its latest incarnation, the 3.0-litre V6 at the heart of the new generation SQ5 TDI delivers 336 bhp and 516.3 lb ft of torque, the latter across a wider engine speed range between 1,750 rpm and 3,250 rpm. Peak power is also produced earlier than before, helping to propel the performance SUV from rest to 62mph in 5.1 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. An actuator in the exhaust system is designed to give the V6 a particularly sonorous sound.