2013 NAIAS: Audi RS 7 and SQ5
RS 7
Audi has been on a winning streak of offering a long succession of beautiful cars. If the A5, A6, and A8 aren’t pretty enough, Audi has the A7 Sportback. If the A7 isn’t fast enough then an affluent buyer with an extra $18,700 laying around can opt for the S7 with 420 horsepower.
If even that isn’t enough Audi has announced the RS 7 Sportback with a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 cranking out 560 hp and capable of sprinting to 60 mph in under 3.9 seconds. Upon customer request the speed governor can be deactivated to achieve a top speed of more than 189 mph. All this is possible on a car that can achieve 24 mpg due to cylinder deactivation even with standard quattro all-wheel drive. Once the driver has been out on the road enjoying the engagement of controlling such a powerful machine, they can let the Sportback do the parking via park assist or prevent unintended lane changes with Audi’s active lane assist. No word on pricing, but we can’t expect it to be cheap since the S7 starts at $78,800.
Photos by Jason Muxlow
SQ5
Back when the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator were vying for title of the luxury SUV crown, premium makes like Audi were content to sit on the sidelines without an SUV or legitimate crossover. Instead, Audi management reasoned that station wagons would do just fine, and if some off-road capability was needed then an A6 Avant-based allroad would do the job. Now it is hard to find a wagon in Audi’s lineup. Instead we have the Q5 small crossover. Never content to offer just a base model, Audi now finds itself in the curious position of offering a wickedly fast tall crossover in the form of the SQ5. The SQ5 is equipped with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 producing 354 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. Audi expects zero to sixty times of under 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. An eight-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive manage to transfer power to the pavement. Exclusive finishes for the SQ5 include Estoril Blue and Panther Black. Audi was silent on pricing, but we would expect prices to begin in the low 50s.
Photos by Jason Muxlow
