Automotive Trends

One of the highlights of the Audi brand was that it offered wagons that were somehow even more beautiful than their sedan counterparts. Then, the world fell in love with crossovers and we were introduced to the don’t-call-it-a-wagon Q5. Audi took the wraps of the high performance 2018 SQ5 which manages to be both good looking and fast. The SQ5’s turbocharged 3.0L V6 propels this small crossover to 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds. It comes as no surprise that all-wheel-drive is standard and an available air ride suspension allows the ride height to be lowered and firmness to be adjusted. Audi claims the new SQ5 features a more spacious interior before and has dished out the techno-goodies such as a Bang & Olufsen® sound system, Apple CarPlay™, and Google™ Android Auto integration. A virtual cockpit provides a lap timer and a heads up display is optional. While crossovers don’t generally cater to the enthusiast, the SQ5 promises to deliver.

Lexus owes its existence to the flagship LS so they take their time developing replacements and leave it up to consumers to decide if the wait was worth it. With the 2018 LS 500, the wait was a particularly long one and until we drive it the jury will remain hung on the  verdict. Our problem with the styling comes down to the greenhouse as it approaches the c-pillar and the substantial window tracking required on the rear doors. Its a surprisingly inelegant wart on an otherwise polished design. The already substantial wheelbase grows  to 123 inches and a twin-turbo 415hp V6 is the only power plant. We found that interesting since the closely related LC Coupe is launching with V8 power. Will it matter to the average Lexus buyer? Probably not as long as the 10 speed automatic shifts unobtrusively and no noise makes it into the cabin. Look for the next LS in showrooms this fall.