Next Audi SQ5 To Be Capable Of Oversteer, Engineer Reveals

Audi says that its new SQ5 SUV due to arrive next year will be engineered to offer certain levels of oversteer as the firm focuses on making the vehicle as involving to drive as possible.

According to a senior company engineer who spoke with Autocar, the new SQ5 will be much livelier than the outgoing model and the second-gen standard versions.

It will therefore follow in the footsteps of the existing RS3 Sportback, which was also intentionally designed to be prone to oversteer when driven to the limit. It is thought that customers will be able to opt for a more tail-happy car by optioning a special sports differential.

Power for the new Audi SQ5 will come courtesy of either a V6 petrol or V6 diesel, depending on the market. In Europe, the 3.0-liter diesel V6 will be the only powertrain on offer and is expected to adopt a single turbocharger and an electric compressor to produce more oomph than the twin-turbo setup of the current model. In fact, horsepower is expected to touch around the 365 hp mark, 30 hp up on the SQ5 Plus.

Elsewhere, it is reported that the next SQ5 will include the 48V electric system of the larger SQ7 allowing for the use of active roll bars.