In 2007, Audi unveiled a new SUV in Los Angeles that it had been working on for a few years. The Q5 would later take the shape that we now know and recognize when it was released a year later. In 2007, however, as was typical with most Audi concepts, it was pretty radical.
It had two doors. It was a convertible. It had 4-wheel drive. It had a Bang & Olufsen stereo. It had ceramic brakes. It had height adjustment. And, of course, it had the signature LED headlamps.
In 2008 the concept became reality. First in Beijing, and later in L.A. again, consumers got to know the SUV that would compete with Mercedes-Benz’s GL, and the Lexus 450.
As technology progressed, the Q5 received all the add-ons you would expect from the brand: a multi-media interface, Bluetooth mobile phone connection, shift paddles, headlight washers, etc.
But then in 2013 an evolution emerged that combined two interesting concepts:
Performance and diesel.
The new twin-turbo V6 SQ5 TDI delivers exactly that along with something central to the concept of a muscled SUV: snarl. Normally you expect V8s to be the keepers of throaty low-end exhaust notes, but in the case of the twin turbo, we’re pleased to report the sound is tuned exactly where we want to hear it.
An enclosed parking garage is one of the best ways to show off (sound off?) the harmonies of your engine—tunnels are good, as well—and in the video above we love that the diesel sounds more like the deepest recesses of an active volcano than a efficiency-focused eco plant that delivers 33 mpg.
If you don’t have a pair of quality speakers or headphones, you’re going to want to find some, quick.