AUDI SQ5 SPORTBACK

A new generation of the big SUV is led by a sporty version that has returned to petrol V6 power

- MURRAY SCULLION

There's a very small detail on the new-generation Audi SQ5 that I think means a great deal: the red Audi Sport oblong is back. This oh-so-subtle differentiator could for a very short time be stuck on the back of anything that had four rings at the front. Then Audi got rid of it entirely. Now it's back on a proper S car.

It would be a reach to say this ties up with Audi Sport returning to form, but this SQ5 is certainly good and much more of an S car than Audi's latest EVs. With the electric stuff, S variants have been a touch meh - more of a trim level with a few nice bits than the toned-down RS experience we had all come to enjoy. Sure, the S6 E-tron is quicker than the regular A6 E-tron, but with an EV it's a bit like: so what? Plus it has a significantly shorter range. By contrast, the SQ5 is notably different to the regular Q5 (driven, p25).

This is largely due to the engine. The previous-generation SQ5 was supplied by the black pump, but Audi has seen fit to change it to a 3.0-litre V6 petrol - a 362bhp affair with 406lb ft of torque. It's a great unit, pliable with a wide band of operation and a real turn of pace.

The torque levels mean that if you want to treat it like a diesel, you can. Lots of low-down pull makes it easy to drive and to drive quickly without using too many revs. It can spin past 7000rpm but peak torque is achieved below 4000rpm.

Its journey to these numbers is linear and unfussy. It's not theatrical like Alfa Romeo's V6 or quite as lovely or as offbeat as Audi's own five-cylinder engine, but it has its own personality. And when Dynamic mode is selected, there's even a bit of drama with a few exhaust crackles. Sure, it's as digitally augmented as a Black Eyed Peas song, but it's subtle enough for it not to be too cloying, unlike a Black Eyed Peas song.