Audi SQ5

FIRST DRIVE Hot SUV offers aggressive looks and twin-turbo V6 power, but the rest of the package doesn't quite add up

- Ellis Hyde

LAST we heard, Audi was planning to become a pure-electric brand by 2033. That date is still a long way off, or could easily be pushed back if EV demand isn't at the level the company wants it to be by then. But either way, the all-new, third-generation Audi Q5 will be the last to feature internal-combustion engines.

Sitting at the top of the range again is the SQ5, which in the past has been offered with both petrol and diesel power. Unsurprisingly, the diesel option hasn't returned, and instead the new SQ5 comes only with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine.

It's paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's latest hybrid tech, which uses an electric motor to give a small boost in performance and efficiency. It all comes together to help the SQ5 rocket from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds. That's ever so slightly quicker than its chief rival, the BMW X3 M50.

We drove the Audi on some mountain roads in Spain, and first impressions are that the V6 engine sounds fantastic. It produces an almost howling exhaust note when you really put your foot down, and the occasional pop and crackle when you ease off. The sound becomes slightly deeper in Dynamic mode, although it's still not as evocative as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio's V6. Nevertheless, power delivery is smooth and you feel its hefty torque output when accelerating.