2020 Audi Q5 Sportback announced, to rival BMW X4

Audi is on the verge of introducing the Q5 facelift, following a set of spy photos seen in July last year. It will get the customary styling revision to the front and rear, as well as slight upgrades to the cabin. But more interestingly, AutoExpress has revealed that Audi will be introducing the Q5 Sportback for the first time, and will do so later this year.

The Q5 Sportback will take on the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé and BMW X4, with the latter already in its second lease of life. Audi may be late to the party, but as the old saying goes, better late than never.

In terms of design, it will get a sloping roofline not unlike the Q3 Sportback and e-tron Sportback (pictured above), but other than that, the overall look will be largely similar to the regular Q5. While trims and options may vary slightly, we can expect the cabin to be identical, perhaps with several USB-C ports, even.

As for engines, the Q5 and Q5 Sportback line-up should mirror that of the A4, with 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol and diesel four-cylinder mills and a 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel, along with 12-, 24- or 48-volt mild hybrid systems. A six-speed manual should be available in certain markets, while the rest get a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmissions and quattro all-wheel drive.

The SQ5 models, starting with the SQ5 TDI, should still get the torquey 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel, offering 347 PS and 700 Nm of torque. An eight-speed automatic and quattro AWD help propel the outgoing SQ5 TDI from 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds before topping out at 250 km/h.

The SQ5 TDI also features a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, comprising a belt alternator-starter (BAS) and a small lithium-ion battery underneath the boot floor. The petrol SQ5, on the other hand, gets a 3.0 litre TFSI V6 engine, making 354 PS and 500 Nm of torque. It does the century sprint in 5.4 seconds.

Now, for as long as the Q5 has lived, Audi never really got around to making the RS Q5. But with BMW and Mercedes-AMG offering the X4 M and GLC 63 Coupe respectively, it won’t be too far-fetched to assume that something equally as hot is brewing in Ingolstadt.

If that’s the case, expect the first ever RS Q5 to share the 2.9 litre twin-turbo V6 as the RS4 and RS5, which produces 450 hp and 600 Nm of torque. With that, the RS5 Coupé does the century sprint in 3.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 280 km/h. What do you guys think?

GALLERY: 2020 Audi Q5 facelift spyshots

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