`An engine that makes your journey as thrilling as the destination’ read the Audi Q5 advert in our magazine the other day. The only time I had driven this shrunken Q7 was in Hyderabad during the judging event for our Car of the Year awards earlier this year. That was the 3.0-litre diesel variant and it did manage to impress me with its potent feel. However, could a small capacity, 2.0-litre to be precise, petrol engine justify the ‘thrilling’ tag for this 1740kg SUV?
The world is progressing and so is technology. When you have turbo charging as well as stratified fuel injection and a few more technology marvels trying to extract as much efficiency, power and torque as possible from an engine, what you get on paper is mighty impressive. The Audi’s 211bhp of maximum power and 350Nm of torque build up from as low as 1500rpm all the way to 4200rpm – a typical diesel trait. Even before I found myself in the driver’s seat of the petrol Q5, I was half impressed already. Nine seconds later, the time it took to fly past the 100km/h mark, my notion about the car had completely changed. 
This is the same engine that does duty on the A4 as well, though it gets a slight rework for the Q5. Outright acceleration is better than I expected but in truth, it’s the in-gear overtaking ability and handling that marks the Q5 out as a highly accomplished SUV. Audi’s aim to make the Q5 a nimble and agile handler and overshadow its weight has been done successfully. In fact, at times, it won’t be wrong to say that this SUV behaved like an overgrown hatch. Even though the Q5 has a lower sticker price and the omission of a few features as compared to the 3.0 TDI version, I was glad that it still retains its Quattro character. I did miss the adjustable air suspension of the bigger Q7, however once off the road, as seen on these pages, the Q5 was a hoot to drive fast. Really fast. The little verbal session from the Ed for dirtying the car was a different story though.
