Audi SQ5 Lowered By ABT Up To The Point It's Now A Hatchback
While the ride height is down, power is up.
Khodrocar - Bavarian tuner ABT has been fiddling with the Audi SQ5 since the early days of the hot crossover and has been offering an upgrade package for the latest generation for quite some time. Now, the aftermarket specialists are revising the temporary top dog in the Q5 family to give it a wider array of upgrades for those who simply can’t wait much longer for Audi Sport to come out with the RS Q5.
Starting with the exterior, ABT has worked its magic to develop a more aggressive and slightly wider body kit, which they say makes the SQ5 "look even more dominant in a rearview mirror.” It’s a pretty comprehensive package, encompassing those wide hips granted by the fender extensions, along with a more in-your-face front skirt, and muscular side skirts making the performance crossover more imposing.
The back of the SQ5 has also gone through several changes as it now features a newly developed exhaust system with real tips covered in carbon replacing the decorative chrome housings of the standard model. These quad tips flank a pseudo diffuser to help the crossover send out a sportier vibe also enhanced by the prominent roof-mounted spoiler.
Multiple alloy wheels options are available, ranging in size from a 20-inch set to this massive 22-inch making the Audi SQ5 look sportier. ABT’s pièce de résistance is a coilover suspension with springs allowing owners to lower the crossover by as much as 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) to make the vehicle seem more like a big hatchback rather than a CUV. The tuner says it’s not just for show as it also helps with handling.
It wouldn’t be a complete tuning package without some changes underneath the hood where the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 has been tuned to develop a muscular 425 horsepower (313 kilowatts) and 405 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters) of torque, up from the series 354 hp (260 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).
The newly gained force must have slashed the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint time from the standard 5.4 seconds needed by the stock SQ5. There’s no word about top speed, but Audi installs an electronic limiter programmed to kick in at 155 mph (250 kph).
ABT hasn’t released images with the interior, though it says some of the trim pieces have been covered in real carbon fiber, including the start/stop button and the gearstick cover. As a final touch, the tuner’s logo is projected onto the ground once you open the door.
Source: ABT
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