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An exterior view of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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An exterior view of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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An exterior view of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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The cockpit of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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An interior view of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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The luggage compartment of the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Courtesy photo

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For the 2021 model year, Audi has incorporated a new, distinctively coupe-like look into its popular Q5 line, which is now offering the Q5 Sportback and the SQ5 Sportback. The first questions we had when we learned one was on its way to our driveway were what is a Sportback and how would it be different from a regular Q5?

It turns out that an SUV can be made to resemble what the word “coupe” means in the world of sedans. With some bends of the sheet metal and a redesign of the rear of the Q5, Audi has come up with what we could consider one of the best-looking SUV coupes on the market.

We have seen this attempted before, with the new vehicle becoming either too “squished” or too bloated in the rear end to even marginally resemble the original vehicle. Sometimes, it just plain no longer looks like an SUV.

However, the SQ5 that we had the chance to drive had none of the above problems. It was a fine-looking SUV that has been given the perfect line of a fastback, therefore providing the impression that it has much more mojo than the original Q5.

And that it does. The manufacturer is now offering two different power plant setups in the Sportback line. The Q5 Sportback comes with a very nice 2.0-liter TSFI engine mated to a seven-speed, S tronic, dual-clutch transmission that gives it a class-leading 0-to-60 time of just 5.7 seconds. That’s not too shabby for an all-wheel-drive SUV.

It gets even better. The SQ5 that we got to drive was equipped with a 3.0-liter V-6 TSFI engine mated to the drive line via an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission that shaves a full second off the previous time, getting to 60 in a mere 4.7 seconds. That is extremely quick for a vehicle that weighs in at 4,288 pounds.

It all boiled down to giving us a ride that was very coupe-like every time we went out in the SQ5. We even managed to outdo the EPA estimate of 20 miles per gallon by averaging 22.3 mpg over 400 miles of driving. That included one trip to Salt Lake City and a bunch of city driving. Adding the fact that we kept the Audi in sport mode much of the time, this seemed a great number for such a large vehicle.

Our week with the Sportback also included a mixture of different weather events, including snow and rain in early January. The all-wheel-drive SUV was up to anything Mother Nature could offer us. We also enjoyed the added value of an adaptive air suspension that would automatically lift and lower the vehicle.

This would definitely help if one was out in the backcountry traversing some rocks or even driving through deep snow. The vehicle will rise up to provide 1.8 inches of added ground clearance and lower automatically when maintaining higher speed to help get better gas mileage.

Did the SQ5 prove to be a huge off-road warrior? That answer is no. There are better options out there if that is your goal; however, it would get most anywhere the average family or couple like ourselves could ever want to go and would handle most any weather condition around town.

Inside, the Audi did not disappoint us in any way. It comes with an Audi digital cockpit that appears more like a work of art than the interior of an SUV. The 12.3-inch display located right in front of the driver can be shown with three different themes and customized on the sides to provide the perfect information needed for the type of driving experience desired.

The huge 10.1-inch touch screen that dominates the center stack takes care of all the infotainment and other vital functions in the SUV. They are both produced in high-definition resolution. Add in natural birch wood inlays, a panoramic moonroof and leather all around, and we were surrounded in luxury and technology wherever we went in the SQ5!

Also part of this environment is a Bang & Olufsen sound system with 3D sound and 19 speakers powered by a 16-channel amplifier. We really could not have asked for anything more from the manufacturer in the top trim SQ5.

On the safety side, the Audi did not skimp at all, including blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking assist and a new rear pre-sense system that can tell if a rear collision is imminent and will take preventative measures to help mitigate a collision.

Adaptive cruise control can be added, and we would support this in any vehicle as it can be such a huge help, especially in heavy traffic conditions. We also received an all-around view camera, or our personal “helicopter camera” as some of the young men in our neighborhood described it when we took them for a ride.

The new Audi SQ5 Sportback SUV checks all the boxes for us and comes with a new fantastic look that will keep heads turning in your direction.

Base price: $56,100

Destination charge: $1,095

Price as driven: $66,640