Audi's downsizing strategy fits the Q5 crossover to a (2.0)T. - Car and Driver
Although nearly every automaker has talked big about downsizing—in essence, replacing larger engines with smaller-displacement, forced-induction powerplants to deliver similar performance and allegedly better fuel economy—Audi is among the few... Among the German company’s recent moves: dropping the V-6 options from its A3, TT, and A4 and installing a supercharged six in the latest S4 rather than carrying over the previous model’s honkin’ V-8. Now, for 2011, the Q5 crossover is available... The 270-hp, 3. 2-liter V-6 will continue to be offered for at least the next couple of years, but Audi tells us that it expects some 60 percent of Q5 buyers to stick with the base four. The test sheet reveals that the four-cylinder is a mere 0. 5 second behind the V-6 in the sprint to 60 mph and 0. 4 behind in the quarter-mile, at 7. 0 and 15. 5 seconds. Contrary to the downsizing hype, however, Q5 2. 0T buyers may end up with no real mpg benefit compared with the V-6, especially if their right feet are as heavy as ours. Although the respective EPA ratings for the four and V-6 are 20/27 mpg and 18/23, we got only 19 mpg with the 2. 0T versus 21 with the 3. 2. The cold weather during our 2. 0T test surely affected our number, as did our tendency to lean on the gas... Source: www.caranddriver.com
