Audi SQ5 gets 349bhp 3.0 litre TSI – but not for the UK

Audi has revealed a petrol-engined version of the SQ5 with a 349bhp 3.0 litre petrol engine, but not for the UK or Europe.

[nggallery id=1349 template=customlinks]

Last year, Audi revealed their quickest Q5 to date – the Audi SQ5 – complete with a torquey and powerful 3.0 litre TDI with more than 300bhp and capable of 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds.

But the SQ5 was aimed at markets that ‘got’ the idea of a powerful and sporty diesel.leaving petrolheads in parts of the world where the powerful diesel hasn’t yet struck a chord feeling shortchanged. But now Audi has the answer – the Audi SQ5 TSI.

The Audi SQ5 TSI gets Audi’s 3.0 litre supercharged petrol engine which offers an even more fulsome 349bhp (but a less fulsome torque figure of 347lb/ft – down 132lb/ft on the diesel SQ5), enough to get the petrol SQ5 to 62mph in 5.3 seconds (0.2 slower than the diesel) with economy at 33mpg (39mpg on the diesel).

Apart from the petrol engine instead of diesel, the petrol SQ5 offers the same tweaks as the diesel with titivated interior and exterior for a more sporty look and a stiffer suspension setup (all you need on an Audi) that sits lower than the normal Q5.

Unsurprisingly, Audi aren’t planning to offer the petrol SQ5 in Europe, but are aiming it at the US, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the Ukraine – places where petrol is still king of the performance market.

The new Audi SQ5 TSI will debut at this month’s Detroit Auto Show.