Refreshed Audi Q5 to get a Q5 Sportback sibling?

Audi has a refreshed Q5 crossover on the way, expected to hit dealerships late this summer depending on how the industry recovers from the current turmoil. German outlet Auto Zeitung reports (translated) that the Ingolstadt carmaker's best-selling crossover in the U.S. — moving nearly 70,000 units last year — will get another sales tool and segment competitor with a Q5 Sportback version. The point of a more coupe-like Q5 will be to square up a challenger to the likes of the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. And while the move could be considered overdue — the X4 is six years old — it's not the novelty it might seem. The U.S. market had just one Sportbacked model, the A5, until the E-Tron Sportback arrived this year. In Germany, however, almost every odd-numbered Audi has a Sportback version, and every A7 is called an A7 Sportback.

Camouflaged prototypes of the refreshed 2021 Q5 have prowled roads here since at least last summer, showing changes limited to the front and rear fascias that mimic the refreshed A4 sedan. The Q5's more expressive face goes with a reworked hexagonal grille and sharp-cornered LED headlights, plus smaller intakes. In back, taillights show off a new pattern above a mildly revised bumper and diffuser treatment. Inside, a revised infotainment setup could yield a taller touchscreen and omit the touchpad.

A Q5 Sportback would get all of that, and the same engines in the U.S., meaning a 248-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in base form, that engine in a 349-hp PHEV powertrain, and the 349-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 in an SQ5 Sportback. In other options, diesel options up to 347 hp could be on the menu. Auto Zeitung predicts the flashier Q5 hits dealerships in the spring of 2021. The outlet believes there'll be a €2,000 price difference, which would line up with the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback template in Germany, and slot the model in under the X4 and GLC prices. And after the Q5 Sportback drops, the long awaited Q4 and Q4 E-Tron should show "in the near future."

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