Audi insists on keeping its quirky ultraperformance hatchbacks from America, whether it's the bonkers twin-turbo RS6 Avant, the slightly less cuckoo RS4

Avant, or the beastly V12 diesel Q7 with its 738 lb-ft of torque. We never even got the S3. The company just won't let Americans have the cool wagons—and

the 560-hp RS7, which we do get, is too sexy to be strange. To borrow an old line: We want the funk! Give us the funk!

Think of the SQ5 as an olive branch for fans of the fast hatchback. It's admittedly not the kind of rig that will please wagon lovers, and unlike an R8, it

isn't likely to make neighborhood children break out in fits of joy. But it might make their lead-footed parents salivate. That's because the SQ5 is quick,

dignified, and practical in equal measure. It's a sensible vehicle with enough firepower to crush just about any crossover in a quarter of a mile. And in

typical Audi form, it's a sleeper so subtle that you'll have to look hard at the details—quad exhaust pipes, wider wheels and tires, silver-toned trim—before you

realize you're staring at something special.

READ THIS: Drive Notes: 2014 Audi RS7

Audi's familiar supercharged 3.0-liter V6 lives behind the SQ5's grille. Uncorked with a new intake and exhaust system and additional boost, the

longitudinally-mounted engine delivers 354 hp—21 more than the same engine in the S4 sedan—and a sweet, turbine-like howl. The exhaust barks out wonderful,

Mercedes-AMG-ish snaps as the car rapid-fires through its ZF eight-speed automatic, but the thrust is so linear that the SQ5 never clobbers you with a

giant wallop of torque or a crescendo of horsepower. Speed comes effortlessly and smoothly.

And quickly. Audi says the SQ5 will hit 60 mph almost half a second quicker than the speediest BMW X3, meaning nothing in this size or price class can move

as quickly. To whip this buggy in a drag race, you'd have to spend about 10 grand more on a bigger crossover.

READ THIS: 2015 Audi S3 First Drive

The best part about the SQ5 is that it shrinks around you as you drive it hard; it feels more like an oversized hot hatch than a tarted-up crossover. That

doesn't mean this tall vehicle could hang with any of Audi's fire-breathing RS Avants on a back road. But the SQ5 at least retains big-hatch usability with

enough space in the cargo hold for a family's vacation luggage and enough room in the rear seat for a pair of grown-ups.

Back to that olive branch for a moment: As much as we dig this SQ5, we won't get the "real" SQ5. European versions of the car pack a 313-hp

twin-turbocharged diesel six making a staggering 500 lb-ft of torque. And just to make us extra crabby, the Euro SQ5 rides on lowered suspension and goes

five highway miles farther on a gallon of fuel than our model does. C'mon, Audi!

2014 Audi SQ5

Price : $52,795

$52,795 Powertrain: 3.0-liter V-6, 354 hp, 347 lb-ft; AWD, 8-speed automatic

3.0-liter V-6, 354 hp, 347 lb-ft; AWD, 8-speed automatic Weight : 4409 lb

4409 lb 0–60 mph: 5.1 sec

5.1 sec Top Speed : 155 mph

155 mph Fuel Economy (City/Hwy) : 16/23 mpg

16/23 mpg On Sale: Now

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io