If I were going to take put a new car into a time machine and take it back forty or fifty years, just to show the folks in the past how amazing cars were going to get, I wouldn’t bother with any of today’s supercars from Lamborghini or Ferrari.  No, in this somewhat unlikely scenario, I’d probably choose the 2010 Audi Q5.  Audi’s entry into the rapidly growing premium compact crossover market hits the streets with more than enough technology to absolutely blow the minds of the people from the past who’d be seeing it for the first time.

New for 2010, the Q5 enters the lineup as Audi’s second SUV/crossover, sized a step below the Q7.  It’s lighter and sportier than its big brother, with better road feel and fuel economy.  The luxury quotient is still high, however, and Audi’s elegant style remains a highlight.

To the people from 1960 who haven’t seen Audi’s current family styling theme, the Q5 is likely to look like a futuristic space pod, thanks to its flush-mounted glass and smooth, aerodynamic flanks.  According to the wind tunnel, the Q5 is the slipperiest vehicle in its class.

Aerodynamic doesn’t mean featureless, however.  There’s not much chrome trim by 1950s standards, but the Q5 sports enough brightwork and brushed aluminum on the bold Audi grille and dual exhaust outlets that our automotive ancestors should recognize it as a luxury model.  Available xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps and LED taillamps provide brilliant lighting, and of course the standard eighteen-inch wheels would have been unheard of in the past, especially not the Q5′s range of handsome alloys.   Nineteen- and twenty-inch wheels are also offered.

One aspect of the Q5 would be very familiar to 1960s audiences:  the available panoramic sunroof.  Just about every show car had a glass roof in the 1950s, and a few cars like Ford’s Sun Valley sported half-glass roof sections as well.  Beneath that sun-worshiping roof, the Q5′s interior is snug by ’60s standards but comfortable enough for up to five passengers.  The rear seats recline, giving the Q5 a comfort advantage that many larger sedans can’t match.  The attention to detail makes this interior; the leather upholstery and wood inlays on the dash could have been borrowed from Audi’s A8 luxury sedan.  Whatever the Q5 needs to haul is carried in a handsomely lined cargo area, accessed by a large tailgate with power open- and close functions.  Audi’s Multi-Media Interface system is standard equipment, offering easy toggling between sound system, navigation and other vehicle functions.  When equipped with the available climate-controlled driver’s cupholder and blind spot warning system, the Q5 carries more technology than some luxury cars of just ten years ago, let alone fifty.

Though the onlookers from 1960 may not know what to think of the Q5′s styling, they’ll definitely be impressed by its performance.  The Q5 is powered by an all-aluminum 3.2 liter direct-injection V6 with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, which I’d have to explain to the folks back-when are common on cars these days.  Audi’s Valvelift variable valve timing system is included, and the all-aluminum engine produces 270 horsepower.  Getting that urge to the wheels is the task of a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission.  Taken back to the 1950s, the Q5 would be pushing more horses than many sports cars, and the low center of gravity and standard all-wheel drive allow it to make the most of it.  For all that power, the Q5 is relatively efficient as well, with 18/23 mileage figures from the EPA.  And just to top it all off, the raised ride height and short overhangs front and rear allow the Q5 to boldly go where few luxury cars are able.

The Q5′s AWD also enhances the already stellar handling.  Audi includes a “Drive Select” interface which allows the driver to adjust the throttle response, steering input, shock stiffness and transmission shift points, so the Q5 can be tweaked to drive just the way you like it.  In any setting, the five-link front suspension and independent rear do an excellent job of mitigating the squat and waddle that are inherent in taller vehicles, and the Q5 handles with confidence and even a decent taste of enthusiasm.  It will handle twisty roads, though it’s at its best cruising the freeway, preferably in a torrential downpour so it can show off its intelligent Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) stability control.  The Q5′s ESP can sense when the roof rack is in use, and adjusts handling for the shift in center of gravity that comes with having weight on top of the vehicle.   Additionally, the Q5′s sleek looks belie a measure of off-road ability; the suspension has over six inches of wheel travel as well as the ability to climb a 31-degree slope.  Hill descent control and an off-roading mode to the ESP are standard.  Four wheel disc brakes ensure sports-sedan like stops in spite of the Q5′s two-ton curb weight.

What’s perhaps most impressive of all about the Q5 isn’t that it would blow the minds of the average car buyer of fifty years ago, of course, but that it’s an outstanding product even for today.  This car faces some stiff competition in the premium compact crossover market, including the BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and the new Cadillac SRX.  In spite of the bar’s having been set rather high, the Q5 succeeds at making an impression on its first try.  Q5 pricing starts at $37,200 with the 3.2 V6 engine and standard quattro all-wheel drive.   My tester was optioned-up with a panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, heated seats, iPod cables, navigation and the Drive Select interface, and stickered for $48,275.  Okay, the folks back in the 1950s might not be so impressed by that, even after it was adjusted for inflation (for those who are curious, that’s about $6,300 in 1955 dollars–about $500 more than a brand-new Cadillac).

Specifications:  All specs are for the 2010 Audi Q5 3.2 quattro
Length:  182.2 in.
Width:  74.0 in.
Height:     65.1 in.
Wheelbase:  110.5 in.
Curb weight:   4244 lb.
Cargo space:  29/1 cu.ft. (seats up);  57.3 cu.ft. (all seats folded)
Base price:  $37,200
Price as tested:  $48,275
Engine:   3.2 liter DOHC 24-valve V6
Drivetrain:  six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
Horsepower:  270 @ 6500
Torque:  243 @ 3000
Fuel capacity:  19.8 gal.
Est. mileage:   18/23

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