Month: August 2021

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  Audi knows that some of its customers will pay a bit more for a stylish fastback derivative of many of its models. And the latest one to get that treatment is the Q5 Sportback SUV, seen here in sporty SQ5 form. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

When I reviewed the Audi Q7 SUV a few years ago, I said it felt like Darth Vader's staff car. That makes this Audi SQ5 Sportback a pretty good contender to be Kylo Ren's ride—younger, more athletic, and looking to make a statement. The two cars share the same weakness, too. Not so much a thirst for power as just a thirst, and one that just makes you realize how much better the car would be with an electric powertrain instead.

That Audi would apply the Sportback treatment to the Q5 SUV was a foregone conclusion; the company knows well that some of its customers will trade that final ounce of practicality in favor of a sloping fastback. In this case, taking a hatchet to the hatchback SQ5 adds a $4,200 premium; the SQ5 Sportback starts at $56,100.

That money buys a good-looking SUV. BMW arguably started the trend of fastback SUVs with the original X6 in 2008, and the trend has taken hold to the point where even Porsche will charge you more for a slightly less capacious but more elegant rear end on a Cayenne. In this case, I think Marc Lichte's team at Audi has put in one of their best efforts yet. The SQ5 is not a big SUV to begin with, and the cutaway fastback visually shrinks the car even more. Against a sea of regular-shape SUVs and crossovers, the SQ5 Sportback stands out as handsome.

Enlarge / Spotify and Apple Music on an iPhone in 2018. (credit: Getty Images | stockcam)

iPhone users have been asking for Spotify to add AirPlay 2 support for ages, but yesterday Spotify told users they shouldn't expect the feature to be added any time soon.

AirPlay 2 was added to iOS more than three years ago, and users have been asking for Spotify to support it for many months. It offers lower latency, multi-room support, and Siri integration. Apple provides ways for developers to connect experiences to it, and sometimes works directly with prominent app developers who are seeking to implement it. Many other major audio apps on the iPhone support it. AirPlay 2 has become available in several non-Apple products too, like recent TVs from manufactures such as Samsung and LG.

In a thread requesting the feature on Spotify's official community discussion forums (originally spotted by MacRumors), a Spotify rep published the following message: