Audi Q5 SUV

Practical, comfortable and very efficient
Words by Mark Slack

There are some cars, when they’re due on my driveway, that herald a certain expectation, driveability, comfort and premium style. Audi is one such brand and in their latest Q5 there’s much to like but does it meet those expectations?

Q5 comes in SUV and Sportback along with similarly named models but with e-hybrid plug-in power and there’s the SQ5 performance version. Prices start from £53,101 for the lead-in SUV model with mild-hybrid power whether you choose the 2.0-litre petrol or diesel.

My test car was the £63,060 Launch Edition powered by the 204PS 2.0-litre TDI engine and comes as standard with adaptive air suspension (usually a £1725 option), matrix LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, head up display, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, power seats, auto dimming rear view mirrors, wireless phone charging, heated, powered and folding door mirrors, keyless entry and start and a Bang and Olufsen sound system.

The interior is the usual efficient Audi affair with an impressive curved OLED display screen but sadly lacking in buttons! However, it’s a system that works well and as ever with such things familiarity makes life easier.

With quattro all-wheel-drive along with other drive modes, a 7-speed automatic gearbox and a torquey 204PS diesels engine with 48-volt mild hybrid power unit the Q5 is a refined and smooth performer. With the benchmark 62mph passed in a whisker under 7.5 seconds, and 44mpg in combined driving it’s also an efficient performer too. 

The ride quality is excellent, no mean feat given the state of the roads here in the UK, and thanks to extremely comfortable sports seats long journeys are completed in a very relaxing environment. Passengers are treated to plenty of legroom both front and rear, there’s admirable amounts of space for luggage, not always a given for an SUV, and unlike the Sportback the SUV has a less streamlined roofline to provide a more versatile and practical load area.

Does the Q5 meet those expectations mentioned at the start of this piece? In many respects it certainly does, the way it drives is pure premium, likewise the technology, but the interior is rather plain and ordinary, not helped by the overly dark tones of black and grey from the headlining to the seats, door cards and dashboard. It just doesn’t feel special enough, as an Audi should feel. Subjective comments apart for those who like the dark then the Q5 is a practical, comfortable and very efficient choice.

Words by Mark Slack