The Audi Q5 is only in its second generation, but it is firmly established as one of the most popular premium SUVs on the market - a very solid rival for the likes of the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC.
The latest Q5 shares chassis parts with the larger Q7, as well as the highly regarded Audi A4. It offers a comfortable, refined driving experience, but doesn’t quite match the X3 or Jaguar F-Pace for driver involvement.
It compensates for this with a supremely well finished cabin, though, and bags of safety technology and hi-tech equipment, including some of the best infotainment packages available on any car.
We’ve only tried the four-cylinder petrol and six-cylinder diesel versions of the Q5 so far, but based on our experience, the V6 diesel will be a fine choice as a rapid family SUV. The petrol isn’t bad either - although both of these engines are near-certain to be usurped by the four-cylinder diesel, which will trump them both on CO2 emissions. We strongly suspect that when we get a chance to try that motor, it’ll become our pick of the range instead of the V6.
The Q5 is one of the best-resolved Audi SUVs of recent times - perhaps since the Q3 - with decent proportions that are a world ahead of the lumpy Q7 and the oddball Q2.
Up front, it adopts the latest version of Audi’s SUV grille with headlights that can feature LED or high-resolution Matrix LED. The shoulder line along the flanks is consistent - more so than on the Q7 and Q2 - and the thinner tail-lights give the rear a muscular, wide look.
It’s clearly an Audi, of course, and closely linked in a dozen ways to the likes of the latest A4 - but this type of evolutionary approach across the range hasn’t put off millions of Audi customers so far, and we don’t expect it to start doing so now.
Audi is offering the Q5 in various markets with wheels ranging from 17-inch items up to option 21-inchers. UK specs have still to be determined, but given the engines involved, it’s likely that the range will start in SE spec on 18in wheels and move up to 19in items if you choose S line trim.
In total, 14 colours are available in the Q5’s palette. No more than two of these are likely to be solid no-cost choices, with the rest featuring metallic finishes and appearing on the options list.
Inside, the Q5 builds on the dashboard architecture that we’ve seen on the A4 by using a very similar design but featuring even higher-quality materials. You’ll have to poke around pretty hard before you start finding any unpleasant plastics; everything that’s visible or regularly touched looks and feels superb.
The dashboard is dominated by a central 8.3-inch infotainment screen, while front section of the centre console, ahead of the gear selector, features Audi’s MMI control dial and a touchpad set-up. Standard Q5s will get conventional instrument dials, but Audi’s highly-regarded Virtual Cockpit can replace these with a 12.3-in digital display.
The system has slick animations and can also be configured to prioritise the dials in a regular fashion or shrink them to better display information on navigation or infotainment.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Audi’s MMI infotainment system is one of the best on the market - and the Q5 certainly packs in lots of entertainment features. It’s based on an 8.3-inch screen that’s perched on the front of the centre of the dashboard. Audi doesn’t both with touchscreen technology, so the system shown on the display is controlled via a rotary dial and a touchpad mounted right at the leading edge of the console between the front seats (this is different on manual-gearbox models, but all UK Q5s get an automatic transmission).
The system itself is easy to use; you can jump between key areas of it by using permanent buttons mounted around the sides of the dial, and there’s handwriting recognition that allows you to scrawl letters of postcodes on the touchpad when you’re teeing up navigation. Voice control also features, in case you want to shout out addresses instead.
The system includes what Audi calls “personal route assist”. This function learns the routes and locations that the owner selects most often, and flags them up based on where the car is then parked and at what time of day this usually occurs. It can then suggest routes and flag up traffic incidents and alternate directions, even if the driver hasn’t actually requested guidance to, for example, their place of work or their home. Audi points out, incidentally, that the feature can be deactivated and all route data deleted if the owner doesn’t want it to be stored in this way.
The top spec of the system, called MMI Navigation Plus, incorporates a 4G data SIM and WiFi that can accommodate up to eight devices in the vehicle at any one time.
Other infotainment items on the options list include an upgrade Bang & Olufsen sound system and an ‘Audi tablet’ that serves a rear-seat entertainment device. Audi offers a smartphone interface too, which activates both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Q5 focuses on being safe, composed and comfortable, and it makes a good fist of it. We’ve only tried cars fitted with the most expensive chassis set-up - adaptive dampers in conjunction with air suspension - but they feel very accomplished. Even on large wheels - and with the air suspension operating in its lower setting, Dynamic mode - the Q5 remains comfortable over most bumps, and stays flat enough in corners. It’s predictable, easy to drive quickly and happy enough to change direction if you’re throwing the Q5 between corners.
What it is not, however, is overly thrilling. That’s because the steering in particular is short on feedback; it’s easy enough to trust, and accurate enough for you to place the Q5 into a corner with confidence. But it doesn’t really give you much of a sensation of what the front wheels are doing and how they’re interacting with the road surface below.
Still, away from Welsh B-roads, the Q5 strikes a good compromise between composure and ride comfort. We’ve tried the 2.0-litre petrol and 3.0-litre diesel versions and both of them are happy enough to cruise along at 80mph - although the larger unit is far more comfortable with being asked to get there in a hurry. And regardless of which engine you have, the Q5 stays stable and predictable under heavy braking.
The roughest surfaces encountered by the average Q5 are likely to be a particularly dusty corner of a Waitrose car park, but should the driver get desperately lost and end up on a gravel track, they should have confidence in the car’s ability. It’s not exactly a Land Rover Discovery Sport in terms of off-road ability, but it’s capable enough for the majority of situations . This is particularly true if the air suspension is specified, because it can lift the car up to maximise its ride height over rocks and mud.
As with lots of Audis, the Q5 has a wide variety of dynamics settings through its ‘Drive Select’ button. This allows you to select different modes that affect everything from the throttle response and traction control systems to the gearbox mapping and steering weight. The two settings you’ll flick between on roads are ‘Comfort’ and ‘Dynamic’ - although there is a further option, ‘Efficiency’, which stymies the throttle response further in a bid to eke out better fuel economy.
It is also possible to mix your favourite settings from key elements of the car - ‘Dynamic’ steering but ‘Comfort’ suspension, for example - and store these under an overall ‘Individual’ setting that’s just as easy to select as the manufacturer presets.
We’ve tried both the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that comes with four-cylinder engines and the eight-speed torque-converter automatic that you’ll get if you opt for the V6 diesel. Both transmissions are excellent, with rapid, smooth shifts and software that does a decent job of kicking down when necessary. You can always override the system, too, by flicking paddles behind the steering wheel to shift manually.
Engines
The easiest conclusion to draw about the Q5’s engine line-up is that it leaves plenty of room for expansion - because right now, there are only three options. The entry-level unit is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol producing 248bhp and a surprisingly hefty 370Nm between 1600rpm and 4500rpm.
The biggest seller in the UK is likely to be another four-cylinder unit - the 2.0 diesel, which produces 188bhp and 400Nm. Audi has yet to specify CO2 emissions for this unit - and indeed, we’ve yet to try it - but we’d expect it to get down towards the 130g/km mark.
The range-topper at launch is the V6 diesel, although it will actually follow soon after the four-cylinder units instead of arriving at the same time. This 3.0-litre unit is all new - a different generation of motor from the V6s that feature in the A4, Audi says - and it produces 282bhp and a walloping 620Nm between just 1500rpm and 3000rpm..
On the road, the 2.0-litre TFSI can feel a little overawed by the Q5’s size. Even with around 90kg shaved off for this second generation, the Q5 is not a small car and while the TFSI’s broad spread of torque does help its cause, you do find yourself having to whip it along if you’re trying to make decent progress across all but the flattest terrain.
Once you’re up to speed - on a motorway, for example - the TFSI becomes happier about life and fades nicely into the background (at 80mph it’s pulling around 2250rpm). And even if you are working it hard, it spins up pretty smoothly; it only approaches a thrashy tone at really high revs you’re only likely to see if you’ve taken control of the gearshifts yourself.
The V6 is a much stronger motor altogether, and it turns the Q5 into a pretty rapid cruiser. At 80mph this motor is trickling along at 1750rpm, and it’s barely audible at all; you’re much more likely to hear road roar from the large tyres than anything coming from under the bonnet.
If you do stretch the V6, you will notice an oddly gruff note when the rev counter moves beyond 4000rpm. But even on twistier roads, those reserves of torque mean that this will be a rare occurrence indeed.
The Q5 gets plenty of fancy safety technology - though some of it will be offered as cost options as part of additional ‘packs’ branded Tour, City and Parking.
The car’s adaptive cruise control system can also steer the vehicle when it’s crawling along in a traffic jam. There’s lane assist to help keep the car in lane when you’re moving more quickly, and a warning system that will tell you if you’re driving an unsafe distance behind the car in front.
The Q5’s rear sensors are used for more than just improved security when parking, too. They offer ‘Cross traffic assist’, which watches for oncoming cars that will pass behind you, and can warn you and then ultimately stop the car if you’re about to reverse out into their path.
The car’s blind spot monitors are also used to offer ‘exit protection’, which monitors the sides of the Q5 as you prepare to leave the vehicle. It will flash red lights in the door handle recesses if it thinks you’re about to open the door in the path of a pedestrian or cyclist - and can also stop the doors from being opened altogether if it thinks you’re going to ignore its warning.
Audi hasn’t received the Euro NCAP crash test results for the Q5 yet, but the old model scored the full five stars in its (older-spec) test, and we’d be surprised if the new generation doesn’t match that rating in the new evaluation.
The old Q5 was an average performer at best in our Driver Power survey; in the 2016 rankings it finished 87th out of 200 cars. Audi wasn’t exactly a stellar brand in the scores either; it finished 21st, well behind BMW and Mercedes.
However, the Q5’s switch to the more modern MLB Evo chassis components, and all-new engines, should bring improvements.
Warranty
Audi has yet to confirm precise warranty arrangements for the Q5, but we'd expect them to be broadly in line with the A4's. That would mean cover for three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes soonest.
Audi offers extensions to its cover that can take it up to five years and 90,000 miles, but it has yet to confirm this policy on the Q5, let alone pricing for it.
Servicing
We'd expect servicing requirements to be broadly in line with the A4's, and previous generation of Q5. That would mean variable servicing intervals, with fixed inspection services every 9,000 miles or so.
We’d expect only modest increases over the prices for the old car, too, with an interim service costing around £170 and a major one around £325. Audi has yet to provide guidance on these rates, though - and we’re also awaiting details on any schemes that allow you to spread service bills across monthly direct debits.
If you’re wondering if the Q5 is big enough to cope with four adults and their luggage, then let us set your mind at rest: there’s decent space inside for those grown-ups, and the boot is just about big enough to cope with three big suitcases and a couple of overnight bags.
Audi deserves some credit, in fact, for introducing a flexible rear seat that can alter fore and aft, and tweak the angle of its seatbacks, to prioritise either cabin space or the boot capacity. It’s just a shame it’s on the options list instead of being standard equipment.
That aside, it’s hard to fault the package; the view out of the driver’s seat is excellent, it’s reasonably easy to place all four corners of the car in tighter manoeuvres and there’s even some clever tech that knows when you’ve attached a roof box and adjusts the stability control systems accordingly to reflect the fact that you’ve got some extra weight higher up than normal.
Size
The Q5 is about par for the course in the premium SUV segment. Its length and width - 4.66 metres and 1.89 metres - are within a few millimetres of the BMW X3’s and Mercedes GLC’s dimensions. The Audi’s roofline does sit a little lower than the BMW’s, though, at 1.66 metres.
Perhaps more significantly, the second generation of the Q5 gained a few millimetres in wheelbase, so it’s now 2.82 metres. That’s still far from the longest in the class, but it does give the Q5 a fighting chance against the likes of the GLC when it comes to cabin space, particularly rear legroom.
Leg room, head room and passenger space
Four adults will be extremely comfortable in the Q5. There’s bags of shoulder space and headroom up front, and in the rear, even that tapering roofline doesn’t manage to make it cramped for six-footers. There’s really enough space, in fact, for the Q5 to cope with five adults on more than a short journey; that’s a decent effort in this class.
Getting in and out of the front seats is easy, thanks to the raised ride height that you get in this type of SUV. Adults will be able to slide in and out of the rear seats with relative ease too, although the thick C-pillar means that taller passengers may have to duck their head just a little as they perform the manoeuvre.
Audi offers a pair of ISOfix points in the outermost rear seats, but there’s no real scope for this car to accommodate three child seats across the second row. This isn’t unusual in the class, though.
As an option, you can specify rear seats that can move forwards and backwards, and adjust the angle of their backrest. This allows you to prioritise passenger space or the boot capacity, depending on your requirements.
Boot
The Q5’s boot is large enough to hold three decent-sized suitcases, with a couple of overnight bags squeezed in around them. But in raw capacity, it’s not quite up to the class best. If you spec the movable rear seat, the boot size ranges from 550 to 610 litres. By comparison, the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC have 550 litres with their (fixed) rear seats in place - but Jaguar’s F-Pace has 650 litres on offer.
Fold down the rear seats completely and the Q5’s capacity extends to 1,550 litres. That’s respectable, but 50 litres down on the X3 and GLC, and a whopping 190 litres adrift of the F-Pace.
There are a couple of hanging hooks at the side of the Q5’s boot, and Audi offers a luggage net that does a decent job of keeping things clamped down to the floor on twistier roads.
The boot aperture itself is excellent, with a nice, wide opening - although there’s actually quite a high lip to lift items over. The tailgate operates electrically on all models; it’s activated by a button on the bootlid or the keyfob, although there’s an option that allows you to perform the same function by waving your foot below the rear bumper.
Audi has stopped short of making bold claims about the Q5’s efficiency and running costs - but that’s only because the car hasn’t yet gone through the final homologation and checks to deliver official figures on fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
However, the signs are promising. The fact that the car is 90kg lighter than the old model should help to cut fuel consumption. So should the quattro ‘Ultra’ part-time four-wheel drive system that’s being offered on the four-cylinder models. And the engines themselves are either brand new to Audi or new to the Q5, so they ought to deliver better fuel economy in general.
The only engine we have CO2 emissions for at the moment is the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol. But it’s worth pointing out that its figure of 154g/km is extremely impressive for a four-wheel-drive, automatic, petrol SUV of the Q5’s size.
It is also astonishingly close to the figure delivered by the cleanest diesel editions of the first-generation Q5 - a sign, surely, that the new four-cylinder 2.0 TDI will get down towards the 130g/km mark, or even beat it. That would put the Q5 at least on a par with the likes of the Mercedes GLC 220d and ahead of BMW’s X3 xDrive20d - and it could well make this generation of the Audi cheaper to run than its predecessor, despite what’s likely to be a small increase in list price.
Audi is widely acknowledged to be planning a plug-in hybrid version of the Q5. It’s likely to use a version of the Q7’s set-up, mixing diesel power with electric motors to give a pure-electric range of around 40 miles. There’s been no mention of a release date, though, let alone when the version will go on sale.
Insurance groups
Audi UK is still finalising pricing and specifications for the Q5, so it’s too early for the insurance companies to have finalised groups for any of the models in the line-up.
Depreciation
There’s no data on the Q5’s residual values just yet; however, given that there’s likely to be strong demand from existing Q5 customers (many of whom are on their third example of the car), we’d expect depreciation to in the same ballpark as the car’s rivals from BMW and Mercedes - or perhaps even slightly better than them.
It’s worth noting, though, that the second generation of Q5 has moved its production base from Ingolstadt in Germany to Puebla in Mexico. Audi has gone to great lengths to ensure that build quality remains as strong at the all-new plant than in in its home country, and it needs to - because any early problems could have a detrimental effect on resale values as buyers resist a car built outside Europe. Our early encounters with the car have flagged up no obvious reasons for concern, however.