Audi Q5 review

Given Audi’s plan to have a fully electric line-up in a few years, it’s put a surprising amount of effort into the latest Audi Q5. Then again, a less-than-thorough refresh of its global bestseller would have been more than a little risky.

So what’s changed? Well, the big news is that the Q5 is the first SUV to sit on Audi’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) underpinnings, which debuted on the Audi A5 last year. They're not entirely new, but some major upgrades were needed to accommodate the brand’s latest fuel-saving mild-hybrid technology.

There’s also fresh infotainment tech, a new interior design and fancy headlights that can display customisable patterns. And you can, as before, choose between the regular SUV version and a sleeker Sportback that has a hint of coupé about its rear end.

Audi Q5 video review

The competition in the upmarket family SUV class is pretty intense, and if you’re looking at the Q5 there are quite a few other models you might be considering too, including the BMW X3, Lexus NX and Mercedes GLC.

So how does the latest Audi Q5 compare against its key rivals for driving manners, practicality, interior quality and more? Let's find out...

The Audi Q5 line-up is pretty simple at the moment because there’s just one petrol and one diesel engine (not counting the SQ5). Both are 201bhp 2.0-litres with four-wheel drive, and performance is very similar.

We managed a 0-60mph time of 6.9 seconds with the TDI diesel, pipping the BMW X3 20d (7.2 seconds) and the most powerful Mazda CX-60 3.3D (7.1 seconds).

The Q5's mild-hybrid set-up is impressive too. Usually with this sort of tech there’s a tiny battery that provides a minuscule amount of electrical assistance when you’re accelerating. Here, though, the battery is a respectable size (1.7kWh) and gives enough oomph to drive the car with the engine off.

Granted, that mostly happens at low speeds, for a short time and when you’re super gentle with the accelerator pedal – but it does make the Q5 something of a halfway house between the even milder hybrid set-up in the BMW X3 and a full hybrid, such as the Lexus NX 350h.

Our favourite engine is the diesel, which is eager to set off at low revs and muscular enough to feel flexible and effortless in everyday driving. Although both versions have an official towing weight of 2400kg, the diesel is likely to be more capable as a tow car.

The petrol is smooth, punchy and suits the Q5 well. It just needs working harder than the diesel and is more vocal because of it – although thankfully the noise it makes is quite tuneful and even a little sporty. It dovetails well with the standard seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox, which shifts smoothly.

Alternatively, if you want a petrol SUV that’s properly rapid, there’s the SQ5 version. Its 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine pumps out 362bhp and can launch it to 62mph from a standstill in just 4.5 seconds.

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version will join the Q5 engine range soon – we'll let you know what that's like when we've driven it.

The Q5 is available with air suspension – something that’s common in high-end luxury SUVs but pretty rare in the family SUV class. Yes, it costs extra but it delivers a really smooth, controlled ride at all speeds – even with 21in alloys fitted, the biggest available on the Q5.

We can’t say for sure if it’s worth stumping up for because we haven’t tried the "sports" suspension you get as standard on S line and Edition 1 versions, or the "comfort" set-up fitted to entry-level Sport models (which are not available with the air suspension).

The air suspension helps in other ways too: if you switch to Dynamic mode, it stiffens up to make the Q5 feel more composed and agile.

Don’t expect to relish every winding country lane but the Q5 is competent and confidence-inspiring. There’s loads of grip, only a small amount of body lean and the steering is reassuringly accurate by family SUV standards.

That said, the petrol Porsche Macan is a little more playful when you drive it hard, while the X3’s more faster and more feelsome steering means it’s also more rewarding to drive quickly.

Where the Q5 edges ahead of rivals is its refinement, with lower levels of wind and road noise at all speeds than the X3 and Mazda CX-60.

"With the previous-generation Q5, the only way you could get air suspension was by going for hugely pricey Vorsprung trim. I think it’s great you can now add it as an option to cheaper trims." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

A few years ago Audi made the best interiors in the business. No question. The previous-generation Q5 was a prime example, with superb build quality and lavish, upmarket materials everywhere you looked or touched. In short, it put rivals such as the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC to shame.

Sadly, that’s no longer the case. There are still some soft-touch materials inside the new Q5, but also plenty of hard plastics, and some bits – including the trim on the face of the dashboard – feel rather wobbly. In short, interior quality is no longer a reason to choose the Q5 over a number of other family SUVs.

It must be said that Audi is by no means the only premium car brand reducing the quality of its interiors (have a quick poke around inside the latest X3 and you’ll realise that). Nevertheless, the Mazda CX-60 comes with a more appealing choice of materials and feels better screwed together. The Genesis GV70 feels more upmarket inside too.

More positively, the driving position is tough to fault. The Q5 isn’t an enormous SUV but you still feel higher up than in most cars. The seat – which is super-comfy and supportive – lines up neatly with the steering wheel and pedals, although some will find that the top corners of the digital driver's display is partly obscured by the steering wheel if it’s set low.

The fairly chunky front pillars are angled in a way that makes it easy to look around them at junctions, while the large side windows provide a clearer over-the-shoulder view than the X3 and CX-60. All Q5s come with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera to help guide you in and out of parking spaces. Top-level Edition 1 trim gets an upgraded 360-degree camera.

It’s a pity Audi has ditched the physical air-conditioning controls that featured in the previous Q5 because you now have to press small icons on the main infotainment touchscreen (or use the voice-control function) to adjust the interior temperature. It’s the same story in the X3 but the Lexus NX has much less distracting physical dials and the CX-60 has proper switches.

On the subject of the touchscreen, it measures 14.5in and is curved towards the driver to make the right-hand side easier to see and reach. It responds quickly enough when you prod it but there are a few too many small icons that are difficult to aim for while driving.

If you go for Edition 1 trim, you also get a 10.9in touchscreen on the passenger side of the dashboard. It allows whoever’s riding shotgun to play DJ, or watch Netflix or YouTube. Thanks to polarising tech, the driver can't see what's on that second screen.

"I think it’s a pity Audi has ditched physical buttons and knobs for controlling the air-conditioning, although it’s far from the only manufacturer guilty of this." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

When a new-generation model is launched, it’s a pretty safe bet that it'll be bigger than the car it replaces, and sure enough the Audi Q5 has grown – although not by that much. It's now 35mm longer and the distance between its front and rear wheel has increased by 9mm.

It's not noticeably roomier inside but there’s enough leg room in the back to cater for two six-footers, even with similarly tall folk in the front of them. Head room is plentiful, especially if you don’t add the optional panoramic sunroof. As you'd expect, head room is a bit tighter in the sleeker Sportback version.

In S line and Edition 1 trims, the Q5 gets sliding rear seats – which you don’t get in the BMW X3 or Lexus NX – and you can recline the backrest by a useful amount for a slightly more laidback seating position. Even with the rear bench slid forward, there’s still an adequate amount of leg room for an adult to sit comfortably on a short journey.

Fitting three adults in the back of the Q5 is a bit of a squeeze, and whoever sits in the middle will be straddling a chunky hump in the floor. The Mazda CX-60 has a lower transmission tunnel that frees up space for feet. Note that – unlike the Audi Q7 – the Q5 is not available come as a seven-seater.

With the back seats slid back as far as they go, the Q5 has 520 litres of boot space below the load cover. On paper, that's 50 litres less than the X3 and CX-60, but because of its longer load bay the Q5 took nine carry-on suitcases against eight in the those two rivals.

Despite its sleeker shape, the Sportback sacrifices just five litres of boot space below the load cover, but there is less room above it. The load cover can be stowed under the boot floor when not in use.

The Q5's back seats split and fold down in a 40/20/40 split and you can drop the seatbacks by pulling handles on the walls of the boot. You get a powered tailgate on all versions.

"I’m just over 6ft tall and found rear head room in the Audi Q5 absolutely fine, even in the Sportback version." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Audi Q5 is a fairly big SUV with a posh badge on its nose so it’s hardly going to be a cheap choice. It’s priced in line with the rival BMW X3 and costs slightly less than a Mercedes GLC.

You’ll pay a chunky premium for the Sportback version, and given that it's a bit less practical, it’s hard to recommend unless you really love the way it looks.

The Q5's mild-hybrid tech means fuel economy is better than you might expect: the TFSI petrol can officially do more than 40mpg on smaller wheels. That’s a bit better than the GLC 300, although still nowhere near as frugal as the full hybrid Lexus NX 350h.

Meanwhile, we managed a real-world figure of 43.8mpg in the diesel version, which is significantly less than the 50.2mpg we achieved in the BMW X3 20d and 52.8mpg from the Mazda CX-60 3.3D 254 on the same day.

If you're looking for a company car and want to keep BIK tax down, you'll be better off waiting for the plug-in hybrid Q5, which is due soon. To save even more on tax, consider an electric SUV such as the similar-sized Audi Q6 e-tron.

The Q5's entry-level Sport trim comes with plenty of kit, including three-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats and a 360-degree parking camera. We suspect it's all you need, but so far we’ve only tried versions with optional air suspension, which is only available with higher trims.

The main reason to upgrade to S line trim is probably the bigger (20in) alloys and sportier bodykit it brings, but it also adds sliding rear seats and tinted rear windows, plus it’s the cheapest trim available with the air suspension.

Edition 1 trim adds plenty of desirable extras, including a second infotainment touchscreen for the front passenger, electric front seats, 21in alloys, matrix LED headlights and some extra active safety aids.

On the subject of safety, there’s currently no Euro NCAP safety rating for the new model. All versions come with automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot monitoring.

The Q5 didn't feature in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Audi as a whole finished in a disappointing 24th place out of 31 car brands. BMW, Lexus, Mazda and Mercedes all did better.

Audi gives you a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. BMW gives you the same term but with unlimited mileage.

"You’d have to do many miles to earn back the cost in fuel savings by choosing the diesel engine over the cheaper petrol unit, but its combination of performance and refinement makes it our engine of choice." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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