In this review
Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2
Being a premium-badged SUV, the Q5 isn’t exactly cheap to buy. It’s priced competitively against its nearest rivals, though, and should be worth more than many of its peers when you decide to sell on in the future; although its resale values aren't predicted to beat the Land Rover Discovery Sport’s. This slow depreciation helps with finance rates, too, making the Q5 surprisingly affordable next to many rivals if you're buying with PCP finance.
If you're a company car user, the 40 TDI model's relatively low CO2 emissions keep benefit-in-kind (BIK) company car tax bills competitive, although the diesel Mercedes GLC is even better in this regard. However, it’s the TFSIe plug-in hybrids that are best for low BIK rates, with emissions as low as 49g/km and a battery-only range of 26 miles.
We’ve run our own real-world fuel economy tests on the popular 40 TDI. While it typically failed to match the manufacturer's claims, it did record a respectable combined 41.0mpg, comparing well against the 36.5mpg achieved by a Volvo XC60 D4.
Equipment, options and extras
Standard equipment is reasonably generous across the range. Entry-level Sport trim gives you 18in alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, leather seats (heated in the front) and cruise control. This will be adequate for many folk, although we would recommend stumping up for the optional Technology Pack that we mentioned earlier.
S Line is our pick of the range, though. As well as taking the styling up a notch, it also brings larger, 19in alloy wheels, more aggressive bumpers and privacy glass. You also get powerful LED headlights and part-leather, part-Alcantara sports seats.
Black Edition adds still bigger wheels and further styling touches and isn't what we’d call a sensible choice. Meanwhile, range-topping Vorsprung is lavishly equipped, with pretty much every creature comfort you can think of, but it's very pricey indeed.
The range-topping SQ5 is a bespoke model rather than a trim level; you can read more about it by clicking here.
Reliability
In the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, Audi as a brand fared no better than average. It finished in 20th place out of 31 manufacturers, a slightly better showing than 24th-place Mercedes but only one place ahead of BMW. As for the Q5 itself, it finished mid-table in the large SUV class, beating the Land Rover Discovery Sport and BMW X3 but finishing some way behind the Volvo XC60.
Warranty cover for the Q5 is for three years or 60,000 miles. Extended warranties of up to five years or 90,000 miles are available.
Safety and security
Car safety expert Euro NCAP awarded the Q5 a full five-star rating in its safety appraisal. However, if you look at individual scores for each category, the Mercedes GLC achieved slightly higher marks for its ability to protect adults and children in a crash and received a considerably better score in the pedestrian safety category.
Every Q5 gets six airbags as standard (you can add two more rear side airbags for a small charge), as well as automatic emergency braking (AEB). At speeds of up to 52mph, this vital safety feature warns you if you’re about to hit a pedestrian or the car in front, and will apply the brakes if you don’t respond in time.
An optional Tour Pack (standard on Vorsprung trim) includes turn assist, which stops the Q5 if you fail to spot a car when pulling out of a T-junction; plus adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition to keep you informed of the prevailing speed limit. The latter feature is coupled to the traffic jam assist system, which will stop, start and steer for you at up to 40mph in traffic.
Additional safety features come as part of a Parking Assistance Pack. These include blindspot monitoring, a pre-sense system that tightens the seatbelts and shuts the windows if the car thinks you are about to be involved in a crash, and cross-traffic assist. The latter looks out for hazards at the rear when reversing, stopping the car if it thinks you haven't noticed a vehicle that’s about to cross your path. The pack comes as standard on range-topping Vorsprung models and is optional on the cheaper trims.
All Q5s come with a full Thatcham-approved remote-operated alarm and immobiliser as standard.
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