Audi Q5 Reviews

The SQ5 sits at the top of the Q5 range, with a list price of $99,611.

The Sport grades sits above the entry Design spec in the Q5 range and lists for $70,900 if you'd like it with a diesel engine, or $73,211 for the petrol.

The new-generation Audi Q5 is difficult to fault as a premium SUV. All grades feel well-crafted, plush and high-tech. But how does it compare to its rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz GLC or BMW X3?

Damien Reid road tests and reviews the updated Audi Q5 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch in Mexico.

German powerhouses do battle in a booming SUV segment. Richard Blackburn declares a victor.

BMW X3 30d and Audi Q5 3.0TDI go head-to-head in this comparative review.

You can't argue with the figures - Audi's Q5 is one of the German manufacturer's most popular models here. That's due to a number of factors not the least being price, practicality, size and style.

The Audi Q5 makes up 20 per cent of all Audi sales (not just SUVs) so is vitally important to the company in Australia and a major reason why the latest facelift and upgrade has been rushed downunder.The ongoing slow automotive market in Europe is to the benefit of Australian buyers. The local importers have added extra equipment as standard, but have either maintained the price to the old level, or made very small upward adjustments.The complete Audi Q5 range is Q5 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic from $62,200, Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro tiptronic from $62,900, Q5 3.0 TFSI quattro tiptronic from $74,100 and Q5 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic from $75,500. Additional gear includes an electric tailgate on all models and multiple crash avoidance or mitigation electronics.The Audi Q5 comes with roof rails to which horizontal crossbars can be attached to carry a variety of loads, again just right for a long-distance family adventure. As soon as the crossbars are fitted a message is automatically sent to the vehicle dynamic electronics to advise it a roof load is being carried and the centre of gravity of the vehicle has been raised. That’s clever.At each stop in the South Australian desert we tested for signs of dust entry and found not the slightest trace of the talcum-like red dust that covers most of Australia. We were particularly impressed by the ‘clamshell’ design of the rear hatch as it not only kept out the dust, but also created a clean area all round the edge of the boot opening thus protecting fingers and clothes from becoming stained.As a real bonus the clamshell hatches, as used on all the Audi Q range, also provide a neat styling theme. Visually, the changes see a bolder shape to the familiar Audi 5‘s single-frame radiator grille. This time the stylists have put a strong emphasis on the vertical lines by way of brightwork details, and a bold shape by flattening out the top of the grille.The bumpers have been restyled, with the rear diffuser looking tough. The daytime running lights (DRLs) now wrap all the way around the new design of headlight housings. Something that created a spooky effect, presumably unintended, when the Q5 is looming out of dusty Australian desert tracks.We tested petrol and diesel units in both four and six-cylinder format - receive anything other than coolant at the correct temperature. Believe me, if you’re miles from nowhere in central Australia and come across overheating problems it can be a traumatic occasion - I’ve experienced it myself and it’s not nice...The 2.0 TDI diesel engine is new to the Q5 range in Australia. It produces up to 130 kW of power and maximum torque of 380 Nm represent gains of 5 kW and 30 Nm over the previous model. The six-cylinder 3.0 TDI diesel engine has been thoroughly revised, with its weight trimmed by 25kg. Peak power is now 180 kW, with maximum torque being a stump pulling 580 Nm.The V6 3.0 TFSI supercharged petrol engine is completely new to the Audi Q5. Peak power and torque (200 kW and 400 Nm) give sporting performance and V6 petrol Audi SUV accelerates to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds.We went off-road driving in a 4WD. A couple of decades back such a statement wouldn't have meant a thing, after all 4WDs were designed to go off the beaten track and that’s precisely where their owners took them. These days very few people are looking for anything other than a macho-looking people mover when they buy an SUV (as most 4WDs are called these days) so it gave us great pleasure when the Audi importer invited us to the middle of nowhere to test its revitalised Q5 midsize SUV.Obviously keen to prove the Q5 is more than a toy in real off-road running, the Audi press department took selected journalists on a light-plane ride north from Adelaide. After touching down at Leigh Creek we found various variants of the upgraded Audi Q5 waiting for us to explore the surrounding desert.We then spent almost 100 kilometres in midday heat driving over dust, sand, rocks and across dry river beds, with stops along the way for sightseeing and taking photographs. Exactly the sort of trip an adventurous family would tackle. With the temperature nudging 45 degrees as we got off the plane the first thing we learned was that the German marque’s air conditioning system wasn’t fazed by the Australian summer.Running the ‘air’ on the recirculation setting we were able to pull the temperature down to 24 degrees and keep it there without the slightest suggestion the cars’ cooling systems were struggling.Having proven its Q5 is the real deal in the desert Audi Australia no doubt hopes to make it popular with adventurous Australian families who want more than a mere tough looking people mover.

If not the newest prestige SUV of the year it's still the one to own. Even one immune to the prevailing and seemingly preternatural urge toward wagons with an elevated driving position “gets” Audi's Q5.I'd cross-shop it against almost any car at the pricepoint. The headliner of the four variant range has - like the lot of them - got the usual negligible visual update but its value and tech enhancements are wholly worthwhile.Wayne Swan's brainless luxury car tax means a luxury SUV will be priced cheaper than any comparable sedan or wagon. The Q5's pricepoints are further held in check by excellent fuel consumption - even the V6 turbo diesel discussed here runs well under the 7.0L/100km cut-off the Greens managed to tack on to this ill-conceived and arbitrary legislation.The entry 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic (Audis run ever leaner but their nomenclature still threatens to run off the page) starts at $62,200 (the turbo petrol four is $700 more). The whooshing supercharged petrol V6 is $74,100 and the headliner tested here starts at $75,500. Audi claims some $7000 extra value in its standard kit for no price increases - multimedia system linked navigation, reversing camera, electric passenger seat, memory functions in the seats and side mirrors, drive select and hill-hold assist.Our tester came in at $82,000 with the addition of metallic paint (an absurd $1850), painted lower body and chrome sill strips ($900), 19-inch five-arm star alloys ($1750), Bang & Olufsen sound ($1550) and the useful luggage rail system with load securing set ($450).The newest turbo petrol engines are all but eradicating the perceived advantage of diesels in cars but the economy and torque delivery of the latter remain of the essence in heavier SUVs. A favoured example, this 3.0-litre six-cylinder is fettled to shed weight and increase output, to the formidable 180kW/580Nm.The transmission is a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic, feeding torque-sensing all-wheel drive - that is, proper quattro as opposed to the Haldex set-up on the essentially Volkswagen Q3. At 6.5 seconds from 0-100km/h, the Q5 is sports sedan fast. At 6.4L/100km it's more frugal than most four-cylinder hatchbacks. Too many drive-select packages do too little. This one makes distinct and worthwhile changes to engine response and suspension settings.Doubtless some will spot the visual tweaks. The point is these are subtle enough so that owners of the first-issue model won't feel aggrieved or suffer at resale time. In line with the latest round of freshened-up Audis, the drive-select mode button is usefully located on the centre stack, a hand span from the gear lever. No need to dive into the multimedia menu to switch from comfort mode to sport. The auto tailgate is so handy and convenient that SUVs lacking it suddenly seem a bit third world.Five stars, all the kit, plus the active capability to ensure the passive devices will never be troubled. Human stupidity notwithstanding, of course.We requested a diesel for our drive before last week's launch and expected the worthy four-cylinder. That we had something rather more - having climbed in without scoping the badging - became apparent when the thing got off the mark like an engorged hot hatch and with an almost petrol engine growl. It's a gun donk all right, one that with 600km (and barely more than delivery km on the clock when we got in) returned a little over 7.0L/100km.This is the point at which Audi reviews tend to get peevish about the dynamics and steering feel not reaching the heights of the drivetrain. That's far less important in an SUV but the disparity also isn't as obvious. In sport mode, this Q5 is as tied down and dynamically adept as 1850kg of kerb weight (plus the heft of four big blokes and their gear) could reasonably be.The latest version of Audi's electronic steering is a big step in the right direction. There are shifting paddles attached to wheel but this transmission is smart enough to require minimal intervention. The turbo diesel/twin clutch hook-up is apparent only when stepping off the mark, though the combination of lag and the transmission's hesitancy to engage from go is more a characteristic than an outright fault.To ever more buyers, an Audi means an SUV. This is the best of them.

Audi has been the mover in the local prestige market for the past few years, steadily increasing its footprint by moving into every corner of the market frequented by the well-heeled among us. It began with a range of passenger cars, but it was only a matter of time before it sunk its teeth into the SUV market.NEWAudi has been the mover in the local prestige market for the past few years, steadily increasing its footprint by moving into every corner of the market frequented by the well-heeled among us. It began with a range of passenger cars, but it was only a matter of time before it sunk its teeth into the SUV market. The Q5 was its main strike SUV weapon.It was a medium-sized SUV that was nicely priced to appeal to 'burb dwellers looking for a wagon with style and road presence. Under the four-door SUV wagon laid Audi's renowned Quattro all-wheel drive system, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and a choice of four petrol and diesel engines.Apart from the aggressive Audi grille the styling was rather plain; the lines were clean, the shapes boxy. Open the door and you entered a roomy cabin with comfortable accommodation for five with heaps of creature comforts like compartments for wet of dirty items and drink holders for heating and cooling, as well as the usual things like air, cruise, power windows and mirrors, and great sound systems. There was also neat flexibility built into the cabin to make it more useful.Not only was the cabin spacious, with great luggage space, you could fold the rear seat flat to create an even more sizable space for carrying stuff. With four engines in the range there was one for everyone, whatever your priority. For economy there was the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel and the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines, for performance there was the 3.2-litre V6 petrol, and for a combination of performance and economy there was the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel that would sprint to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and deliver 7.5 L/100 km between fuel stops.There was just one transmission offered, that was a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, and the final drive was through all four wheels with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system. On the road the Q5 accelerated briskly, was smooth and flexible, and quiet and comfortable to ride in.NOWNow three years old the Q5 is coming off lease and moving into the sphere of the second hand buyers looking to own a prestige car at a discount price. A used Q5 can be had for the price of a new model from less prestige brands, like Honda, Nissan, Toyota etc., which can be an appealing prospect for many buyers.The build quality of the Q5 is such that there is little to show for three years or so on the road, unless they've been hammered mercilessly for the first years of ownership will still be showing near new as they move into their new owners hands. While it's unlikely that they will have been mistreated it's still wise to make the usual checks for regular servicing and crook panel work.When test driving a car for possible purchase drive it in as many situations as possible, low-speed crawl, high-speed freeway, fast acceleration, manoeuvring at walking speed etc. Listen for knocks and clunks from the suspension, also thoroughly check out the operation of the rather complex seven-speed auto transmission.Walk away if you observe any glitch in its function. Drive around congestion areas, like schools, parking lots etc. and local roads and check for blind spots. Large pillars can often restrict your vision and block your view of pedestrians, cyclists and children. It should also be noted that the petrol versions of the Q5 require premium unleaded petrol, they also have large low-profile tyres that can be expensive to replace, and parts and servicing are relatively expensive.SMITHY SAYSAs good as an SUV gets the Q5 is a first class choice for second hand buyers with cash to splash.AUDI Q5 - 2009-2010Price new: $59,990 to $71,990 Engines: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, 125 kW/ 350 Nm; 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, 155 kW/350 Nm; 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, 176 kW/500 Nm; 3.2-litre V6, 199 kW/330 Nm. Transmissions: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, AWD Economy: 6.8 L/100 km (2.0 TD), 8.5 L/100 km (2.0T), 7.5 L/100 km  (3.0TD), 9.3 L/100 km (3.2) Body: 4-door wagon Variants: 2.0 TDi, 2.0 TFSi, 3.0 TDi, 3.2 FSi Safety: 5-star ANCAP