Audi Q5 vs Ford Escape

What's the difference?

Audi’s latest Q5 Sportback brings mild-hybrid power, updated underpinnings, more technology and a genuinely impressive interior glow-up. 

It’s clearly aimed at buyers drawn to a more athletic take on the mid-size SUV, where style plays a bigger role than outright practicality. We're testing the base petrol spec to see how it sits alongside the BMW X4 xDrive20i, Genesis GV70 2.5T and Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe.

We might have been excited to see the new generation Ford Ranger and Ford Everest models in 2022, but the real star of the show for the Blue Oval brand could well be this - its first electrified model to make it to Australia, the new Ford Escape PHEV.

If you’ve seen the letters PHEV before and not understood what it meant, don’t stress - you’re not alone. It stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. And what that means is that this car comes with a battery bank and electric motor, a port to plug it in and recharge it to drive on EV power only, and it also has a petrol engine to make sure you’re not stuck when you run out of charge.

I’ll run through all the details on the drivetrain below, but think of it this way - if you want a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid but want the possibility to drive on dedicated electric power for up to (and in excess of) 50 kilometres on a charge, this could be the right car for you…