Audi Q5 vs Subaru WRX

What's the difference?

The updated Audi Q5 Sportback TFSI is a strong example of a luxury base-grade SUV, ticking most of the boxes in styling, comfort and features. It may not always outperform its rivals on paper, but it delivers where it counts, offering a refined, practical and engaging package that will satisfy.

Possibly one of the most perfect performance cars you can drive daily for the price. Dynamic and fun to drive, but also easy to live with thanks to the drive modes for extra comfort, the high ground clearance and the practicality that comes with four doors, lots of storage and a big boot.

The tS Spec B is the priciest WRX in the range, but compared to rivals it's also great value. A car I would buy with my own money for sure.

The Q5 Sportback is the more attractive sibling when compared to the standard SUV, with a shape that feels more dynamic and sport-oriented. The updated design dials back the sharper creases of the previous model in favour of softer curves, paired with slim matrix LED headlights. The revised 'Singleframe' grille has strong presence and the full-width rear light treatment adds to the Sportback’s visual appeal. Overall, it’s a very handsome vehicle.

Inside, the interior glow-up is immediately noticeable. The large new display takes centre stage in a redesigned dashboard that looks clean and appropriately sophisticated. 

There’s a good mix of materials throughout the cabin, including the beige leather upholstery, although the presence of hard plastics reminds you that this is still a base grade. Even so, the cabin largely hits the right notes for a luxury entry point.

There are a few details that don’t quite land for me. The door-mounted control panel on the driver's side feels busy and a little fiddly to use, and creates an oddly sized and positioned pull handle that just doesn’t feel nice to use. And this is very much a nitpick, but the black stitching on the beige seatbelts catches my eye all the time. None of these are deal-breakers, but they stand out in an otherwise well resolved interior.

The WRX tS Spec B stands out from its siblings with 19-inch matte-grey alloy wheels with gold Brembo brakes and if you don’t notice any of that, then surely you won’t miss the gigantic rear wing planted on the boot lid.

The air scoop jutting out of the bonnet like a pizza oven is standard across the WRX range and it looks tough. There’s the rear diffuser which also looks beefy but also a bit plasticky, and the quad exhaust, that’s nice, and so is the note which wafts out of them at idle.

The tS Spec B’s Recaro sports seats are also in other tS grades – they do look and feel good, and offer outstanding comfort and support. 

The rest of the cabin is much the same as other WRX grades with a large portrait-style screen, physical buttons for climate control, and yes, that is a traditional, mechanical handbrake you can see in images.

This is a sporty-looking although slightly outdated cabin compared with more modern rivals.

Up front, the cabin feels spacious and comfortable, with plush (heated) electric seats, while the driver also benefits from a two-position memory function, which is a plus if the car is shared. My main gripe is the short seat bases, which become noticeable on longer drives.

In the rear, comfort largely holds up, though space is better suited to two adults due to the high transmission tunnel. The 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat is a practical inclusion and helps when juggling passengers and longer items.

Storage is mostly well considered. There’s a generously sized glove box and a couple of useful storage bins in each door, although the centre console is on the smaller side. The dedicated phone tray is a highlight, housing the wireless charging pad, two USB-C ports and a 12-volt socket. Both rows get cupholders and bottle storage, while rear passengers also benefit from USB-C ports, climate control, directional air vents and map pockets. Overall, there’s just enough space and amenity for adults or teens to remain comfortable.

Technology is handled by the updated media display, which features a responsive touchscreen and a menu system that’s easy enough to navigate. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are quick to set up, and the built-in satellite navigation is clearly laid out. That said, the near-total absence of physical buttons may frustrate some, with functions like climate control buried within the touchscreen. The number of pop-up disclaimers on start-up also feels excessive.

Boot space is where the Sportback’s sloping roofline has the biggest impact. Load height is limited, and capacity tops out at 515L with all seats in place, making it the smallest in its segment, albeit only by around 10L. I like the deep underfloor storage, along with the cargo cover, net and hands-free powered tailgate. However, the lack of a spare tyre, replaced by a repair kit, is a deal-breaker for me as a country driver, though it may matter less to those with easier access to repair services.

What’s so appealing about the WRX is that despite it being a performance car, it’s based on a regular 'small' sedan and with that comes all the practicality of a four-door, five-seater with a big 411-litre boot.

Space inside is excellent with plenty of room up front, while rear legroom is ample enough for me, at 189cm tall, to sit behind my driving position with plenty of headroom, too.

That all said the Recaro seats up front are on the snug side and I know they’re supposed to be, but I’m just saying they might not suit everybody – and by that I mean everybody.

Those with long legs might also find they have to adjust their driving position when letting out the clutch.

Big door pockets throughout, four cupholders, and hidey-holes for items throughout make for good cabin storage.

There are four USB ports and one 12V outlet, but no wireless phone charging to be found.

The WRX tS Spec B sits at the top of its range and lists for $61,490 plus on-road costs, making it expensive for the model compared to say the entry-grade WRX which is only $48,190 and pairs the same engine with the same gearbox.

Still, it comes with some unique features which makes this grade stand out from the other lower rungs in the WRX hierarchy.

The tS Spec B comes standard with 19-inch alloy wheels, six-piston front and two-piston rear high-performance Brembo brakes with ventilated and drilled discs, an enormous rear spoiler, STI Performance Mufflers at no extra cost, Recaro sports bucket seats in the front, a leather STI steering wheel and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

Also unique to the grade are drive modes which allow the suspension, engine, and steering to be customised for comfort or performance.

Standard on the ts Spec B, too, is equipment you'll find on lower grades in the WRX range, including LED headlights and daytime running lights, privacy glass, dual-zone climate control, an 11.6-inch touchscreen, a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, proximity locking and push-button start.

Rivals to the WRX tS Spec B include the Hyundai i30 N Sedan that's $10K cheaper, and the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf R which are both at least $10K more. The value for money in the tS Spec B is great compared to competitors, but there’s even better value to be found in the lower-grade WRXs.

The Q5 Sportback TFSI is front-wheel drive and powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine paired with a mild-hybrid system. Combined outputs sit at 150kW and 340Nm, which places it toward the lower end of the segment when stacked against rivals such as the Genesis GV70 2.5T and Mercedes GLC300 Coupe offering 224kW/422Nm and 190kW/400Nm, respectively.

On the road, however, there’s still plenty on offer for everyday driving, with power delivery feeling smooth and accessible. The seven-speed transmission shifts effortlessly, helping the Q5 Sportback feel refined and easy to live with, even if outright performance isn’t its headline feature.

Who doesn’t love the sound of a boxer engine? Well, probably your neighbours if you own a WRX. And while the tS Spec B doesn’t have any more power than any of the other WRXs – with it sharing the same 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder boxer engine as the rest of the line-up – the 202kW and 350Nm feel like the perfect amount of power and torque for this package.

It’s probably been about six months since I last drove a car with a manual gearbox, and that shows how rare they’re becoming when you’re testing a new car nearly every week.

The six-speed manual in the tS Spec B has satisfying clunky shifts and a heavy-feeling clutch pedal, but it all plays along perfectly with this engine, sending the drive to all four wheels.

If you’re looking for a version of the tS Spec B with an automatic transmission you’ll be searching forever because this grade only comes with a manual gearbox. There are WRXs with autos – well, a CVT – the entry grade, the RS and the tS.

The Q5 Sportback TFSI has a claimed combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle fuel consumption figure of 5.7L/100km and paired with its 65L fuel tank offers a theoretical driving range of up to 1140km. An impressive result on paper.

After a mix of long highway driving and my usual urban runaround, real-world consumption settled at 5.8L/100km, which is almost spot on.

It also highlights the Q5 Sportback TFSI’s performance/efficiency trade-off. While its outputs are modest relative to some rivals it rewards you with excellent economy in real-world use.

The WRX tS Spec B manual really likes its fuel – it’s a hungry beastie and everybody who’s about to get into the WRX life should be aware that, like most petrol performance cars, it’s not super fuel efficient.

Subaru is beautifully honest with its fuel consumption figures, which have the the WRX tS Spec B using 10.4L/100km in combined driving and 14.2L/100km in urban environment, which is so close to what we recorded - ours was 14.1/100km after mainly urban driving. You'll also have to feed it 95 RON.

The fuel tank is a healthy 63 litres in volume and that should give you a range of 606km – in theory. Do not test this theoretical range somewhere remote, okay?

There’s enough power in the base grade to keep things engaging on the open road, whether overtaking or maintaining pace, with a reassuring sense of reserves and smooth, punctual delivery.

Despite the firmer suspension, ride comfort remains high thanks to the newly tuned damping system, which absorbs bumps without sacrificing road feedback. The cabin is quiet at speed and at low speeds the car can switch to its hybrid system for extra refinement.

I’m not a huge fan of the adaptive steering assist, particularly on winding roads, as it can overcorrect at times. Overall, though, the Q5 Sportback delivers enjoyable, sporty dynamics.

Visibility is good from the front and sides, while the rear window is a little on the small side. It’s easy to get accustomed to the car’s dimensions and a clear 360-degree camera view comes standard across all grades, providing a clear view that automatically activates during low-speed manoeuvres. Parking this car is straightforward and stress-free.

This may sound strange, but a few months ago I was squished into the tiny cockpit of a 2025 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sitting at the traffic lights wishing I was in the 2020 Subaru WRX STI beside me. And having driven so many supercars and muscle cars in the past, many costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, I still see the WRX as being such a perfect daily driver performance car.

Sure, it doesn't have Porsche 911 dynamics or the straight-line acceleration of many electric cars, but it's the way the way this boxer engine interacts so beautifully the six-speed manual gearbox, combined with sticky all-wheel drive, a wonderful balance and such direct steering that make the WRX ts Spec B feel exactly right.

The tS Spec B is very much at home in the suburbs dotted with roundabouts and obstacles like speed bumps, but they all become part of the fun of driving this car in the same way that when you let it loose and open road it performs happily and so well, too.

The suspension does feel firm, but part of the big news of this tS Spec B is that it now has a drive mode function and this allow you to adjust the suspension, the steering and the throttle response to either sporty or comfort settings. This just makes this car an even more agreeable thing to live with daily.

The WRX hasn’t been given an ANCAP rating and up until only last year manual versions weren’t equipped with safety tech such as autonomous emergency braking.

The WRX tS Spec B manual has AEB, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and high-beam assist. 

It’s interesting but not particularly good that manual versions of the WRX don’t have parking sensors. I  don't need to tell you that parking sensors on cars in the city are so helpful for squeezing into tight spots without nudging the vehicle or railing behind you.

A space-saver spare wheel instead of a full-sized spare isn’t ideal either in Australia where dirt and gravel roads beckon the WRX.

For child seats there are three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.

The Q5 Sportback comes with Audi’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which also includes complimentary roadside assistance - all fairly standard at this end of the market. A five-year pre-paid servicing plan is available for $3520, which is cheaper than the pay-as-you-go option, though it’s not the most competitive compared with some rivals. For instance, BMW offers the same coverage for $2475, while the Genesis comes with complimentary servicing.

You can also extend the service period by two years with the 'Audi Advantage Package' for an additional cost. Services are spaced at sensible intervals, every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, making maintenance straightforward and predictable.

The WRX tS Spec B is covered by Subaru’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which while the standard for the mainstream segment, is behind the seven-plus terms we're now seeing from a lot of Chinese and Japanese car brands.

Servicing is recommended every 15,000km/12 months and can be expensive compared to other brands, with the five years of capped price servicing coming to $2692.