Audi Q5 Review

Published on 15 December, 2021

Audi’s Q5 has been given a refresh with an updated cabin, improvements in tech and a striking new colour pallet.

Highlights

Overview

The Audi Q5 has long sat at the top of the wish list when it comes to premium family SUVs. The spacious cabin, muscular stance and coveted four rings across the grille make for an appealing package for those after a bit of space and status. Spec it in this striking District Green S-Line with black trim combination and it’s certainly enough to make the neighbours curtains twitch in envy.

Interior Gallery

The boot doesn’t disappoint for family buyers at a healthy 520 litres. We found it well capable of carrying a bulky travel system that many other electric tailgates fail to close over, with plenty of room to spare for an extra scooter or two. The split folding rear seats can be dropped at the pull of a level, leaving a satisfying flat load area for any more hard core load carrying.

Space in the back is overall quite decent. There’s enough space to seat two tall adults in comfort, but legroom could be slightly better. There are two Isofix anchors and a wide rear bench which means an adult could squeeze between them for a short spin, but the large transmission tunnel more or less wipes out the legroom in the middle. We managed to fit two rear facing child seats on either side, one being one of those very popular modern spinning models that allow you to choose a forward or rear facing position. While there was no issue while facing forward, the front passenger seat had to be pushed pretty much all the way forward to allow for the rear facing function. It might seem a very specific issue, but some rivals do better here with no need to adjust the front seats at all.

Older children should be happy enough with the space on offer, alongside other luxuries such as their own climate controls and a pulldown centre armrest. Unfortunately the only charging option in the back comes in the form of a 12 volt charging socket so gadgets needing a top up will need to be passed to the front where there are three USB ports.

The Q5 comes with a starting price of €62,225 in this diesel guise, or €65,270 if you were to go for the S-Line trim, which we would highly recommend as it really lifts both the exterior and interior of the car. The options on our test car brought it up to €70,402, with various different styling upgrades such as the black trim and wing mirrors, 19 inch alloy wheels and a panoramic glass sun roof. It also came equipped with new OLED rear lights which will wow those lucky enough to be in your tail wind for another €1,820.

Interior quality is second to none and the Q5 has one of the best cabins in the segment. The solid build quality, clean lines and logical layout give it an unmistakeably luxurious feel that is hard to beat even in this premium class. The bolstered S-Line sports seats feel great to sink into and offer good support on a longer spin.

There have been some changes made to the infotainment set up as part of this refresh – most notably the removal of the rotary dial in the centre. It’s now a fully touchscreen set up and if we’re honest, all the better for it. The less faff the better we say. The system itself is close to flawless. It is razor sharp in its response and wonderfully simple to use. The only complaint we did have was the inexplicable absence of SatNav. An optional extra, apparently, even on this €70k S-Line. Also missing was the digital cockpit which is a €520 option that we would highly recommend as few do it as well as Audi. A reversing camera is standard.

The list of safety features is impressive, although you will have to hit the option list for most of them. Pre sense city brake is standard, with various high tech driver assists such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and road sign recognition available as boxes to tick.  

Our test car was the 35 TDI, a two litre diesel mated to a seven speed S tronic gearbox. The power output of 163hp does not sound like much but is perfectly suited to the typical demands made of a family SUV. While you might struggle to call it an exciting drive, there is a line where a car is so competent it veers into excellence and that is exactly what has happened here. The Q5 is so good at the unremarkable everyday stuff, that it has become oddly remarkable. The perfectly weighted steering, excellently judged suspension and superbly smooth discharge of power make it nothing short of joyful to drive. Well, as much as a 2.0l diesel SUV can be.

And oh yes, about that. The powertrain might come across like this review’s elephant in the room but we are not here to debate the future of the diesel engine, except to say that for those who still need them, this is a particularly fine example of one. Capable of over 1,000 km and impressive fuel economy figures of 5.8l/100km (well achievable and often performs better), there is still a lot to be said for the black stuff in some instances.

Those nervous about the future have the option of a Plug-in Hybrid, which will do up to 40km on battery power, with more kick and a lower tax bill. Although unfortunately the Government’s recent decision to scrap the Plug-In Hybrid grant in the new year means it won’t be such good value for long more.

The brand for a solid reputation for build quality and all new models come with manufacturer’s warranty, three-year paint warranty and a 12-year body protection warranty as standard. Residuals will depend on which powertrain you choose, although if buying through PCP you should have some degree of protection there in terms of a guaranteed future value. One thing we can be sure of is that demand for SUVs is going nowhere fast.

It might also be worth considering the colour choice here. While we are big fans of this ‘District Green’ shade, many superstitious shoppers are loathe to buy a green car due to their supposed bad luck. That might sound farcical but our friends at Cartell.ie did some research recently that revealed the most common colour of car to be involved in insurance write off incidents is in fact green. We think we would take the risk in this instance though. Let’s just call it khaki and forget we said anything…

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives