Audi Q5 Review & Prices

The Audi Q5 is a sophisticated SUV, perfect for families seeking a premium option. It comes with a high-tech, screen-filled interior, plenty of practical touches for everyday life and a choice of petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid engines. It’s the third generation of the Q5 since launch, but the previous model actually felt a bit posher and better screwed-together, even if it couldn’t compete on the technology front.

Speaking of competition, the Q5 has many alternatives. The most obvious choices would be other premium SUVs such as the BMW X3, Mercedes GLC, Volvo XC60 or Lexus NX. You could also consider high-end versions of the Q5 against cheaper models in the Range Rover Velar or Porsche Macan line-ups. Alternatively, basic Q5s are a similar price to top-end versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan or Honda CR-V, so there’s a wide range of options available.

Think of the Q5 as a bit like a Centerparcs holiday - a bit pricier than planning everything yourself, but ultimately a pretty safe choice and more upmarket than most holiday parks, without the massive outlay of taking everyone skiing.

The new Q5 feels like an evolution in styling terms. The front grille is large and hexagonal, with the Audi badge in the middle of it, and it’s flanked by sharp-edged LED headlights and chunky air intakes. At the rear you get a full-width lightbar.

It’s quite smart, but a little fussy, and the rear in particular looks a little generic now that more and more SUVs have a similar LED light strip. There are more than a few similarities to the budget MG HS. The Q5 does allow you to stand out with customisable LED daytime running lights, though - there are several distinct patterns to choose from front and rear.

Inside, it’s much less mundane. The Q6 gets a similar interior to Audi’s other recent models - the A5, A6, and Q6 e-tron - which means you get a real glut of screens to choose from. The central infotainment screen is a beefy 14.5 inches across, and sits under the same sheet of glass as the 11.9-inch driver information display to give a seamless effect. Climb up the trim levels and you get a large, high-resolution head-up display, as well as a third screen for the front passenger to browse media or see driving data on the move.

Despite all this neat tech, though, the Q5’s interior has taken a bit of a downturn in terms of usability. Functions which in the previous model had dedicated physical buttons have been moved to the touchscreen, which copes with so many features that it can be fiddly to use on the move. The ones that remain are weirdly grouped and aren’t proper buttons - they’re hidden under single-piece panels which move weirdly and don’t feel very satisfying to use.

It’s a real shame that the Q5 doesn’t feel as rock-solid as it used to in terms of quality, either. There are several more suspect plastics, feeling cheap and nasty where on the old car they’d be dense and soft-touch. Those aforementioned control panels feel a bit cheap, too, and move around under your finger.

At least there’s plenty of space - crucial in a family SUV. Legroom in the back is good for adults and there’s room enough for even bulky rear-facing child seats. There’s also an ISOFIX point in the front passenger seat giving greater flexibility. The boot is about average for the class, though - and it’s smaller if you opt for the high-performance SQ5 or the plug-in hybrid model.

Those two versions join a standard petrol or diesel engine, both with some hybrid technology to lower emissions and allow for a few hundred metres of all-electric driving at low speeds.

Whichever engine you opt for the Q5 is comfortable, coping well with lumps and bumps especially if you go for one of the top models on air suspension. It’s not particularly exciting to drive, though - the BMW X3 is much more fun in the corners, but the Q5 feels stable and secure and excels on the motorway where it’s refined and relaxing.

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The Audi Q5 range starts at just over £52,000, a bit pricier than the entry-level BMW X3 but a couple of thousand pounds cheaper than the Mercedes GLC.

The base ‘Sport’ trim gets 19-inch alloy wheels, LED lights all round, leather upholstery, triple-zone climate control, an electric boot lid and a swathe of safety equipment. Most Audi buyers opt for the mid-spec ‘S line’, though, which gives a more aggressive and to our eyes better-looking body kit with a framed grille, larger air intakes and 20-inch alloy wheels.

S line cars also get sportier suspension, privacy glass, sports seats and a sportier steering wheel.

The range-topping Edition 1 trim costs nearly £60,000, but for that you get 21-inch wheels, matrix LED lights with Audi’s clever digital light signature, a 360-degree camera, a black styling pack for the exterior trim, more safety kit and the additional 10.9-inch passenger display. Even on this model you need to pay extra if you want air suspension, a panoramic sunroof or the posh Bang & Olufsen sound system, though.

Comfortable when cruising and around town, but not much fun in the corners

In town

All Q5 models get Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a hybrid system. While on other models this gearbox is typically a bit hesitant around town, here the hybrid system irons that out because the car always starts on electric power unless you really hoof it. With gentle throttle application, though, you can keep the car on electric power up to about 20mph - ideal for traffic jams.

Visibility is pretty good - you can see the leading edge of the bonnet from the driver’s seat, and the low window line and big rear window mean you get a good view rearwards and over your shoulder too. There’s a bit of a blind spot around the windscreen pillar, but the main reason for that is that the rear-view mirrors are so big - and we’re not moaning about that.

Models with the optional air suspension do a fantastic job of ironing out speed bumps and potholes around town, but the standard suspension is pretty good at this too - if not quite as comfortable as a Range Rover Velar. The sticking point - quite literally - is the brake pedal, which is quite difficult to modulate smoothly.

If you want to waft along in proper silence in town, go for the Q5 e-Hybrid. It’s a plug-in hybrid with up to 62 miles of range on a full charge, which should be enough for even the most gruelling commutes across big cities.

On the motorway

The Q5 excels on the motorway, especially if you opt for the diesel engine which has plenty of low-end shove and is much more efficient at a cruise than the petrol model.

The suspension and seats are both very comfortable and refinement is excellent with minimal wind, road or engine noise.

Audi’s assisted driving features work very well, too - the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping aids really take the sting out of longer journeys with minimal false alerts or unexpected actions.

On a twisty road

All Q5s have quattro four-wheel drive and excellent traction even on slippery roads, so there’s a real feeling of stability in the corners. That’s helped by minimal body lean - impressive in a tall car - and an intuitive feeling to the steering.

A BMW X3 is more fun in the bends, though, thanks to more feedback about what the front wheels are doing and a greater sense of rear-bias - that is, it feels as though you’re being satisfyingly pushed out of the corner, rather than dragged around it by the front wheels. There doesn’t feel like there’s much difference between the Audi’s various drive modes, whereas the change in the X3 is very marked.

Practical, flexible interior but only an average-sized boot

The Q5’s front seats are very comfortable and supportive, and in all trim levels go a very long way back to allow even extremely tall drivers to get comfortable. It does feel a bit stingy that they’re only electrically adjustable as standard on the top-spec Edition 1 trim, however.

The steering column adjusts quite a long way too, and like the seats is electric on top-spec cars. As for storage, it’s good - there are really big door bins that can accommodate large bottles and more besides, a roomy under-armrest storage bin and a decent glovebox. There’s also a standard wireless phone charger, though there’s no additional storage alongside it so if you want to sling keys or wallets somewhere it’ll have to be in the cupholders or under the armrest.

Space in the back seats

The Q5’s rear doors open almost to 90 degrees making access quite easy. Once inside, there’s room in the back for tall adults to get their legs comfy, but headroom is quite limited if you opt for the panoramic glass roof.

If you have three occupants in the rear then the centre passenger will have to straddle quite a large hump in the floor, while those on the outside will find their heads pressed into the sloping roof lining.

The rear seats do slide and recline on all but the base model, which is useful, and the centre armrest is wide and comfortable with built-in cupholders. There are ISOFIX points on both outer rear seats, as well as the front passenger seat.

All occupants, front and rear, do get slightly fiddly electronic door latches. These are to enable the safe exit assist, which prevents the doors from opening if the car detects an approaching cyclist or vehicle - but it does require a practiced touch or the doors will re-latch closed.

Boot space

With 520 litres of space the Audi Q5’s boot isn’t the largest - it’s dwarfed by the 570-litre BMW X3 and 620-litre Mercedes GLC, but larger than the 483-litre Volvo XC60. It’s a nice flexible space, though, with a standard electric tailgate featuring a handy projection onto the road below - this lets you know where to waggle your foot to open the boot when your hands are full.

You can fold the seats down from the back, and they go totally flat. They also split 40:20:40 allowing you to carry two rear passengers with a longer load between them. The Q5’s dramatically sloping rear window does limit overall carrying capacity, though.

Opt for the Q5 e-Hybrid and boot space drops fairly dramatically to 438 litres. The same is true of alternatives, though - plug-in hybrid models of the X3 and GLC drop to 460 and 470 litres respectively.

Lots of screens gives wow factor, but build quality has taken a dive

The Q5’s interior looks pretty well identical to the other latest Audi models - the Q6 e-tron, A6 e-tron, A5, etc. All of the cars share the same screen setup - a standard pair of displays made up of a 14.5-inch infotainment screen in the centre and an 11.9-inch driver display.

Both of these are clear and responsive, though it’s a shame you can’t have a more traditional dial layout on the driver display as all of the available layouts are a bit busy. The central screen, meanwhile, is easy to use but has so many functions that you do tend to spend a lot of time scrolling through them.

The climate controls are positioned in a permanent shortcut bar at the bottom, but they’re small enough to be quite fiddly to use. There’s the usual voice commands too, but this requires such specific wording that you’ll be at it for ages trying to change functions.

Top models also get a 10.9-inch passenger display. This allows the front-seat passenger to scroll through menus, control media or even consume content on the move. It’s rather gimmicky, and there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished more easily on the main infotainment screen - or through a smartphone. However, without it, you get a big slab of black plastic on the dashboard, which is unsightly.

The plastics in general aren’t really up to snuff. In the places you touch most - the steering wheel, door cards and major controls - everything feels quite high quality. But you don’t have to pry far to find materials that really don’t feel posh enough for a £50,000+ car. The air vents, centre console and even the lower half of the dash all feel cheap and a bit nasty.

The same is true for the haptic touch controls on the wheel and on the driver’s door - they wobble under the finger and collect fingerprints like a philatelist collects stamps.

This is a shame when you consider the previous Q5 was beautifully built with material quality almost beyond reproach. The latest BMW X3 has undergone a similar transformation, substituting quality materials for cheap plastic, and all it does is make the Lexus NX or Volvo XC60 seem more luxurious by comparison.

There are two engine options for the Q5 - a petrol and a diesel. Both are 2.0-litre, four-cylinder lumps with an identical 204hp.

The petrol is marginally quicker, but only by 0.2s in the 0-62mph sprint. It’s also about £1,600 cheaper. However the diesel is much more efficient and to us feels better suited to the car, with a more relaxed air and greater low-end shove.

Claimed efficiency is around 38mpg for the petrol and 44mpg for the diesel. Expect that to be around 32mpg for the petrol and 40mpg for the diesel in the real world - solid numbers for a large family SUV, but nothing groundbreaking. A Mercedes GLC diesel will do over 50mpg with ease.

The plug-in hybrid Q5 is the obvious choice if you’re looking for a cost-effective company car. With a maximum range on a charge of up to 62 miles, it’s not in quite as low a tax band as the VW Tiguan or Mercedes GLC 300e, but it’s still significantly cheaper than the petrol or diesel versions.

The Q5 scored a full five stars when it was tested by Euro NCAP, with good results in all four categories.

All the safety kit you expect comes as standard and works pretty well, especially the assisted driving features. The more annoying beeps and bongs can be silenced reasonably rapidly through a dedicated safety button just above the gear selector.

Audi came an unimpressive 27th out of 32 manufacturers in the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, though versions of the A1, A4 and A5 all made it into the top 50 cars to own.

The new Q5, as well as all the cars that share its underpinnings, hasn’t been around long enough to assess its reliability yet. Audi only offers a basic three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is a shame. BMW and Mercedes both offer unlimited mileage coverage for the same period, while the Lexus NX has up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of cover.